Live from OP's fifth straight Class AA football title

I'm live at Ralph Wilson Stadium for one of the games Western New York has been waiting all season for: Orchard Park vs. North Tonawanda for the AA championship.

I'll have updates when I can provide them, hopefully at the very least at the end of quarters and after scoring plays. Just settle in and become friends with your refresh button. Thanks for your patience and participation.

8:20 p.m. The OP players are being introduced over the public address system by legendary former OP baseball coach Bob Barrows. The OP players are being introduced individually. I'm pretty sure NT will be called as a team, as it has chosen to do so in the games I've seen them in this season. Yup, 50-year NT announcer, Dick Grapes, just did the honors and the team rushed out as a group. We look to be right on time for our 8:30 p.m. kickoff.

8:28 p.m. We're about to start. NT will kickoff.

8:29 p.m. Aaron Davis booted it over the OP returners' heads and the ball bounded into the end zone.

8:31 p.m. NT has held on OP's first possession. The Quakers will punt from their 26. Kyle Hoppy had a receiver wide open on a nice pass play on second down, but Eric Wildey couldn't reel in the pass.

8:34 p.m. North Tonawanda has a TOUCHDOWN and a 7-0 lead with 9:32 left in the first quarter. After a drive start at the OP 42 thanks to a poor punt, NT reached the end zone in three plays: a 1-yard Jeff Zellner run, a 10-yard Davis run off of a pitch to the left, and a 31-yard scoring run by Brandon McClinsey off a pitch to the right.

8:41 p.m. Orchard Park faces a fourth-and-2 at the NT 31.

8:43 p.m. A nice throw by Kyle Hoppy -- he's had several nice plays on this drive -- hits senior Brandon Nuessle on the left side for a first down at the NT 28.

8:46 p.m. A holding penalty knocked OP back and it faces a fourth down and 23, and Hoppy's punt is just barely a touchback.

8:47 p.m. Big mistake here -- NT fumbles a pitch on its first play and it is recovered by senior Robert Kugler, setting up OP at the NT 19.

8:49 p.m. Two Jeff Tundo runs give OP a first-and-goal at the 7.

8:51 p.m. We have a tie game at 7-7. On third-and-goal from the 1, Tundo drove through a pile to break the plane for the TOUCHDOWN. The play marked the END OF THE FIRST QUARTER.

8:56 p.m. NT's possession started with a first down run by McClinsey, but ended soon after, and the end wasn't good. A low snap on a punt wasn't handled by Kevin Miller, who was tackled at the NT 36, where OP took over.

8:57 p.m. OP didn't take long to cash in. After a Hoppy pass to Nuessle, Hoppy scrambled left and raced down the right side for a TOUCHDOWN and, with the extra point, a 14-7 lead for OP with 9:28 left in the second quarter.

9:04 p.m. NT's drive sputtered at its 42 as OP snuffed out a couple of the Lumberjacks' triple-option plays. OP takes over at its 34 with 6:49 left in the second quarter.

9:10 p.m. OP is rolling pretty well now. Jeff Tundo just powered in for an 8-yard TOUCHDOWN run with 3:29 left before halftime. At first-and-goal at the 8, Tundo followed some great blocks to the left, then dragged a defender into the end zone. OP has a 21-7 lead.

9:13 p.m. A nice sweep by McClinsey gives NT a first down at the OP 45. OP was all over two plays by NT, one of which saw what the NT sideline felt should be a late hit. A good no-call, it says here. Quarterback Mike Tuzzo hit Davis for a 22-yard gain and a first down at the OP 22.

9:17 p.m. NT calls its second timeout in the last three plays as it faces a third-and-13 at the OP 25 with 1:21 to play in the second quarter.

9:19 p.m. One play after Kyle Perla made a great play to break up a Tuzzo pass attempt to Kevin Miller on third down, Tuzzo rolls away from pressure to the right and finds Miller for a TOUCHDOWN with 1:06 left to go in the second quarter. After Davis' extra point kick goes wide left, Orchard Park has a 21-13 lead.

9:23 p.m. OP's short drive start from its 25 with 59 seconds to goes nowhere and it's HALFTIME with Orchard Park leading, 21-13.

9:33 p.m. There is some scurrying going on among the crowd of about 4,500 ... that's because a steady rain has started to fall. We'll have to see if that keeps up and how it may affect the game. About five minutes until the third quarter.

