OCT. 2
NON-LEAGUE
Conwell-Egan 14, Ryan 9
   This was supposed to be a game that was not supposed to be affected by the absence of star RB Joe Zeglinski.  Maybe Zeglinski would have made a difference, but it probably would not have changed the outcome of the game.  Ryan had nice runs from RB John Ferdinand for about 8-12 yards, which Zeglinski normally breaks for 20-25 yards, but it probably wouldn’t happen against the tough Eagle defense.  Egan’s defense plays the game the way it should be played.  Their D-Line doesn’t allow the opposing team’s O-Line to get to the second level where Egan’s best defender plays MLB. Ryan Biernat combined toughness and knowledge of the game to finish with 12 tackles 2 sacks and an INT.  Biernat may be the best LB in the Blue Division (O big deal the blue division, well the blue is 2-2 against the red this year and both Red wins have been by O’Hara, probably the best team in Southeastern PA).   Even if by some chance you do get past the first two levels of Egan’s defense it is even more unlikely that you are going to beat the Eagle secondary for a big gain because they can just flat out fly.  Jim Hughes and Jeff McClenton were very impressive in both run support and defending the pass and SS Steve Slaton looked about ten times better on defense than he was last year.   Slaton and McClenton might just be the two fastest players in the Catholic League while Hughes is one of the better shutdown coverage players in the league, and all can step up and make a huge hit or tackle as they combined for 11 tackles and 4 passes defended, while Hughes had two picks with very good returns on both.  The Egan offense looked just as impressive, they seem to have finally accepted that football is a team sport that can’t be won by a single player.  Coach Kevin Kelly spread the ball out nicely and prevented the Ryan defense from keying on Slaton.  They really like to utilize McClenton’s speed and get him to the outside with B-Quick and try to get him matched up with a LB or safety.   McClenton contributed about 100 yards of total offense on just 7 touches.   Of course Slaton is still the biggest part of that offense as he had 22 carries for 86 yards, and Slaton has seemed to have gotten tougher since last year.   QB Kevin Schafer was also impressive completing 5-12 passes for 107 yards, his favorite receiver being McClenton with 3 catches for 70 yards.  As for Ryan they just didn’t look as impressive as they did against Neshaminy and seem to be on the decline after dropping to Judge and Egan and it looks like they could use Zeglinski back as soon as possible.

 Report Card
Egan
O-Line the line looked good protecting Schafer and did enough to get Slaton and McClenton to the outside so they could use their speed             B
Backs/Receivers McClenton and Slaton combined for 28 touches for 185 yards (6.8 yards per touch)   A
Quarterback two TDs on the ground and 5-12 for 107 yards with no turnovers and a should have been TD if not fumbled into the endzone             A-
D-Line did their job and combined for 2.5 sacks                       B+
Linebackers Ryan Biernat was the player of the game with 12 tackles 2 sacks and a pick                               A
Secondary 11 tackles and 4 passes defended and two picks sounds pretty good to me A+
Ryan
O-Line looked good on the first drive but it was all downhill from there as they were pitiful with protecting the QB              D
Backs/Receivers Ferdinand ran for 90 yards on 19 carries while James got 30 yards on 6 carries  but the receivers were nowhere to be found                 B-
Quarterbacks Ryan used both Carter and Charles McGinn who combined for 21 yards passing on just 2 completions on 9 attempts and 3 interceptions             D-   (bad protection keeps them from getting the F)
D-Line Did a good job on the line with getting of blocks and getting to the ball       B-
Linebackers helped hold Slaton to under 100 yards rushing which is pretty hard to do         B-
Secondary Pinto is probably their best defender as he was always around the ball whether it’s a pass or a run but he doesn’t have much help                     C+

