When: Friday, October 30th 7:30 P.M.
Where: Lincoln High School
Game Coverage:
Rivalry week is here. After keeping their playoff hopes alive last week against Roosevelt, the Grant Generals travel to the west side to take on the undefeated Lincoln Cardinals. Last year this game was hyped up to be an interesting battle of teams supposed to contend for the PIL crown, but the Generals handled Lincoln 37-7 on their way to a league title.
Head man Was Warren has the Cardinals playing at peak level after last week’s 41-7 thrashing of Franklin and looks to complete the school’s first undefeated regular season since 2005 when they appeared in the state title game against Jesuit. Lead by defensive backs Nolan Ostmo and Michael Angyus as well as a slew of defensive lineman, the Lincoln defense has allowed a state-low 53 points (6.6 ppg) through the first eight weeks of the season.
On the offensive side, Lincoln runs the same wing-t offense we saw against Sherwood and features a number of playmakers including junior Edmund Slevin who torched Franklin for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half. To say this offense in run-oriented would be an understatement as they average just seven pass attempts per game. The Generals will have their hands full with the physical style of the Cardinals and will have to play with a sense of urgency if they hope to pull of what would be considered a huge upset.
So it comes down to this. One game for a chance to make the playoffs. One chance to beat one of the elite teams in the state. You can bet that the Generals will be ready to take on their biggest test this season. With that, let’s take a look at the keys to this week’s game.
Play physical: plain and simply, the only way Grant stands a chance at coming away with a victory this week is to play their most physical game of the year. That means everyone from the line to the defensive backs has to have great eyes for their reads and be ready to stop the run against a team hoping to dominate the line of scrimmage.
Worry about your job: Being able to have team success only comes from each player doing their individual assignment on every play. Against an offense like this if you try to make every play yourself, the misdirection and deception will lead to big plays that have put games out of reach early for Lincoln’s opponents.
Create opportunities: Playing a team like Lincoln who runs the football almost exclusively means there will be less opportunities to put points on the board. Knowing that, Grant has to make every play available to them. No dropped passes, no avoidable penalties like false starts and offsides which have plagued the team at times this season and most importantly, no turnovers while on offense. Conversely on defense that means rallying to the ball carrier to possibly create a turnover. If the Generals can come up with a couple of key plays against the Cardinals, they just may be able to pull out a win.
This week’s contest is up for game of the week. Follow the link posted at the top of this article to vote for the Generals to be covered as the game of the week by KGW. Also, a white-out is scheduled for the game. So wear white to match the team’s away uniforms, cram the stands, and be loud to support the Generals in their biggest game of the season.
That’s all for today, check back in tomorrow for more coverage of the team leading up to this Friday’s game!
Go Generals!
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