9:42 p.m. The second half has kicked off. NT's drive start is at its 37. The rain seems to be a steady but fairly light drizzle.

9:48 p.m. NT converted a big third-and-9 on a nice catch by Dan Brandel, who held on despite a big hit by Cam Hicks for a first down at the OP 33.

9:50 p.m. NT faces a fourth-and-inches at the OP 24 with 8:20 left in the third after a tough, spinning run by Aaron Davis. That came two plays after McClinsey left the field holding his left arm. The senior is sitting on the bench. That's not good for NT.

9:51 p.m. It appeared NT may have moved at the line, but not so, and Jeff Zellner runs left for the first down. The Lumberjacks are at the OP 21.

9:55 p.m. NT's drive ends at the 14 when a field goal attempt by Davis goes wide left. The Jacks may have been rushed on th play - it appeared Davis and his holder had trouble getting the kicking tee from the sideline.

9:57 p.m. OP is on the move thanks to a 35-yard run by Tundo down the right side -- in which he broke several tackles and used blocks very nicely -- and a 23-yard pass play from Hoppy to Kenneth Selby to put the Quakers at the NT 32 inside five minutes to go in the third quarter.

10:01 p.m. OP's drive stalled due to a holding penalty, a nice Davis pass break-up and a nice blitz from the blind side by Matt Potalivo for NT to force an incompletion. Hoppy had a great, high punt again, but a host of Quakers weren't able to down it -- the punt had such great hang time that there were about six players trying to do the same thing, and they fell into the end zone before they could down it. So, NT stats at the 20 with about 3:30 left in the third.

10:06 p.m. It's the END OF THE THIRD QUARTER with OP still leading, 21-13. Tuzzo has completed two third-down passes on NT's current drive, one to senior Cory Stuff and one to Davis on the second-to-last play of the quarter. Davis actually appeared to grab the ball away from an apparent OP interceptor, but both came to the turf together and the officials immediately signaled an NT first down.

10:10 p.m. NT faces a fourth-and-3 at the OP 28. With McClinsey out, NT has gone up the middle with Zellner and Steve Kijowski.

10:11 p.m. Orchard Park holds when David Michael wrapped up Brandel on a pass play to the left side. OP takes over at its 29 with 8:37 to play in the game, still holding its 21-13 lead.

10:14 p.m. OP quickly faces a third-and-10 from its 29 approaching seven minutes to go, then is moved back on a delay-of-game penalty for third-and-15 from its 24.

10:15 p.m. Hoppy rolls right and his pass goes incomplete so OP will punt.

10:16 p.m. A Hoppy punt isn't as good as his previous kicks, but it gets an OP bounce -- so much so that Davis, who was holding back, picked it up and returned it briefly. When Davis was tackled, OP was flagged for a personal foul and NT will start at the OP 40 with 6:50 left to play.

10:17 p.m. NT calls timeout with 6:45 to go, facing a second-and-10 at the OP 40. Updates may be slow from here on it because I've got to do some serious writing.

10:19 p.m. A reverse by NT, run by Joe Montesanti, gives them a first down at the OP 29.

10:21 p.m. On third-and-8, a Zellner powerful run up the middle gives NT a first down at the OP 19.

10:23 p.m. NT faces a fourth-and-9 at the OP 18, and Tuzzo's second straight incompletion ends the drive with 3:49 left.

10:27 p.m. OP faces a third-and-1 at its 41 with the clock ticking under three minutes to go.

10:28 p.m. Hoppy keeps it and gets the first down easily. NT takes its final timeout with 2:39 left in the game. OP is at its 44.

10:31 p.m. This one is over. Tundo just ran for a 53-yard TOUCHDOWN, taking the ball into a pile, then bouncing to the right and sprinting down the sideline for the score. The extra point by Ryan Cole is good and OP has a 28-13 lead with 1:45 to play. I'll be back when its a final.

10:38 p.m. We have a FINAL SCORE: Orchard Park 28, North Tonawanda 13. Deadline time.

---Keith McShea

Comments

[toadhead25]

I hope I speak for everyone else from Dundee when I say I apologize for Dundee Dad's comments. He is way off base and is just throwing smack out there. We know Maple Grove is good, as are we. Don't take this guys ramblings as the thoughts of any other Dundee fan. Good luck tomorrow, it ought to be a good one.

[cuzola]

Dundee Dad,

How about section 5 ruling class AA?

