This week it is Cardinal Newman hosting St. Mary's-Stockton.
Both teams lost their starting QB to graduation. CN lost Brookshire. SM lost Dunniway.
Like vs Serra last year, last year's game vs Cardinal Newman was a shootout in the first half until the Rams took over in the second half. Both starting QB's were unstoppable. But, add in that St. Mary's RB, Dusty Frampton, was unstoppable with 194 yards on 21 carries and 3 TD's. Same could be said for the Rams WR, Dewey Cotton, who caught 12 passes for 195 yards and 3 TD's (just too much speed).
Click here for highlights from 2016 meeting. Please ignore the final score/stats at the end of the video as this is incorrect.
Here's the breakdown for this year's game ...
QB. St. Mary's will be without starting QB, Noah May. Noah played excellent vs Serra. Backup QB, Marcus Aponte, came in with one mission in mind to hold onto the football and run down the clock. He only threw the ball once, which resulted in a 32 yard TD reception by senior WR and 3rd string QB, Hunter Low. Marcus's arm is yet to be tested. This year, Cardinal Newman's senior, Beau Barrington, starts at QB and is off to a great start in his victory performance vs Fortuna. This week he faces a tougher secondary in St. Mary's. But, because he has a complete game under his belt and demonstrated success, I am going to lean with Cardinal Newman for this position. Who knows? Maybe Marcus Aponte surprises us all in filling in for Noah May? Since it is still a mystery - Edge Cardinals.
RB. Dusty Frampton for the Rams could not be stopped last year. I have my doubts he will be stopped this year. St. Mary's line may not be as big as last year, but I believe the Rams will still have an advantage in the running game, especially with Aponte's ability to run from the Wildcat set. The Cardinals counter with senior RB, Tanner Mendoza. But, I like the Rams run defense and how well they did vs Serra's run offense ... Edge Rams.
WR. St. Mary's demonstrated vs Serra that they are loaded in this position. It's not just Tre Jenkins and Aponte (who will now be at QB), but a few speedsters in Yay Yay Cotton, Joe Fontes, and the sophomore sensation, Jamar Marshall. I realize that CN will counter with their own set of WR's for Barrington to throw to. However, considering the damage Dewey Cotton (Yay Yay's older brother) caused last year, CN is now faced with stopping 3 times what they faced vs Dewey Cotton. It will be a test still for Aponte to get them the ball. But, I feel confident they will get the ball. And once they get the ball, lookout! Edge Rams.
TE. Do either team utilize this position to receive the ball? Not much. Hence, ... Even
OL/DL. On paper, St. Mary's linemen are bigger than the Cardinals linemen, but not by much. The big factor will be the depth at this position due to size of roster. Last year CN line was worn down against a larger/deeper Rams OL/DL. Anticipate the same result in this area. Edge Rams.
LB. The Rams' Harrison Heath looked great vs Serra last week. Expectations are that he will shine again this week along with the rest of the Rams LB's. However, I feel the Cardinals will feel at liberty to pack the box and will have some success in stopping the Rams running game, unless Aponte can threaten via the air. Still, Dusty Frampton and Aponte in the Wildcat will not be easy to stop/control, especially late in the game. Edge Rams.
Secondary. As shared last week, with the Jenkins brothers anchoring the secondary for the Rams, the Rams secondary is being touted as one of the best in the area. Shame on me for questioning this in my initial analysis vs Serra. The Cardinal Newman secondary had trouble with the speed of the Rams last year. The Rams bring more speed this year in the WR position. Although Barrington demonstrated much success going deep vs Fortuna, the Rams secondary is not at the same level as Fortuna's secondary. The Jenkins brothers are going to be tough to beat. Only edge I see Cardinal Newman having is they will be facing an untested QB, in Aponte. But, that disappears once any one of the speedy WR's get the ball. Please note that Aponte has QB experience as a youth, and he is an athlete. It won't take much effort for him to have an impact against the CN secondary, especially when Frampton gets into the secondary and runs free. Edge Rams.
Special Teams. St. Mary's transfer student kicker is awesome! Doubt CN will get a chance to return any kickoffs, unless he is instructed to kick it short. All of his kicks will be touchbacks. He also was successful in FG attempts vs Serra from 30 and 34. The kid has one heck of a leg. Keep in mind that CN's coach Cronin is a genius at trick plays and CN did recover the onside kick attempt Fortuna tried. The difference make is still the Rams kicker. Edge Rams.
Tangibles. Trick plays (element of surprise) and home field advantage. Edge Cardinals.
In summary, this game is expected to be a blow-out. Calpreps projects a 44-14 win for St. Mary's. However, history between these teams has proven that you can't count out Cardinal Newman. They come to play, plus they will be hosting this game. I anticipate a tough game in the trenches again. But, I feel once again, with Cardinal Newman being the smaller school with the smaller roster, that depth is going to play a key factor and they will get worn down come the 2nd half. There is still potential that Aponte (new at QB) might make mistakes or Frampton fumbles the ball, as he did once vs Cardinal Newman last year. Turnovers can certainly alter the game expectations. Heck, Serra had 4 to 1 versus St. Mary's last week. I really like the Rams defense this year. They will definitely be tested again vs Cardinal Newman. I also believe CN will do their best at defense and have hope in testing Aponte's arm. But, can they stop Dusty Frampton? Two years ago, the Rams escaped Santa Rosa with a 35-34 win. I'm anticipated another hard fought game, where the Ram's ground game and defense will dictate the results this year. Rams with the victory 28-13.
