Rocklin vs. Del Oro
- Thread starter FelineBad
- Start date
If the Hurst kid is out as I have heard, I really like Rocklins chances...minus CT DO doesn't seem to have the same tenacity.....
Last week I heard Hurst may play this week. Last week he was walking around with a little limp but I'm sure he is not 100%.
I don't know much about Rocklin this year. Would like to hear what TR has to say about Rocklin.
Will be spirited rivalry game at the least.
I don't know much about Rocklin this year. Would like to hear what TR has to say about Rocklin.
Will be spirited rivalry game at the least.
Agree. This team and season reminds of 2008, where CT and the boys went I think 4-6, and also had a strong junior class. The next year they rebounded, went 11-3, had a great run thru SJS, def Fol in an epic semi comeback, then lost section champ in a downpour to a v gd Rocklin team at UC Davis. Some injuries have hurt D.O. this season, but more than that, the OL is below avg for SFL, and usually D.O. can run the ball, predictably - with success, not this year. This one will be, as others have said, for 4th place and a playoff bid coming out of SFL regular season. Flip a coin on this one, hoping for some Golden Eagle magic at home.
I hear what you are saying Feline but in my mind a program can't lose a coach of Casey's stature and not lose a big part of what they have been?? He was a big loss and the adjustment to him being gone is a hole that will take more than a season to fill....JMHO...
CT is gone. Part of CT's team identity was simple smashmouth football, control the game running the ball with strong OL play, to be the best you have to play the best, anyone/anywhere/anytime, etc.
DO needs to establish it's identity under the new coach and to be honest I've been a little confused as to what identity they are trying to establish. New coach jumped into a tough situation with perennially high expectations from fan base and inheriting a team that is down significantly from previous year. There is also discord among some of the coaches that is impacting performance on the field that I expect will be worked out mostly during early part of next season. Depending on what new coach plans are and what he plans to change it could take a few years before we see a consistent new identity(assuming he intends to change identity) and DO returning to level they have been the past 2 years.
In his 15 seasons as head coach CT took DO from an average D3 team to a D3 Section championship to a D2 section championship to 4 state championship appearances to a 1A state champion. CT pushed the envelope to get the most out of his team. Taking DO to the next level will be new coach Walter's challenge and will obviously take some time as each step get progressively more challenging.
I'm encouraged by what I've seen in the JV team this year and some of the Juniors on Varsity and how that should translate to better results.
Now back on topic. Looking at Rocklin's numbers they are more of a passing team this year and less balanced vs DO. Rocklin looks to have some good DB's that protect pass well and create turn overs. I like DO in this one IF then can establish the run game and pressure/contain Rocklin QB.
DO needs to establish it's identity under the new coach and to be honest I've been a little confused as to what identity they are trying to establish. New coach jumped into a tough situation with perennially high expectations from fan base and inheriting a team that is down significantly from previous year. There is also discord among some of the coaches that is impacting performance on the field that I expect will be worked out mostly during early part of next season. Depending on what new coach plans are and what he plans to change it could take a few years before we see a consistent new identity(assuming he intends to change identity) and DO returning to level they have been the past 2 years.
In his 15 seasons as head coach CT took DO from an average D3 team to a D3 Section championship to a D2 section championship to 4 state championship appearances to a 1A state champion. CT pushed the envelope to get the most out of his team. Taking DO to the next level will be new coach Walter's challenge and will obviously take some time as each step get progressively more challenging.
I'm encouraged by what I've seen in the JV team this year and some of the Juniors on Varsity and how that should translate to better results.
Now back on topic. Looking at Rocklin's numbers they are more of a passing team this year and less balanced vs DO. Rocklin looks to have some good DB's that protect pass well and create turn overs. I like DO in this one IF then can establish the run game and pressure/contain Rocklin QB.
I've seen Rocklin play only twice this season, against Grant and Nevada Union. I've not been attending as many games in recent years since the kids I coached in youth have all graduated. So I'm not as connected as I used to be and I get out to see many different programs.
Having said that, my opinion on the Thunder has changed a bit since the beginning of the season. Early on, I thought their defense was pretty good and might keep them in some of these league games. But the defense has been very up and down. Offensively, they just aren't able to score enough to keep up with good teams like Oak Ridge. But their QB #4 Wyant is only a JR and is talented. #88 McBride is dangerous as is #28 Blayden Brown, who also plays both ways.
Should be a good game, I hope.
My intel was correct and the Hurst kid was not a factor. Del Oro is no longer going to be a major player in the SFL and the elite teams. The loss of CT is bigger than I thought. I no longer see the transfer kids from Rocklin, Lincoln, Placer, Colfax, Woodcreek, Antelope, Roseville and extended areas transfer into Del Oro. The rules have changed and I just don't see the parents putting their kids thru the hoops...I feel sorry for the ones who are there as help will not be on the rise to take them to State games.....they will be competitive the next couple seasons as they ride out the talent but after that they will be much like any other public school.....JMHO
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WWHS44, You may be right. The Del Oro offense struggled. Offensive line had a tough night. The poor running back got beat up. The inexperience of both Del Oro quarterbacks was glaring. Ints, sacks, mishandled snap, running out of bounds for a loss near the red zone.....not being able to get the ball to their talented receivers consistently, etc. Rocklin's QB, RB Brown, and TE McBride were studs.
I've said it before. A program can't lose coaches of that caliber and it not have an impact. Losing or gaining a head coach like Casey Taylor or Joe Cattolico is bound to return an immediate impact. Losing a top assistant like Reggie Harris or Troy Taylor may not have the same immediate impact, but over several years there will be an impact.
Del Oro is likely headed for their worst league record since 1998. Yet there are some that claim CT is an overrated coach. Not everyone can just step in and do the same job. Look at the difference Coach C is making at Sheldon. He's gonna win more games in 2 seasons than the Huskies managed during the previous 5 combined.
Coaches that can make that kind of impact are more the exception than the rule.
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You are right about the impact. But you also said the same thing when Troy Taylor left Folsom and there hasn't been an impact there like the one at DO.