I dont think so.

[Iron Panther]

I think maybe DundeeDad and Milt are related. Maybe DundeeDad is Milt's alter ego. While they don't have the market cornered on saying stupid things they are both masters of the rediculous.

[centercourt]

DundeeDad,

Rather than say Leroy was afraid to play you, why not make your point with game scores?

I'll give you an example:

-Oakfield-Alabama beat Notre Dame 28-6.
-Dundee needed OT to beat Notre Dame.
-Leroy beat Oakfield-Alabama 27-17.

Oh wait, I see. If you do it that way, it shoots holes in your theory and looks like Leroy would handle you with ease.

Dundee scored with 33 seconds left to break a 14-14 tie and get past a three loss team in Avon.

Leroy beat undefeated Oakfield by 12.

Leroy is scared to play Dundee? Thanks for the insight DundeeDad.

[Fran]

DundeeDad
The Maple Grove fans make a lot of dopey posts just like yours. I hope Maple Grove's FB team makes you eat those words.
The great American philosopher Marv Levy once said, "Your actions should speak so loudly that no hears what you are saying."

[Dundeedad]

I am just saying that I cant take maple grove serious when the fans in Buffalo area want to see them lose and dont think they are very good. Look at your own blogs. Over half are ripping the Maple grove team. The few fans of Maple Grove are going to be in for a treat. We are bigger,badder,faster! Your team will be lucky to score on us. We have played much better teams this year. Ask the 14 time champ Leroy team and they will tell you. They wont even play us. We could beat Bath and Geneva too. I cant wait unil friday so we can prove again that section 5 rules. its so much better than section 6. its not even close. see ya friday.

[cmc]

I know football rules in WNY but, did anyone really notice the NUMBER ONE HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAM IN THE STATE IS ORCHARD PARK? In this football crazy past weekend the team completed an undefeated season and in the process won the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. THREE DIVISION ONE ATHLETES/STATE CHAMPIONSHIP=a small paragraph is Saturdays paper.

[cuzola]

Where in Gods name is DUNDEE anyways? And now that I see...... I cant believe DUNDEEDAD is running smack about 4 touchdowns or whatever. We all know that he did not travel to the Ralph to see them before opening his trap.

Its one thing to be sick of hearing MGFan, but now we have to pull for them. As the season wears on its time to Galvanize Section VI.

Prepare to impressed DundeeFad!

[Gator]

Buck, Thats a great attitude you have...You want to see other section 6 teams to lose so they will leave the "News" forum?...Is it sour grapes because your team lost?...Well we hear at Maple grove only wish the best to all section 6 schools....I hope all 5 teams from section 6, win this weekend...Come on Buck, be a section 6 fan....Its not that hard...just root for section 6 teams and the rest of the teams in western NY...

All of you Dundee fans, your team has had a great season, good luck Friday night, may the bet team win. I will guarantee you that Maple Grove will come to play...I can't guarantee a victory for Maple Grove because I haven't seen you play...I will promise that we will score a lot of points..We can sore on anybody...LeRoy, remember when you lost to Falconer a few years ago?...Well get ready because this Southwestern team is better than that Falconer team that upset you and ended up playing for the state championship...You guys will have your hands full...Good luck to Orchard park, Sweet Home and Lackawanna also...Come on lets make it 5 for 5.. I don't think its ever been done, so lets make history....See Buck that's how it should be...all of us on one team!...

[confused]

dundeedad, man i'm confused; no D team can touch you? were you at the game this weekend? Avon, a 6-3 D team scored first and led for a good chunk of the game -- you were tied until the last minute, your QB was 4 for 14 with 4 interceptions! avon's defense caught as many passes as your own offense! you were sacked twice and avon outnumbered you in yards rushing and time of possession -- yea, in the end you won the game but i'd say a D school in your own section touched you A LOT; come on man, if you're gonna brag about your team, have the stats in your biggest game to date to back it up

[fredoniafootbal]

Lackawanna is an great team. They gave our kids a beating. props to them. good work lackawanna. I thought the game wud be a lot closer, hey but it was the closest game of the playoffs games. they were all blowouts. that baffles me. Lackawnna speed will win them states. I hope fredonia can at least say we lost to the State champs. go get'em lackawanna. hats off!

