Dec 4, 2021
Mountain Ridge is a very good football team.
Fort Hill would be a tough out for any public school in the state of Maryland. Not saying they would win them all being a 1A school, just a tough opponent to knock out.
I call the Miner offense a "gimmick" offense many times while sitting in the stands watching them perform. But in a very complimentary sense. Because it's rarely straight forward. They give you misdirection, read-option, screens, play action, reverse, reverse passes, spread, bunches, tight formations, quick snaps, no-huddle, shotgun, flexbone, under center, etc. You never know what may be coming next and the process can really keep a defense guessing and on their heels.
Unfortunately when Mountain Ridge plays Fort Hill, at some point of the game all that stuff more times than not eventually boils down to man on man. It's at that point Fort Hill has the advantage. Too much speed, too much depth, too many options but most of all too much physicality. Fort Hill hits you, always have. It's a more physical brand of football that many good teams have not been able to dish back out. Especially in today's spread football age where just handing the ball up the gut with the bigger, hard nosed player behind a line built for moving people off the ball is far from the norm.
With Fort Hill, the offensive linemen have their weight on their knuckles ready to drive forward. With spread teams the weight is more often on their feet ready to back step and protect the passing quarterback. The running games don't work the same.
To no surprise, if your defense is not stopping the Fort Hill fullback you are in a world of hurt, which is why senior Blake White is the Area Player of The Year and it's not even close. This is before we even start talking about what the presence of #11 in a red uniform also does on the defensive side. When handed the ball he is moving quickly north and south. His cuts are so flawless and fluid that they never slow his straight ahead speed down. Then when he hits the second level the speed is blowing away the safety help. Blake White is a college football player. Someone needs to pay this kid's schooling and he's going to help them win games. He can be a shut down outside backer who can cover any opponent's slot receiver while making sure tackles on any running play in open space. Players like this are golden against spread offenses. Which made life for Mountain Ridge extremely troublesome.
CRAZY STAT BOMB
Fort Hill punted once in the title game against Mountain Ridge. It was the only time the Sentinels punted the entire post-season. Unless you count their only other punt against Northern when the score was 40-0 and the subs were playing.
For those still insisting that Fort Hill get out of this antiquated wing-T, ground-and-pound run the ball all the time offense in exchange for a wide open spread and throw mentality because this is what everyone else is doing...you have no idea what you are talking about.
It's not just the FH offense that hits hard. There is a reason opponents fumble the ball on the turf and throw interceptions against the Sentinel defense. The secondary can cover. More important, this defense comes at you, they hit you...harder than the last eight opponents likely did by a long shot. Plays that seemingly worked all year all of the sudden don't work anymore. Sure there is a Plan B, but it is likely you never had to use a Plan B in this situation against a really good team. And they come at you from all angles with that same physical mind set bred into these kids since the local pee wee ranks at age seven. A few weeks ago I referred to this defense as a bunch of water bugs swarming a lilly pad but they also have the ability to throw different faces in different positions until the right working formula is found by the coaching staff.
The Fort Hill coaches continually express how difficult this season has been. COVID tracing left many players missing through out the year. Suspensions, injuries, never the same starting group for every game. Didn't matter because of depth. The expression "Next Man Up" is only a valid expression when possessing a next man capable of stepping up.
The past two games the FH defense was giving up points and yardage the first quarter and a half using different player and formation combinations. Once the coaching staff found the right combo it was lights out. Down 19-10 to Mountain Ridge early in the second quarter (their largest deficit of the season) one could tell FH was having a hard time figuring out the Miner offensive systematic game plan. Once they found that right defensive combo the Miners didn't score again until the game was well in hand.
The Miners opened the second half with a three and out. Fort Hill touchdown. The next Miner possession a lost fumble. Fort Hill touchdown. Game over.
At times the officiating crew in this game had some questionable moments but they at least seemed to balance out. An illegal man down field call right before the first half ended negated a Mountain Ridge touchdown to the dismay of head coach Ryan Patterson. Two calls on Fort Hill (a roughing the passer and defensive holding) that put the Miners in that scoring position were to the dismay of the Fort Hill coaching staff. Calls like these are always open to referee interpretation. You win some and lose some but the end result of this title match had nothing to do with officiating.
The great news for these teams, and really all of Allegany County, is that both of these squads have the potential to be even better in 2022. Seriously, the returning roster and what's coming up from the junior varsity ranks is some really, really good stuff. Get your popcorn ready for October 7 next fall when Fort Hill visits Mountain Ridge. Don't be surprised if there is a second meeting in the post-season again as well.
2021 marks the sixth state title for Fort Hill in the last eight seasons. In those years the Sentinels have posted a 67-1 record.
Mountain Ridge is a very good football team this season. They just don't have it in them to beat Fort Hill. Not many do.
