Let the keyboard click, by Todd "fast fingers" Helmick. A long one for those interested.
October 15, 2023
The Grizzlies are gone. But their fierce attacks, digging, clawing and tenacity will forever keep Wadsworth remembered in the laurels of Cumberland football.
The Saturday afternoon game at Greenway Avenue Stadium between these Grizzlies and Sentinels was a doozy for the ages. The emotional and physical swings of the entire game drifted from one extreme to another. Fort Hill dominated the first half completely, doing what FH normally does controlling both sides of the line of scrimmage, pounding the ball on the ground, aggressive defense chasing down every pass or hand off. This defense was swarming and quick. The offense was grinding it out. Next thing everyone knew the score was 28-7 at the half in favor of the home team.
Perusing through a great deal of social media as the game progressed it was clear that many were left wondering at halftime if this Wadsworth team was all that they were cracked up to be. Was this really the 11th ranked Division I Ohio team (the highest division) in the AP Poll with a 7-1 record that had 1600 students in the school? That had 63 players dressed along with 16 coaches on the sideline? To many at halftime, Wadsworth looked like just another overrated, undefeated team from another land that had no business competing with Fort Hill.
Then some truths were revealed to open the second half. Fort Hill struggled just to get a first down. They could not convert on 3rd and short or 4th and short. The wing-T was snuffed. The line of scrimmage was now in favor of the road team. The kick returns were botched. More important, Wadsworth got their offense in gear quick using a more up tempo, fast pace with a balance of run and pass that kept FH on their heels for the next 20 minutes of game clock. In essence, Wadsworth shut FH out completely while putting up 28 unanswered points as the Grizzlies took the lead for the first time 35-28 with just under five minutes left in the game. Fort Hill's goose was cooked.
There is no blaming Fort Hill for overconfidence or taking the foot off the accelerator the second half. Truth be told, Wadsworth is damn good and damn deep. They are very, very well coached and very sound fundamentally at what they do. The Fort Hill defense was almost out of gas and off balance as the up tempo pace paid huge dividends. Hurting the defense was the fact Wadsworth kept converting on fourth down. That is not only demoralizing mentally but more so physically. And it sure did take its toll as the second half wore on.
I have used the analogy that speed kills. I have also used the analogy that depth kills. While Wadsworth was platooning a fresh set of bodies on both offense and defense, Fort Hill had little substitution options. That's the advantage of bringing 63 players from four hours away to spend Friday night in a local hotel room. Class 1A schools in Maryland don't have that luxury. While Wadsworth may not have had a large handful of Division I type college recruits, they had numbers of plentiful size, speed and talent much like Fort Hill makes a living doing, just more numbers of it.
TECHNOLOGY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL - HUDL SIDELINE
If you were lucky enough to not be afraid of a wet aluminum bleacher (it didn't rain the entire game), you would have noticed two Wadsworth tents on both their sideline and in back of the end zone. In those larger sized tents were tablets and television screens loaded with something called Hudl Sideline. Many have heard of Hudl software. It's an application that allows all players and coaches at all levels to record video, share video and edit video for highlights and such across any internet connection. That technology goes way deeper. Hudl Sideline allows Wadsworth to set up multiple cameras around the stadium...in the press box, up high on a pole in the end zone and from a flying drone. That video is instantly streamed to the sideline in that tent. When the Wadsworth defense comes off the field they go into the tent with coaches to watch, examine and dissect the last series against Fort Hill. Where players are lined up, what formation, what play. It's higher level technology used in the NFL. Believe it or not, Fort Hill is now using Hudl Sideline technology. It's not nearly to the level that Wadsworth used. The main difference being that Wadsworth can bring their entire defense to the sideline tent when their offense takes over. Fort Hill still has their defensive players in the game when the offense takes over. So you won't see Fort Hill players staring at tablets with coaches after every series. DEPTH KILLS!