[buck]

i dont know anything about maple grove other than the comments on here. but i honestly hope they lose so you people just go away on here. dont cry for respect earn it. win states, then you can talk. getting out of class d here is not that big of deal. if you win states then you can toot your own horn but not till then. youll be lucky to survive against dundee. dont bash other area schools because they are legit in there own right. big difference in class size and athletes in the bigger schools. maybe you have 3 gamebreaker kids where op has like 8, that makes a monster difference.

[Dundeedad]

I have noticed that most of the bloggers from Buffalo dont even respect Maple Grove Fran is one. Thats pretty sad.

[Dundeedad]

I see Maple Grove has just played d schools. Dundee is really a C playing in D class.i dont think any pure D school can touch us. Walton is going back to C next year and they dont even want to play us. I think we will be maple grove by at least 4 touchdowns. i dont think you guys realize how good our backs and line are. Your QB better have eyes in the back of his head because we will be coming from all angles. There isnt a C or a b school in Rochester that wants to play us. I am not bragging, its the truth. 42-6 Dundee. If MG scores more than 14 points i will be impressed.

[MGFootballFan]

Keep dreaming section 5.......we do our talking on the field

[section5]

We'll see how good your Maple Grove team is.Dundee plays much bigger than a D school. They have possibly the best backfield in all of section 5.(Blaine Moore,Ryan Ballard, and Steven Webb) Webb is best tailback in all of section 5. Dundee would beat Leroy and probably beat Bath. Dundee is loaded on the line. I can't see maple groves qb having time to throw. Maple Groves roster looks tiny.prediction Dundee 30- maple grove 14. cant get any closer than that. I'm being very generous. you had a good year maple grove but its over on Friday.

[Fran]

I think most people would agree that Maple Grove is all about their QB. Not much will happen for them if he is not playing.
So why is he playing defense? Why is he on the kickoff team? I realize he is the kicker, but they can't find anyone else to kick off?
It seemed like their roster was big enough that they shouldn't need to take a chance with disaster.

[d'geo]

Sean, You are way off! first ofalli'm from buffalo. I hadn't seen any jamestown area teams until the finals.i watchedevery game.i have watched these games for 30 years. that maple grove team was the best small school probably in last 10 years or so. they would beat lackawanna. there coaching, team speed, play calling and especially that qb. he was fanstastic there is no way they would lose to lackawanna or any other small school around the buffalo area.i cant speak for rochester or syracuse because i dont have any idea what they have.

[Sean Bruso]

I have thoughts on Maple Grove...I broadcasted the game on Time Warner Sports Net and I was shocked by the great job Maple Grove did this game and this season. I was extremly impressed with how Coach Fisher handled his team and Milt it is all about matchups and I believe I said that About 5 times on TV. In every game its about exploiting mismatches. Clymer was big and MG was athletic, so what did they do...use their athletes and threw the ball. Iroquois lost because they didnt matchup wel, Sweet Home and their almost Radar defense just used their athletes to stunt around the big Iroquois line. I think MG can do it but they have a task ahead of them. Dundee has scored 427 points including one game where they put up 89!!!! They won one by forfeit. They won their last two games by a combined 8 points against tough competition. They appear to be built similar to Maple Grove size and roster size wise. Wether or not these kids can play, I am not sure yet. As far as MG beating the likes of Lackawanna or Cheektowaga or Iroquois or even OP, stopppppppppp its rediclous to talk about that. It is about matchups and they could matchup well against some of the larger teams in WNY but don't make outlandish statments because its just pathetic and dumb. Chris Secky is a very talented QB (I was wrong about my inital thoughts along time ago) and Joe Caporale is very very talented and should be considered All WNY potental.

[Max]

Leroy is highly overrated. They will get thumped by the Trojans of Southwestern Saturday morning. Southwestern just might be the best team in western Ny if you consider size of the school and quality of their team.

[Fran]

Mike
I thought Clymer was a step behind everywhere on the field, not just coaching. They were not hustling, and they seemed beat after the first series. The biggest game of their season and they just didn't have it.

[Mike Ferrentino]

Dan: I cannot see Clymer beating any good teams. How can they let Coporale run right past their corner any time he wants to and not roll 1 or 2 safeties over there. One is normally enough, but if it isnt enough ROLL 2. You cant just let them score on a fly route anytime they want. If thats the best they can do as coaches, they would have a difficult time with any half way decent coaching staff.

