Can Valley pull the upset? Serra not the same team without "the missile" and Serra trationally doesn't play well at Valley, but I think they will wear them down by the 4th quarter. 31-21 Serra
Serra Vs VC
- Thread starter padrewhipser
- Start date
Rather quietly, the Serra defense has proven to be a surprising strong suit. It has allowed just five TD's in five outings, albeit against a schedule that has not been particularly daunting (Bellarmine was not nearly as challenging as anticipated). Without Mahasin, the defense will have to be even more stout vs. both VC and St. Francis next month. Special teams have been strong as well. As for the offense, Mahasin's absence will severely reduce the number of big plays per game from here on out. More sustained drives (sans turnovers/penalties) will be required. Look for lower scores going forward and less flash and dash. Last week's Riordan game was not a true test. Can VC pull the upset tonight? Sure. Serra's margin for error has been cut back. A few serious gaffes here and there and, poof, end of win streak.
Should be interesting. For Serra it's all about ball control and minimizing miscues as they have been prone to especially in the first 1/2 of games. As stated with Serra's athletes and physical size it does take a toll on most teams in the 2nd 1/2. As for VC they have the fastest player in the WCAL in QB Jakson Berman who can scramble and if outside containment is lacking for the Padres it will spell big trouble. The Padres will also face the best WR in the league in one Jurrion Dickey which will be a serious test for the Padre secondary. In previous games against lesser opponents I've seen multiple WR's get behind the Padre secondary and some long passes dropped. VC's JD is fast, tall [6'2] and strong enough to shed tacklers [210] and will NOT drop passes. If Serra's DB's/Safety are not up to the task then JD could spell trouble hauling in a 1/2 dozen or more passes & couple TD's [in particular in a lower scoring game this could be pivotal - you cannot shut out a WR like JD, but have to minimize the damage to the shorter plays and double coverage when possible - as he is the primary WR on most pass plays.
No announcing and no scoreboard & no idea what score is in 4th - very frustrating...
by all accounts Serra controlled the first 1/2 and VC has come back to control the 2nd 1/2...
OK game just ended and no idea what the final score was. Great broadcast job by VC for NFHS - terrible!
by all accounts Serra controlled the first 1/2 and VC has come back to control the 2nd 1/2...
OK game just ended and no idea what the final score was. Great broadcast job by VC for NFHS - terrible!
Serra looked like the best team in Norcal in the first half dominating on both sides of the ball to take a 28-0 lead. Big explosive plays. Not really sure what happened in the second half, loss of focus or what, but they did not look good at all. Also probably had about 15 penalties that kept Valley drives alive. Some of those calls were very questionable, almost embarrassing.
Good point about the penalties as I'd expressed pre-game that Serra needs to minimize its "miscues".
As for the numerous infractions I started to keep track and then lost track mostly due to no announcing, but there were plenty by Serra. So far this season I cannot remember any other team committing as many penalties as this Padre team - in this game I'm guessing maybe 7-8 infractions and some were costly. The other short-coming of the Padre offense is one that I'm not sure can be remedied currently - did anyone else notice the several times open WR's were missed on passes? There were 2 in particular where it appeared the Serra WR had a full step on the DB and the pass was simply overthrown unfortunately - Serra will need to complete those kind of throws upcoming if they stand a chance against the Lancers' [ie: numerous needless penalties and missing open WR's spells doom vs SF and better teams come playoff time...]
As for the numerous infractions I started to keep track and then lost track mostly due to no announcing, but there were plenty by Serra. So far this season I cannot remember any other team committing as many penalties as this Padre team - in this game I'm guessing maybe 7-8 infractions and some were costly. The other short-coming of the Padre offense is one that I'm not sure can be remedied currently - did anyone else notice the several times open WR's were missed on passes? There were 2 in particular where it appeared the Serra WR had a full step on the DB and the pass was simply overthrown unfortunately - Serra will need to complete those kind of throws upcoming if they stand a chance against the Lancers' [ie: numerous needless penalties and missing open WR's spells doom vs SF and better teams come playoff time...]
Any hint of a fragmented, frazzled or fading effort vs. St. Francis in November will spell curtains for the Padres. The Lancers will be, by far, their toughest foe on the regular season schedule. No one else is close.
I was talking to a friend of mines this morning. His son plays for Valley so he was at the VC game, he said that the refs were horrible. Said it seemed like the refs wanted to keep the game close at times.
Watching online was horrible as well. NFHS needs to get it together.
Finally had a chance to review the Serra @ VC game. First impression is that Serra was poised in expectation of VC defensive ball pursuit. Either VC didn't take the bait or, and this more likely, VC didn't have good defensive control. Serra, on the other hand, was more flexible on both offense and defense. VC's rush was ineffective against the Padres. This was all the first half. Someone posted that they thought the refs were trying to extend the game by all the penalties handed out in the 2nd half. Well, the Serra penalties were plentiful in the first half too.
The second half, VC discarded their modified single Wing T as their primary offense in favor of a modified spread offense. it seemed much more effective against the standard Serra defense. It forced Serra out of rhythm. I have to hand it to Machado - I had doubts he could coach at this level - but here it is. As the game shifted toward VC's favor Serra became more restless and less disciplined resulting in increased penalties. Many of the penalties were holding by the Serra line. It is common practice for the offensive line to stay with their block as long as possible with techniques that go unnoticed by the refs as holding. Serra offense weren't very good at these techniques. But that wasn't the main reason for the lopsided 2nd half score. Simply, VC stepped up significantly on defense and exercised good slingshot offense.
I thought maybe reporters called this game the tale of two halves because of the score. Strangely, no. It almost seemed as if a different team stepped into the VC players' shoes.
Overall, Serra was the better team. They had better play action and better athletes (or possible better trained athletes) across the board. VC's offense had better balance compared to past years but they were too slow to get their defensive game together.
If both teams could perform at their best throughout the game. it would be a battle slightly favoring Serra.
The second half, VC discarded their modified single Wing T as their primary offense in favor of a modified spread offense. it seemed much more effective against the standard Serra defense. It forced Serra out of rhythm. I have to hand it to Machado - I had doubts he could coach at this level - but here it is. As the game shifted toward VC's favor Serra became more restless and less disciplined resulting in increased penalties. Many of the penalties were holding by the Serra line. It is common practice for the offensive line to stay with their block as long as possible with techniques that go unnoticed by the refs as holding. Serra offense weren't very good at these techniques. But that wasn't the main reason for the lopsided 2nd half score. Simply, VC stepped up significantly on defense and exercised good slingshot offense.
I thought maybe reporters called this game the tale of two halves because of the score. Strangely, no. It almost seemed as if a different team stepped into the VC players' shoes.
Overall, Serra was the better team. They had better play action and better athletes (or possible better trained athletes) across the board. VC's offense had better balance compared to past years but they were too slow to get their defensive game together.
If both teams could perform at their best throughout the game. it would be a battle slightly favoring Serra.
Really good analysis! I like the call of VC having success with a different offensive look. Their strength is Dickey as a receiver and Berman as a dual threat.
This has been their M.O. all season. Big first halves, then they completely relax in the second. The only complete game was against Bellarmine.
