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MWL/SWC Blog
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Written by DRH
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Thursday, 08 October 2009 10:47 Hits: 184 |
Here we go!
MWL play begins in earnest this week, after North Eugene/Springfield opened things up a few Fridays back.
Churchill (4-1) @ Marshfield (3-2)
Since 2000: Churchill, 5-4. Streak: Churchill, 3. Last Meeting: Churchill 24, Marshfield 12 (2008)
What We Know: Churchill is rolling, having won four straight. They’re giving up just under 8 PPG against 5A opponents, and they just dropped 44 points at Eagle Point last week – the offense is clicking, too. Marshfield got through one of 5A’s most challenging non-league schedules with a winning record, losing big to 4A #1 Marist and losing by six at Jefferson; but they’ve won at 6A Grants Pass and Ashland, as well a season-opening win over rival North Bend. They’ve looked hot and cold at times, but Churchill certainly wins the consistency battle here.
The Game: As much as I love Coos Bay home games for the Pirates, I really like Churchill here. The Lancer D is as good as any that Tedder and Scoville have played, and Churchill’s passing game is difficult for anyone to match up with. I don’t want to discount Marshfield’s homefield advantage, nor the fact that they’re obviously talented enough to win this game, but Churchill, to me, is the more complete team.
Churchill 24, Marshfield 20
Thurston (3-1) @ Willamette (1-4)
Since 2000: Willamette, 5-4. Streak: Thurston, 1. Last Meeting: Thurston 55, Willamette 0 (2008)
What We Know: We know that Thurston is good, but just how good has come into question after South Eugene rolled into town and put a 49-14 hurting on the Colts – on the Farm. Honestly? I think South Eugene is VERY good, and will finish 2nd in the SWC. And after watching the beat down, I came away thinking about the game Jenga. You know the one, where you pull out one piece near the bottom and everything falls down? Yeah. Three offensive fumbles in their first three possessions, not recovering a squib kick that bounced off a Thurston linemen and went back to SE, a long snapper hiking the football over the punter’s head and resulted in a safety on the one first quarter possession where Thurston didn’t turn it over – things got so ridiculously out of hand so early, the whole house of cards collapsed. That’s not to say South doesn’t deserves heaps of credit – they are, as I said, really, really good. But I don’t think Thurston is going anywhere based on one game. Everything that could go wrong, DID go wrong. They didn’t have as many bizarre plays go against them in all of 2008.
The Game: Willamette is the hard-luck team of the MWL, losing 4 winnable games that have the Wolverines thinking they can compete for a playoff berth in the MWL. And I don’t disagree – Will-Hi is better than their record, and they’ve got a fighter’s chance of sticking in this thing until the last week of the season. But they also have the misfortune of hosting a Thurston team that has had two weeks to mull over their first regular season loss since 2007, thanks to a bye last Friday. While the Wolverine D played South well – SE only scored 21 points, and run the exact same offense Thurston does – I think the Colts are too talented and too motivated to let another one slip away.
Thurston 35, Willamette 14
North Eugene (2-2) @ Parkrose (2-2)
Since 2000: North Eugene, 1-0. Streak: North Eugene, 1. Last Meeting: North Eugene 35, Parkrose 14 (2008)
What We Know: We know that North Eugene is much improved from last year, where a 21 point win over Parkrose accounted for their only win. RB/LB Michael Bibbee is a dominant force, and NE is only a couple of plays away from being undefeated. Parkrose started 0-2, but has rallied to reach .500 behind a 27-21 OT win over 6A Benson, and a 26-12 win over Roosevelt. This’ll be Parkrose’s first home game since the Zero Week opener vs. Lebanon, which the Broncos lost 40-13.
The Game: I like North, and I like North big. I’m not sure Parkrose has an answer for Bibbee, and NE has proven to be more than a one trick pony this year. NE has handled their road games well this year, beating up on Crook County and coming within yards of beating Springfield at Silke Field.
North Eugene 28, Parkrose 13
#1 Sherwood (5-0) @ Springfield (2-3)
Since 2000: Sherwood, 1-0. Streak: Sherwood, 1. Last Meeting: Sherwood 10, Springfield 7 (2008)
What We Know: We know that Sherwood is dominating all comers, a list that includes #2 West Albany, 6A Grants Pass, and Jefferson. The Sherwood defense is dominant, and the running game is the best in 5A. Last year, Springfield was able to bottle that run game up and almost upset the Bowmen on the road; but this is a very different Springfield team. Gone are 18 All MWL and All State selections. Sherwood was my preseason #1, and they’ve lived up to the hype. Springfield has had its ups and down while in rebuilding mode.
The Game: Well… it may not be pretty. And that’s not a knock on Springfield, but rather a testament to just how good Sherwood is. I don’t see Springfield coming up a late field goal short of taking this to OT, to put it one way.
Sherwood 45, Springfield 7
Last Week: 5-0.
Season Total: 21-6
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MWL/SWC Blog 