[dapperdan]

Ben, are you serious? The way I figure they might have been the 2nd. or 3rd. weakest teams there. They struggled to beat a sub/par Silver Creek team. Lackawanna would beat them badly and maple grove would beat them worse. Looks like southwestern was fortunate to have a weak C class. Now if they beat a decent LeRoy team next week I will reevaluate them.For Now the small schools rank 1.maple grove 2.lackawanna3.fredonia 4.southwestern 5.clymer 6.silver creek the funny thing is we dont know how good clymer is. they never had a chance to show it. the fans down south say clymer is not bad,actually pretty good. might be maple grove is just that good. southwestern didnt impress me or my colleagues at all. maybe is was just a bad game.

I'm picking maple grove and sweethome to win next week. Lackawanna is a pick em. OP has to play better than they did to beat Gates. Gates isn't bad. OPcan beat them if they open up their offense. I really like Sweet Home against Aquinis. winner of that game is guaranteed a state championship.If maple grove beats dundee possibly the states game of the year will be walton vs maple grove. walton should beat dolgeville in regional game.lackawanna will have their hands full,I cant see them pulling off a victory.Morris sweet home is fantastic.he will lead them to a victory over AQ.

[Redskn54]

OP(10-0) vs Gates Chili(8-2) cant wait to see how that goes.

[ben]

sw would crush lackawanna, they would crush fredonia, they would absolutely destroy mg. they are the best small school team in wny no doubt.

[Matt]

Maple Grove would win easily over Lackawanna ... I don't think so

They have a good team but they would never dominate Lackawanna !!!!

[Fran]

OP07
As long as I am civil (which I believe I have been), I am within the rules of this forum.
You saw Maple Grove play one game, and now you think they are the best small school in WNY? I would first ask, what is the cutoff point for large school/small school?
Look, when I compared them to a JV team I was making a joke to get a rise out of the obnoxiuos Maple Grove fans on this board. There is no way you or anyone else seeing them for the forst time can make any meaningful assessment. You say they would beat Lackawanna. I say NOT LIKELY. Against LA, Secky would not have the option of lobbing those long balls to open receivers. He is a talented kid, but he is a skinny kid who plays THE WHOLE GAME. Against better competition you could not use your QB like that and expect him to perform. So MG is the best of their class, nothing more nothing less. I hope they do well in the States.

[OP07]

Fran what i am saying is dont rip on smaller schools to make OP look better. We just don't do that kind of stuff at OP.Lets be classy and cool and watch our team win a state championship.Maple Grove is the best small school in WNY, fran. They would beat Southwestern and Lackawanna, easily. I saw all of the games fran

[Fran]

I don't represent anyone but myself. I have no particular allegiance to OP, I just happen to see a lot of their games.
That being said, I think the doubters will be silenced here in the next couple weeks. OP has been playing safe, unimpressive offense lately. But their defense makes that a great way to play the game. The OP defense is tough and fast. Hoppy and Tundo will make plays when they are needed. And I think this formula will serve them well all the way to Syracuse.
They will be playing Gates-Chili next week, who resurrected their season in the Section V playoffs.

[Keith McShea]

(NOTE: this comment was left on another post by mistake and then the poster requested it be placed here).

Fran, if you are going to represent OP, show a little more class on here. I thought maple grove had a fine team with many quality athletes. Are a JV level team? No, and you know that.Lets not put otherteams down to promote ours. Everyone knows how good OP is. I'll be totally honest,there are players on that team that can play with OP and probably start. I was very impressed with their qb and receivers, the middle linebacker and the little hitting machine (#23)that seemed to be in on every tackle. I heard he is a great wrestler thats why he hits so hard for his size. defense was very good too. So I guess I will represent OP and say good job maple grove you had a great showing. OP dominated too, the score didn't indicate how we controlled the game. Hoppy controlled the game. I think both teams will come back with state championships. I don't know about the other 3. time will tell. Off to the Ralph.

Posted by: OP07 | November 08, 2008 at 01:21 PM

(NOTE: this comment was left on another post by mistake and then the poster requested it be placed here).

[freethrow]

Hey arthur you get ten points in my book for that exploitation lol but hey its true

[Haterade]

I saw the MG-Clymer game. I mean come on secky put the ball up knowing he could do that. He wasn't challenged at all. Clymer had a lineman playing safety #62. I mean playing man to man with only a 4 yard gap and no over the top help on Caporale is a joke. He just ran a fade and secky threw it up. He didnt impress me. He is a nice qb though.

