Dan MohrmannSaturday will mark the second meeting of the year between Palmer Ridge and Pueblo East. The difference in round two is that the game will decide who will be the 2018 Class 3A state football champion.
Ahead of the game, The Gazette’s Lindsey Smith, The Pueblo Chieftain’s Marcus Hill and CHSAANow’s Dan Mohrmann gave their collective thoughts on what fans to look forward to when the game kicks off at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.
What – besides limiting turnovers – needs to be different for Palmer Ridge this time around to get a win over Pueblo East?
(Ismael Gomez)
Smith: Palmer Ridge needs to continue the balanced attack it has utilized in the postseason. The Bears’ run game has really come together the last four weeks, and Raef Ruel is at the center of it. But with weapons like Noah Brom and Josiah Castro this Bears’ run game is a lot deeper than I think people realize.
Hill: They also need to score a first quarter touchdown. The Bears managed to stay afloat in their first meeting with both teams staying off the board in the first. Palmer Ridge has to score in the first quarter to have a chance at victory. East showed up at their house. Can you imagine what they’ll do in a (pretty much) home game?
Mohrmann: Does that mean that there’s a lot of pressure on that run game if they’re going to do that? It almost feels like Palmer Ridge can lessen Kain Medrano’s impact if they run the ball with some consistency.
Smith: I also think we will see a different game from the Palmer Ridge receivers this time around. I don’t think Medrano will have quite as many opportunities thanks to some of these younger PR receivers with more experience. 11 weeks is a long time and a lot has changed for this Palmer Ridge team since week 3 — I think we’re going to see a completely different game on Saturday.
How much will the atmosphere of the ThunderBowl come into play early in the game and can that set the tone for all 48 minutes?
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Smith: I think it’s going to be huge. I’m excited to see this town stop for high school football.
Hill: It will be huge and I have a feeling the crowd won’t let Ty Evans forget about those five picks.
Smith: I hear schools are reporting its going to be a sold-out crowd, which would be incredible. When Palmer Ridge played Pine Creek in Week 1 there were about 3,500 fans there. If they can double that on Saturday – phew.
Mohrmann: I think they can certainly double it. For last year’s 4A title game between Pueblo South and Pine Creek, South easily outdrew Pine Creek. And that game was in Denver. This is practically next door.
Hill: East is about 1.5 miles from the ThunderBowl, so it’s no big deal to make the trip. If the Bears so much as jump offsides early in this one, the crowd will let them hear it. No question the Eagles fans will have a big role in this one.
Smith: Pueblo East is going to have major home field advantage — but I think Palmer Ridge fans deserve some more credit. There were probably around 100-150 fans who made the 5-plus hour drive to Grand Junction last week — these fans are dedicated and I hope they show up in droves on Saturday. Regardless of who they are cheering for I think the atmosphere is going to be huge in pumping these guys up to play. I’m not sure if it will ‘get in their head’ so to speak, but you never know.
Mohrmann: Evans told me on Tuesday that they walk into every stadium believing they’re the most hated guys there. We’ll see if crowd size makes a difference or that mentality is all they need to gut it out.
Is there pressure on Palmer Ridge to score early to try and control the flow of the game and try to take the Pueblo crowd out of the game?
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Smith: I wouldn’t say pressure, but it’s definitely on their mind. That’s Palmer Ridge’s goal every time they go out on the field. Score fast, or the defense get a 3-and-out to set the tone.
Hill: Does Santa wear red during his worldwide trip? It’s critical for Palmer Ridge to score before East does.
Smith: I think especially against a team that has already beaten them once, Palmer Ridge starting well is going to be extremely important for their momentum. Add with that crowd — if the Bears stumble on the first drive, that crowd will eat it up. The Palmer Ridge offense has scored on its first possession in eight straight games while the defense has allowed one touchdown by opponents on their first possession in the last eight games.
Mohrmann: It’s going to a tough task for that defense to slow down East. They’ve scored no fewer than 35 points in each game this postseason. The coin flip is actually going to be a big factor on Saturday.
Hill: If East lights up that scoreboard at the ThunderBowl first, the end result will be worse than the first meeting. East puts up numbers no matter where they go. The Eagles realize it’s just as critical to get going early. They will.
Andy Watts said a big key for East’s win this year was making Ty Evans uncomfortable. Can Aidan Cullen, Jaden Sparks and Jacob Dillon flip the script and rattle Luc Andrada and disrupt the Eagles offense?
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Smith: That’s their goal. I talked to JC and they’ve been working to pick apart the weak areas of the East offensive line and I think this defense is buzzing right now.
Hill: Three kids who have 36 of their teams 51.5 sacks? Absolutely! They did have 8.5 of those in their matchup in September. Defense was ferocious and has been all year for the Bears.
Smith: Holding Palisade’s Cam Tucker to just 24 rushing yards last week (he averaged 127 per game) I think shows how solid this defense is. Sparks had 17 total tackles including five for a loss in that game – he’s a scary human and if he has Andrada’s number, the East offensive line is going to have a tough time trying to protect. Jacob Dillon is averaging more than a sack per game and Cullen is just a playmaker. He has this weird sense of being in the right place at the right time.
But with that being said, Palmer Ridge hasn’t really faced a big passer yet this postseason. Orlando Westbrook-Sanchez and Harrison would have been a good indication of how this defense would handle a passing threat, but the weather was so bad we didn’t see much of it.
Mohrmann: It’s hard to label Luc Andrada as just a passer. He might be the best overall athlete on the field so even if that offensive line breaks down, he is certainly capable of escaping danger with his feet.
Hill: The Bears have to make the most of those guys in this game to stay alive in a raucous environment. Managing to keep Luc Andrada pedestrian won’t be easy, though.
Smith: I do think this defense is going to come into this game with a sense of responsibility based on last time. If East does make Evans uncomfortable and things being to unravel like in Week 3, the defense will need to step up and keep them alive.
Pueblo East wins the game if…
(Ismael Gomez)
Smith: They can knock Palmer Ridge off balance early. Momentum is huge for this team. And while we haven’t seen Palmer Ridge play off balance for 11 weeks, we saw it against Pine Creek and Pueblo East and we know how that turned out.
Mohrmann: I completely agree. If the Eagles get momentum early, they should be able to ride it for the majority of the game. Especially in the friendly confines of the ThunderBowl.
Hill: They’ll win if they stick to what’s put them on this win streak. They haven’t lost since September and have been efficient on both sides of the ball. The Eagles have Madden-like numbers on offense since their last defeat and have been stingy on defense. If they play their brand of football the Eagles will come away with title No. 4.
Palmer Ridge wins the game if…
(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
Smith: The offensive and defensive lines stay as solid as they have been this postseason. Build it and they will come. The offensive line needs to create opportunities for Raef and the run game, while the defensive line needs to keep Andrada off balance.
Mohrmann: If Evans doesn’t try to do too much and the Bears stay balanced on offense, that will give them their best shot. It’s also essential to get on the board early and try to take the crowd out of the game as much as possible.
Hill: They have to limit the turnovers. Crazy to think the Bears lost by only seven points despite six turnovers in their first meeting. That should be a positive for Palmer Ridge, though. It’d be hard to think they’d commit that many turnovers again (but, hey, who knows). If Ty Evans shows off that D-I arm and is on point, this game could get too close for comfort for East.