THE 92-YARD DRIVE
Depth and technology, none of it mattered with just under five minutes left with Fort Hill down by seven points and the ball at their own eight yard line. Some how, some way, despite the odds Fort Hill went shot gun and drove the length of the field (92 yards) to score a touchdown. The entire drive had its own insanity. On fourth and six at their own 12-yard line, Fort Hill with under four minutes left in the game did not have time to punt. It was do or die. The Sentinels dialed up a receiver sweep to senior Gavin Carney, the back up quarterback. Not sure if that was Gavin's only carry so far this year but it worked. He got the first down and then some. However, a flag was thrown for FH having five players in the backfield. A flag that was then waived off after an official's discussion. Upon replay, FH got away with one. Yes, there were less than seven players on the line of scrimmage. Not sure what the referees saw, but that one was botched. Should have replayed fourth down.
THE SENTINEL STACK OFFENSE
The very next play FH quarterback Deshaun Brown found #5 Tristan Ross for a 50-yard bomb that took the ball into Grizzly territory inside the 30-yard line. How Ross got that far past the defender no one is quite sure. Surely speed had much to do with it as Ross is a 100 meter track dynamo. A few runs and a few passes later and Fort Hill was knocking on the door inside the five. Enter Jabril Daniels and the newly, and fully functional Sentinel Stack formation. Some call it the Maryland I-formation. Some call it the Triple I-formation. It's quarterback under center, with three running backs stacked in a straight line behind him. Freshman sensation Bender was up front to lead the play, the fullback Willison in the middle to also lead the way and the pounding star of the past three weeks Daniels behind both a good seven yards off the line of scrimmage. Hand off to Daniels to the left, TOUCHDOWN. What comes next will forever be written in Fort Hill Football history.
THE JUMBO TWO POINT ATTEMPT
Fort Hill coaches then made the decision to go for the two-point conversion instead of kicking the extra point for the tie. Despite having an impeccable kicker in senior Cooper Silber, who had already made two field goals this afternoon and was successful on all PATs, you get the feeling FH coaches knew their team was out of gas. Instead of kicking the ball for a tie and overtime, they came out in the Sentinel Stack again for the two point conversion and the win. This time with their JUMBO package. It's an unbalanced offensive line with only one guard to the left of center. Big tackles Carter Hess and Brayden Sines shift to the right of the line side-by-side...two very close long-time friends and teammates. Call it the new JUMBO SENTINEL STACK. The upback Bender goes in motion to the right, you know it's coming...then the pitch to none other than Jabril Daniels off the right side behind a Willison and a wall of red jersey weight room dedicated power. Bingo, 36-35 Fort Hill.
With 51 seconds and two time outs, Wadsworth had no answer with too little time as once again Jabril Daniels comes through and intercepts a tipped ball pass to end the game. Victory formation, one of the greatest formations in football and Fort Hill pulls out one for the ages.
There was far too many heroes in this game for Fort Hill to name a MVP. Every player and coach played a part. Absolutely took a team effort. There is no denying however that #5 Tristan Ross, the young speedster who sat out in street clothes on the sidelines the first four games nursing a hamstring injury, came up huge when huge was needed. Ross didn't even see his first playing time until fourth quarter mop up duty at Briar Woods two weeks prior. This afternoon he took a kick return to the house in the first half, he caught three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. None of them bigger than his clutch 50-yard reception to put FH in scoring position to end the game. As FH finds more ways to get Ross implemented into this system, the more deadly weapons they load. Speed kills!
Another impressive notice this afternoon has to be the development and poise of senior QB Deshaun Brown. The Sentinels are not throwing the ball often, no surprise there. And some times up to this game Brown has had happy feet in the pocket when they do pass, many times he was looking for running lanes instead of downfield looking at receivers. Not today. His calm presence in the pocket, his ability to scramble to buy time, his looks downfield and his accurate darts were critical in this win. Brown, a starting guard on the basketball team, hasn't played football the past two years, but it looks like this game shook the rust. Coaches even called a quarterback bootleg near the red zone for the first time dialing up designed running plays for Brown. Here's to watching this young man grow into the playoffs.