[MGFootballFan]

I love MG Football -- they are a fantastic team to watch and have talent galore and I ain't apologizing for saying they are MY #1 TEAM. No complex here -- no disrespect of OP -- they're just not my team, MG is. So go ahead Fran and Canes1 -- give your love to another -- it don't matter to me -- just don't understand why you have to diss all the smaller programs in the process -- do check out Maple Grove Football's fan developed website at MGFootball.com and you'll see that I'm not the only avid MG Fan

[WNY Football Fan]

I have been reading these blogs for some time with great amusement and felt it was the right time to interject some thought. Lets first give credit to all the young men who make such a supreme sacrifice to play high school football. The commitment they make now will hopefully pay dividends in the future.
I have spent many years involved in football as a coach, a college scout and now a fan. I have had the pleasure of seeing some outstanding talent this past season by attending a number of games in person including all the Section 6 playoff games this weekend.
Some points:
The Morris kid from SH is the best all around player I have seen. SH is athletic as any team I have seen this year. OP and NT are excellent teams who are well coached. Nuesel is a dominate LB and Hoppy does not get enough credit. Davis from NT is a nice talent. Murie and Smith are electrifying. Carlson from SW is a force. Secky is as good as you will find at QB. These are a few kids that have caught my eye as a a scout, but not the only ones.
Please don't bash teenage kids for not livng up to your standards as to how good you think they should be compared to others. Give them credit for the accomplishments they achieve from the small schools to the big schools.
Don't be mislead in believing there is not a difference in talent levels as you move up in divisions. If you watch all the games and the quality of talent on the field it certainly speaks for itself. Many kids from small schools could certainly play up, but as a whole their teams would not see the success they may be use to. It is not a knock, but a fact since their pool of players is just not there. Give them their respect for what they do accomplish. I am looking forward to see how WNY teams fair next week.

[Arthur Spooner]

Remember when canes1 tried playing the role of Prep Talk moral police?

If not, here is a recap:

Why do I have to act like that?Why do the MG people out there kick Brocton when they lost the game and rub it in even more.Read the 1st post,it sure looks like it says we rolled you and we are great,you could not even stop our JV team.Come on,these are HS kids doing the best they can and the .I can't stand people rubbing it in,there is no place for that in HS sports.

Posted by: canes1 | October 25, 2008 at 04:31 PM

MGFootballFAN,
It has nothing to do with the 70-0 win,it has to do with the way you wrote.Do not try to twist that.You did not have to put the comment on the JV squad,how do think Broctons players or their parents must feel after reading that thoughtless comment

Posted by: canes1 | October 26, 2008 at 12:24 PM

Enter Fran, who knows there is only OP worthy positive discussion -

MGFootballFan
I watched most of that game. I thought it was two JV teams playing. I hope you stayed for the next game and saw some real football.

Posted by: Fran | November 07, 2008 at 11:34 PM

Then, in a shocking turn of events, canes1 sheds the role of Prep Talk moral police to say:

Fran,
I agree with all of your posts 100%,some people can't handle the truth about their teams and live in a fantasy world.

Posted by: canes1 | November 08, 2008 at 07:41 PM

Now of course I realize that canes1 never really meant any of the scolding he gave Mgfan and was really just looking to argue and hope the citizens of typepad town would think he suddenly became intelligent.

Well anyway, an inferiority complex is a tough thing to suppress. So I’m glad to see you’re back to your old ignorant self, canes1. A friend in Fran you have found indeed!

[canes1]

Fran,
I agree with all of your posts 100%,some people can't handle the truth about their teams and live in a fantasy world.

[Chaut_CO]

MG a JV team give me a break. They mite not be able to play with OP but they are very Good and are one of the best small schools. JV wow Fran lets put a little more thought into your comments.

[Real Op fan]

Fran, I am sure you don't represent OP. Give MG a break. They might be the best D school in the state. Based on population and school size these small schools can play football. There is not one JV team in WNY that would give MG a game. OP played well enough to win last night but MG put on a more dominant display. No way am I suggesting MG could play with OP. Also, Kyle Hoppy is the real deal. He is the difference maker for OP.

[MGFootballFan]

You're right Fran I obviously did care; your comment that the MG/Clymer game looked like two JV teams playing and that the second game was the only "real game" was a cheap shot; don't know why you find it necessary to criticize a team that is outside your division -- we respect the fine progam at OP -- and I think MG has proven game after game that their play and players deserve respect too -- I've seen respect on this blog from many OP fans for the MG program so I don't put much stock in your opinions

[Fran]

MGFootballFan
Apparently you do care since you felt compelled to answer. But just out of curiosity, which comments did you find disagreeable?