Both teams lost their starting QB to graduation. CN lost Brookshire. SM lost Dunniway.
Like vs Serra last year, last year's game vs Cardinal Newman was a shootout in the first half until the Rams took over in the second half. Both starting QB's were unstoppable. But, add in that St. Mary's RB, Dusty Frampton, was unstoppable with 194 yards on 21 carries and 3 TD's. Same could be said for the Rams WR, Dewey Cotton, who caught 12 passes for 195 yards and 3 TD's (just too much speed).
Click here for highlights from 2016 meeting. Please ignore the final score/stats at the end of the video as this is incorrect.
Here's the breakdown for this year's game ...
QB. St. Mary's will be without starting QB, Noah May. Noah played excellent vs Serra. Backup QB, Marcus Aponte, came in with one mission in mind to hold onto the football and run down the clock. He only threw the ball once, which resulted in a 32 yard TD reception by senior WR and 3rd string QB, Hunter Low. Marcus's arm is yet to be tested. This year, Cardinal Newman's senior, Beau Barrington, starts at QB and is off to a great start in his victory performance vs Fortuna. This week he faces a tougher secondary in St. Mary's. But, because he has a complete game under his belt and demonstrated success, I am going to lean with Cardinal Newman for this position. Who knows? Maybe Marcus Aponte surprises us all in filling in for Noah May? Since it is still a mystery - Edge Cardinals.
RB. Dusty Frampton for the Rams could not be stopped last year. I have my doubts he will be stopped this year. St. Mary's line may not be as big as last year, but I believe the Rams will still have an advantage in the running game, especially with Aponte's ability to run from the Wildcat set. The Cardinals counter with senior RB, Tanner Mendoza. But, I like the Rams run defense and how well they did vs Serra's run offense ... Edge Rams.
WR. St. Mary's demonstrated vs Serra that they are loaded in this position. It's not just Tre Jenkins and Aponte (who will now be at QB), but a few speedsters in Yay Yay Cotton, Joe Fontes, and the sophomore sensation, Jamar Marshall. I realize that CN will counter with their own set of WR's for Barrington to throw to. However, considering the damage Dewey Cotton (Yay Yay's older brother) caused last year, CN is now faced with stopping 3 times what they faced vs Dewey Cotton. It will be a test still for Aponte to get them the ball. But, I feel confident they will get the ball. And once they get the ball, lookout! Edge Rams.
TE. Do either team utilize this position to receive the ball? Not much. Hence, ... Even
OL/DL. On paper, St. Mary's linemen are bigger than the Cardinals linemen, but not by much. The big factor will be the depth at this position due to size of roster. Last year CN line was worn down against a larger/deeper Rams OL/DL. Anticipate the same result in this area. Edge Rams.
LB. The Rams' Harrison Heath looked great vs Serra last week. Expectations are that he will shine again this week along with the rest of the Rams LB's. However, I feel the Cardinals will feel at liberty to pack the box and will have some success in stopping the Rams running game, unless Aponte can threaten via the air. Still, Dusty Frampton and Aponte in the Wildcat will not be easy to stop/control, especially late in the game. Edge Rams.
Secondary. As shared last week, with the Jenkins brothers anchoring the secondary for the Rams, the Rams secondary is being touted as one of the best in the area. Shame on me for questioning this in my initial analysis vs Serra. The Cardinal Newman secondary had trouble with the speed of the Rams last year. The Rams bring more speed this year in the WR position. Although Barrington demonstrated much success going deep vs Fortuna, the Rams secondary is not at the same level as Fortuna's secondary. The Jenkins brothers are going to be tough to beat. Only edge I see Cardinal Newman having is they will be facing an untested QB, in Aponte. But, that disappears once any one of the speedy WR's get the ball. Please note that Aponte has QB experience as a youth, and he is an athlete. It won't take much effort for him to have an impact against the CN secondary, especially when Frampton gets into the secondary and runs free. Edge Rams.
Special Teams. St. Mary's transfer student kicker is awesome! Doubt CN will get a chance to return any kickoffs, unless he is instructed to kick it short. All of his kicks will be touchbacks. He also was successful in FG attempts vs Serra from 30 and 34. The kid has one heck of a leg. Keep in mind that CN's coach Cronin is a genius at trick plays and CN did recover the onside kick attempt Fortuna tried. The difference make is still the Rams kicker. Edge Rams.
Tangibles. Trick plays (element of surprise) and home field advantage. Edge Cardinals.
In summary, this game is expected to be a blow-out. Calpreps projects a 44-14 win for St. Mary's. However, history between these teams has proven that you can't count out Cardinal Newman. They come to play, plus they will be hosting this game. I anticipate a tough game in the trenches again. But, I feel once again, with Cardinal Newman being the smaller school with the smaller roster, that depth is going to play a key factor and they will get worn down come the 2nd half. There is still potential that Aponte (new at QB) might make mistakes or Frampton fumbles the ball, as he did once vs Cardinal Newman last year. Turnovers can certainly alter the game expectations. Heck, Serra had 4 to 1 versus St. Mary's last week. I really like the Rams defense this year. They will definitely be tested again vs Cardinal Newman. I also believe CN will do their best at defense and have hope in testing Aponte's arm. But, can they stop Dusty Frampton? Two years ago, the Rams escaped Santa Rosa with a 35-34 win. I'm anticipated another hard fought game, where the Ram's ground game and defense will dictate the results this year. Rams with the victory 28-13.
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