COACHING PROPS
You have to tip the hat to this FH coaching staff. I thought they were brilliant today. As open to new ideas and concepts when something isn't working as I've seen. The difference between the first half and second half this afternoon was that Wadsworth came out of the locker room to start the third quarter with a few changes. One was the faster pace of the offensive snaps to tire out FH players having to play both ways and it worked. I did feel that once FH decided to use a safety, sometimes two safeties, that it opened up the Wadsworth running game much more. While most thought Wadsworth was going to come out throwing after halftime to get back in the game, they actually took what FH gave them and hurt the Sentinel defense with the feet of their ball carriers. The other major change was a full blitzing linebacker approach out of their 4-3 defensive alignment. The FH guards and blockers had trouble picking it up. But simply put those Grizzly linebackers were stout and excellent ballers. They were more than talented enough to neutralize the FH running game. The Sentinel coaches didn't panic, trying the new stack backfield, shot gun, using the speedster Ross late in the game when big plays were the only option, etc. For the first time in a while one can actually sense that if you want to take away this or that from FH that they have other options. While this writer would have still gone for the extra point kick to tie the game at the end, no one can argue why FH goes for two there and the win. My take was that the Kansas tiebreaker in overtime with a first and goal at the ten yard line was better suited for the FH ground game. I'm only an armchair play caller, even when watching the NFL like most every human. That's part of the the fun in watching football, second guessing play calls. These FH coaches know what they are doing.
OFFICIATING
This week these officials were letting the kids play. In fact, some of the penalties that are normally called were not. The Fort Hill kickoff return for a touchdown had a blatant crack back block that not only set the return man free but also leveled the defender and was not called. I'm good with that as long as the strike zone is the same for both teams. If you want to know how Wadsworth was able to run the ball the entire second half, especially on the edge, just watch #22 Nick Willison's jersey. The left tackle for Wadsworth was pulling his jersey off on most plays but the refs let it go...and I'm good with that if the strike zone is the same. Wadsworth fans may say otherwise. While I felt they got called the most with the after the whistle flags I didn't think they had major implications on this outcome. If any did, the five men in the backfield waiving of the flag was the one.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
These last five weeks put Fort Hill up against an undefeated Briar Woods, an undefeated Mountain Ridge, a 7-1 Ohio big boy Wadsworth team, next an undefeated New Oxford team and then Homecoming against a good cross-town rival in Blue. Those teams are all quality. The fact Fort Hill does what it does each week is almost illogical.
CLOSING THE WADSWORTH BOOK
Anyone who thinks this team wasn't legit doesn't know football. Are they big boy Private school legit? No, but 1A public schools have no business being compared to such. Make no mistake however, this Wadsworth team had a load of ammunition for most every chamber. Senior speedster Will Stack is likely the best dual threat quarterback FH will see this year. Their running back Figuray was a bruiser at 6'1 , 205 pounds with speed backs to support him. They had two to three receivers as good as any FH will see. Listening to the Wadsworth announcers on their internet streams of previous games will tell you this line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball have thus far been the strength of what they do. The right offensive tackle Eli Kaufman at 6'4, 260 lbs has Division I offers. The Grizzlies have only given up 8 second half points this year prior to their visit to Cumberland. Well coached, double the size in numbers, players that go one way, technologically advanced and brought as big of a crowd as Fort Hill could muster despite the four hour drive. This was Wadsworth's first ever trip in school history outside the state, exactly six years to the date Melbourne Central Catholic came here from Florida. Same day, same exciting result for anyone watching. Who could ask for anything more?
What a game. Couldn't write a script like this. Completely dominate the first half, completely get dominated in the second half. Then do the unthinkable and go 92 yards with under five minutes left in the game with their backs and odds against the wall to win this sucker. What a swing of emotions. What a game!