[mk]

The thing is Hoppy does have the stats.When you have a back like Tundo and still have the stats he has its pretty impressive!

[MGFootballFan]

Fran nobody cares what you think anyway -- what class you show by your comments to a high school team following a great win; Secky set a Section 6 passing record at the Ralph last night and you make a comment like that? Unbelievable

[Coach K]

To Third Party: It was likely ruled a simultaneous catch, which is always given to the offense. With Lee Evans, they ruled that he never had possession, hence why it was Oakland's ball. While I disagree with that ruling, it sounds like the call in the OP/NT game was correct.

[sugardime11@hotmail.com]

Maple Groves passing game might be what gets them over the edge and to the state championship. As long as they don't run into bad weather they should be able to put points up against anyone. If bad weather then their defense should be able to give them a shot at winning. I dont think it was a lack of hustle and effort on clymers part i think the MG WR are just faster and you can't cover someone whos faster then you for 50 yds. Going in i thought clymer was going to have pressure and hit secky usuing blitzes which never happened. 4 man rush almost everytime.

[ThirdParty]

If you were at the OP-NT game, what did you think about that first down that NT had once it lookes like the OP defender had intercepted the pass on a third and long. The OP defender got up for the ball and it almost looked liked the NT reciever riped it out of his hands once they were on the ground and it was ruled first down NT. I remember an almost exact play Week 4 of the NFL season where Lee Evans caught the ball but Deangelo Hall ripped it out of his hands on the ground and it was ruled an INT.

[gocrusaders]

Fran you really need to get a life. Who worries this much about a football league? Your hatred and concern for the MMA and the support it gets from its fans is laughable. Sounds like your leading a pretty exciting life to, up at 410am posting on a hs blog.

[Fran]

musso
Win your game today, and then you better forget about OP. Casey Vogl and 1500 pounds of beef are coming for you next week.

[TML1000]

I agree that Maple Grove certainly is the real deal. I did think to myself during the game if it was a case of Clymer just not being a good team...but it truly is a case of Maple Grove being a very good one. Their receivers were uncovered all night not because of a lack of effort by Clymer, but because of great play calling and excellent reads by Secky. Also, if hitting receivers in stride multiple times for TD's while throwing the ball 45 yards in the air is just "whipping it around", then I'd love to see what happens when he really tries. The Grove is the real deal, and anything less than a state finals appearance would be a disappointment.

In terms of OP, while they were tested again, I never felt as though the game was out of their hands. NT did make some mistakes, but two of the three major ones they made were because of good defensive reads by OP. Clearly they should not be ranked first in the state. They will face an even stiffer test next week against either Gates or Webster, who possess both more size and speed than NT. In my opinion, the factor that really drove OP tonight, and for the entire season, has been Hoppy. He is very creative, and simply does not make mental mistakes. While Tundo is a smart and physical runner, Hoppy simply keeps the OP machine running smoothly. To me, regardless of stats, if OP gets farther than Sweet Home or Lackawanna this year...Hoppy is Western New-York POY.

[musso]

Fran, going in I had my reservations also about little D schools. That maple Grove team does not play like a D school. Secky is terrific. he has a solid arm and great mobility. I don't think hes as explosive of a runner as Hoppy is, but he has great accuracy and he audibles at the line to create some mismatches(video on other H.S. site). i thought maple grove had tremendous talent. I was pleasantly surprised by maple groves explosiveness. clymers line averaged over 240 lbs with no fat kids. You can say what you want and play that, AA is the only class worth watching mentality, but I was impressed by maple grove. I agree that they might be able to compete in C or B, for a sectional title.
I also think Sweet Home would beat OP by 2 scores, at least. I believe they are much over rated and over hyped. Tomorrow we will witness the best team in WNY and just maybe the best team in NYS,

THE SWEETHOME PANTHERS
Oh I cant wait for this one

[gifb]

Fran, you can't be serious. You weren't impressed by Maple Grove. for a school that has well under 80 kids in a class, they are a real good football team. i thought their coaching and play calling was fantastic. I was more impressed with their showing than OP or NT. They both looked real slow and sloppy. There is no way that OP team is #1 in the state.