What Western Maryland team consistently has the best defense?
- Thread starter BarefootBoyz
- Start date
if indeed Paw Paw was in Western Maryland and not West Virginia, then yes, the "Vaunted Tunnel Defense" of Paw Paw would easily be the best. I agree with the Football Coach, I think you have to go with Fort Hill.
This is a hard question to answer. With high school players, unless you get an unusual player like FH#20 that comes along, most varsity personnel changes every 2 years. And since football is a copycat sport, most teams will run what is successful at the time and then try to mold those players into that scheme. I really take my hat off to the coaches who see what players they have and then pick a scheme and run it that best matches the talent they have. Unfortunately, this rarely occurs at this level. I have to agree that Fort Hill consistently has the best defensive stats. While they have good players and coaches, I think more importantly it is their slow, solid, consistent offense that can dominate the game clock and minimize their defensive plays as to why their defensive stats are usually leading the area.
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It's a 10-1 defense. Everything gets tunneled into the middle backer - who tackles everything. Most of the retired jerseys in the halls of Paw Paw High were middle backers. I think they made a local lemonade commercial one time using their star player giving his jersey to a young kid noodling for channel cats.
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I've always felt the same way about defensive schemes. If you got the stud lineman, go with a 5 or 6 look. If you are deeper at linebacker, go 4-4. I get sticking with a playbook on offense (as long as you adapt and expand) but I think the defense should be tailored around the talent you have.
Traditionally local teams dont usually have depth in the secondary. So I would put Alco historically, and Fort Hill historically and recently, on the same level as having ridiculously good run first defenses. But when it comes to defending the pass or a really good wide open offense, which we usually dont see alot of until playoff time in these parts, FH and Alco are both very susceptible to that luck of the draw.
There aren't lot of years you see a Barnes, Johnson, Jackson, and Brown all on the same secondary. And it shows. Both Fort Hill and Alco struggled with the fast and open offenses this year. Alco got the win over Dunbar but gave up a lot of yards and points in the process. And we saw what happened in the finals with FH. Same with Melbourne and Friendship.
It all comes down to coaching at this level. Historically, you've got to use those few studs you have and hope the other parts fall into place. Obviously I saw more FH games this year, so I use them as a measuring stick. But there were some inconsistencies in the secondary this year that FH fans havent seen in 4 years. So you have to lean heavy on the coaches, how they prepare, and the schemes. I still think FH's coaching staff just has all the right pieces right now, so I think they get the nod from me as the most consistent defense.
There aren't lot of years you see a Barnes, Johnson, Jackson, and Brown all on the same secondary. And it shows. Both Fort Hill and Alco struggled with the fast and open offenses this year. Alco got the win over Dunbar but gave up a lot of yards and points in the process. And we saw what happened in the finals with FH. Same with Melbourne and Friendship.
It all comes down to coaching at this level. Historically, you've got to use those few studs you have and hope the other parts fall into place. Obviously I saw more FH games this year, so I use them as a measuring stick. But there were some inconsistencies in the secondary this year that FH fans havent seen in 4 years. So you have to lean heavy on the coaches, how they prepare, and the schemes. I still think FH's coaching staff just has all the right pieces right now, so I think they get the nod from me as the most consistent defense.
Hey Todd, who could forget that Commercial? The legendary “Mean Joe Delawder” handing the Noodling Catfisher that Jersey then downing that bottle of Lemonade. That was some of Commercial Video’s finest cinematography.
Disagree. The "Are you letting your kids go to that big Homecoming party?" commercial down on the mall will forever haunt and entertain me at the same time...