Mountain Ridge is a very good football team.
Fort Hill would be a tough out for any public school in the state of Maryland. Not saying they would win them all being a 1A school, just a tough opponent to knock out.
I call the Miner offense a "gimmick" offense many times while sitting in the stands watching them perform. But in a very complimentary sense. Because it's rarely straight forward. They give you misdirection, read-option, screens, play action, reverse, reverse passes, spread, bunches, tight formations, quick snaps, no-huddle, shotgun, flexbone, under center, etc. You never know what may be coming next and the process can really keep a defense guessing and on their heels.
Unfortunately when Mountain Ridge plays Fort Hill, at some point of the game all that stuff more times than not eventually boils down to man on man. It's at that point Fort Hill has the advantage. Too much speed, too much depth, too many options but most of all too much physicality. Fort Hill hits you, always have. It's a more physical brand of football that many good teams have not been able to dish back out. Especially in today's spread football age where just handing the ball up the gut with the bigger, hard nosed player behind a line built for moving people off the ball is far from the norm.
With Fort Hill, the offensive linemen have their weight on their knuckles ready to drive forward. With spread teams the weight is more often on their feet ready to back step and protect the passing quarterback. The running games don't work the same.
To no surprise, if your defense is not stopping the Fort Hill fullback you are in a world of hurt, which is why senior Blake White is the Area Player of The Year and it's not even close. This is before we even start talking about what the presence of #11 in a red uniform also does on the defensive side. When handed the ball he is moving quickly north and south. His cuts are so flawless and fluid that they never slow his straight ahead speed down. Then when he hits the second level the speed is blowing away the safety help. Blake White is a college football player. Someone needs to pay this kid's schooling and he's going to help them win games. He can be a shut down outside backer who can cover any opponent's slot receiver while making sure tackles on any running play in open space. Players like this are golden against spread offenses. Which made life for Mountain Ridge extremely troublesome.
CRAZY STAT BOMB
Fort Hill punted once in the title game against Mountain Ridge. It was the only time the Sentinels punted the entire post-season. Unless you count their only other punt against Northern when the score was 40-0 and the subs were playing.
For those still insisting that Fort Hill get out of this antiquated wing-T, ground-and-pound run the ball all the time offense in exchange for a wide open spread and throw mentality because this is what everyone else is doing...you have no idea what you are talking about.
It's not just the FH offense that hits hard. There is a reason opponents fumble the ball on the turf and throw interceptions against the Sentinel defense. The secondary can cover. More important, this defense comes at you, they hit you...harder than the last eight opponents likely did by a long shot. Plays that seemingly worked all year all of the sudden don't work anymore. Sure there is a Plan B, but it is likely you never had to use a Plan B in this situation against a really good team. And they come at you from all angles with that same physical mind set bred into these kids since the local pee wee ranks at age seven. A few weeks ago I referred to this defense as a bunch of water bugs swarming a lilly pad but they also have the ability to throw different faces in different positions until the right working formula is found by the coaching staff.
The Fort Hill coaches continually express how difficult this season has been. COVID tracing left many players missing through out the year. Suspensions, injuries, never the same starting group for every game. Didn't matter because of depth. The expression "Next Man Up" is only a valid expression when possessing a next man capable of stepping up.
The past two games the FH defense was giving up points and yardage the first quarter and a half using different player and formation combinations. Once the coaching staff found the right combo it was lights out. Down 19-10 to Mountain Ridge early in the second quarter (their largest deficit of the season) one could tell FH was having a hard time figuring out the Miner offensive systematic game plan. Once they found that right defensive combo the Miners didn't score again until the game was well in hand.
The Miners opened the second half with a three and out. Fort Hill touchdown. The next Miner possession a lost fumble. Fort Hill touchdown. Game over.
At times the officiating crew in this game had some questionable moments but they at least seemed to balance out. An illegal man down field call right before the first half ended negated a Mountain Ridge touchdown to the dismay of head coach Ryan Patterson. Two calls on Fort Hill (a roughing the passer and defensive holding) that put the Miners in that scoring position were to the dismay of the Fort Hill coaching staff. Calls like these are always open to referee interpretation. You win some and lose some but the end result of this title match had nothing to do with officiating.
The great news for these teams, and really all of Allegany County, is that both of these squads have the potential to be even better in 2022. Seriously, the returning roster and what's coming up from the junior varsity ranks is some really, really good stuff. Get your popcorn ready for October 7 next fall when Fort Hill visits Mountain Ridge. Don't be surprised if there is a second meeting in the post-season again as well.
2021 marks the sixth state title for Fort Hill in the last eight seasons. In those years the Sentinels have posted a 67-1 record.
Mountain Ridge is a very good football team this season. They just don't have it in them to beat Fort Hill. Not many do.
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