SEPT. 10
NON-LEAGUE
Neshaminy 23, Ryan 21
   When two teams are as evenly matched as Neshaminy and Ryan were, it almost always comes down to three things: which team is in better shape, who is more determined, and which team will make the big mistake, whether it be player or coach, or maybe both.  In a game that looked as if Neshaminy would blow Ryan out, the superior conditioning and determination of the Raiders brought them right back into the game.  Of course the conditioning kicked in during the fourth quarter when Ryan came back from a 20-7 deficit.  Glen Galeone, Ryan’s head coach, seemed to be coaching a flawless game using his best player to wear down the Redskin defense.  Galeone refused to stop giving the ball to Jr. RB Joe Zeglinski until he had no other choice.  After getting to the Neshaminy 25 Ryan was forced to throw the ball on 3 and 8.  Ryan QB Anthony Carter started to roll to the right and seemed to panic feeling pressure from behind, Carter threw the ball about as high as you can throw a ball to the back of the endzone and right into the hands of John Ferdinand, who did a great job of staying in bounds to bring Ryan within six.  The Raider defense then forced the Neshaminy offense to go three and out.  Ryan then used the same running attack they used the previous possession, but added a couple of runs by FB Ron James and using the play action pass to keep the defense honest.  The play action passes were perfect as Carter and Zeglinski performed great ball fakes while James slipped passed the biting linebackers.  On third and goal from the seven Ryan ran a toss left that looked to be the play that defined the game.  Zeglinski got the pitch and was led by James and a pulling linemen and you could see the Ryan blockers just flat out beat the Redskin defenders to the spot (conditioning) and then Zeglinski needed to beat a couple of defenders to score.  The first defender tried to lunge and arm tackle Zeglinski (yeah that might work) another example that Neshaminy was worn out, and then Zeglinski took a big shot from two Neshaminy defenders yet still managed to keep his legs moving and fell forward for the touchdown (determination).  Ryan took the lead 21-20 with the extra point, and with the defense providing three and outs during most of the fourth quarter it looked as if the game would stay that way.  And of course the Ryan defense came through again forcing Neshaminy to go three and out again, but it didn’t matter how good the Ryan defense played because Galeone strayed from riding his star to win the game.   On second and about eight or nine from Ryan’s 24 Carter dropped straight back to pass and was picked off by LB Abe Brooks.  And Neshaminy coach Mark Schmidt knew exactly what to do with it -- give the ball to your stars.  Schmidt gave the ball to RB George Coleman three straight times and gained about two yards, but he had K Kevin Kelly who would have hit a FG from 50 let alone 37 yards away.  But why did Schmidt use one of his two timeouts right after third down with 37 seconds left rather than let the clock wind down and then use a timeout since Ryan couldn't stop the clock?  Anyway, Kelly drilled the FG to put the Redskins up for good as Carter was picked on Ryan’s next play.
REPORT CARD
Neshaminy
Backfield: Coleman finished with 135 yds on 28 carries and the rest of the backfield didn’t make any mistakes B+
O-Line: The line opened up holes early on but was winded and outplayed in the second half   B-
Receivers: The Redskin Receivers made decent downfield blocks and made normal plays  B-
D-Line: Just like the O-line the played good earlier than they did later but didn’t get the job done against the run C
Linebackers: The backers hit hard despite getting held up by Ryan linemen and Abe Brooks made the play of the game.
Secondary: Provided good coverage, intensity and a lot of run support. A-

RYAN

Backfield: Zeglinski finished with 170 yards on 20 carries (8.5 ypc) while James finished with 46 total yards on 2 rushes and 2 catches and Carter should have never gotten the chance to be picked            A
O-Line: Your backfield doesn’t just get 195 yards rushing by themselves there had to be some holes   A-
Receivers: Ferdinand had one catch for 25 yds and a TD but other than that the receivers were quiet B-
D-line: Just like an O-line provides holes for 170 yards for one player a D-Line has to have a bad game when they let up 135 to one back C
Linebackers: Buckled down later in the game to force Neshaminy to go three and out more than once down the stretch B-
Secondary: Nothing spectacular but didn’t need to be and they had to have something to do with those three and outs  B

So how did Ryan lose with Better grades than Neshaminy………the third thing it comes down to when two teams are evenly matched…mistakes (this time it was the coaches…you have to ride your star at the end of the game)

Backfield           Zeglinski finished with 170 yards on 20 carries (8.5 ypc) while James finished with 46 total yards on 2 rushes and 2 catches and Carter should have never gotten the chance to be picked            A

O-Line              Your backfield doesn’t just get 195 yards rushing by themselves there had to be some holes                                           A-

Receivers          Ferdinand had one catch for 25 yds and a TD but other than that the receivers were quiet                                               B-

D-line                Just like an O-line provides holes for 170 yards for one player a D-Line has to have a bad game when they let up 135 to one back        C

Linebackers       Buckled down later in the game to force Neshaminy to go three and out more than once down the stretch                       B-

Secondary         Nothing spectacular but didn’t need to be and they had to have something to do with those three and outs                       B

So how did Ryan lose with Better grades than Neshaminy………the third thing it comes down to when two teams are evenly matched…mistakes (this time it was the coaches…you have to ride your star at the end of the game)