Oct. 21st: Lake Hamilton at El Dorado...6A South Championship

[gatecrasherfan]

I know it isn't until next week, but may as well get this started now. This one is pretty much for all the marbles in 6A South.

I'm busy right now, but I just want to say this will be a graded thread. What does that mean?
Smack will be graded....that's what that means.

WARNING: If you dont have thick skin, you may want to avoid this thread. I am currently surrounded by trash-talkers on all sides. Being the only El Dorado fan in Garland County is hard work this time of year....

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

Well,let's get the party started! It will be for the 6A South Conference Championship, #1 seed, home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And regardless of the outcome of the 1st meeting...they will be playing again the first weekend of December in WMS.

It shapes up to be a great game with contrasting styles of offense. El Dorado will try and establish a power rushing attack and Lake Hamilton will try to throw the ball more. I really believe that Lake Hamilton will slow the El Dorado rushing attack down and that El Dorado will limit LH's passing game. So, whoever can perform better in opposite roles will have the advantage.

Yeah, Gate I know, I know ...you have 650 lb. DT/NG that can not be blocked, so we won't be able to run. Slight exaggeration on his weight. Well I'm sure that Jerry Clay will have a plan for that. Special teams played a key role in the outcome of the game last year in the semi-finals and could factor in big again.

 

[gatecrasherfan]

The only facets I will call even in this matchup are QBs, WRs and LBs. Both teams are loaded n those areas. That is where the similarities end. Bear in mind I know both teams well, not just mine.

Give the edge at RB, both lines, and the secondary to the Wildcats, with a big edge in the RB and aecondary. El Dorado has arguably the best defensive backs in the state, regardless of classification. All four starters could potentially wind up all-state.

Marque Burris has rushed for 1044 yds and 13 TDs. I can count on one hand the number of times the first man has made the tackle on him this year. Great vision and deceptive power for his size. There is no dropoff when Josh Brock enters the game either. Either one of them can take it to the house from anywhere on the field.

It is up front where the ultimate difference in this game will lie. More on that later.....

 

[gatecrasherfan]

Oh...one more thing. Pick your poison. If you stack the box in an attempt to stop Burris, he will either bounce it outside, or we will just start throwing it. Lucas Reed has completed 71% of his passes. We just haven't had to throw it as often as in the past due to the success of the offensive line and running game. But when we do, it has been big plays galore.

I dont think there is anyone on LH's secondary that can cover WR Wendell Thompson one on one. Double him, and we have 6-3 Matthew Emerich on the other side.

Like I said, pick your poison.

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

Just like I told all of the PB boys...LH won't stack the box. They won't need to. El Dorado will have some success running the ball and that's okay. They will play straight up defense, maybe some man, maybe some zone, but it will be straight up. This defense is alot better than the one that held El Dorado's Offense to what...14 points last year in ED. Our secondary that you are saying can't cover anybody has 14 or 15 INT's on the year. If you are basing that on one half of a football game that you saw this year; your might get your feeling hurt.

 

[Luke Matheson]

Im looking forward to this game!
Posted from wireless.rivals.com[/URL]

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

Gate, you think that you know Lake Hamilton WELL, but maybe you don't. You think that there is a HUGH difference in the OL/DL. Now, I am not saying that El Dorado is not a good team, because we know that they are and LH has much respect for El Dorado. The LH OL has 4 starters back from last year. They are not the biggest guys in the conference, but 1 is a 3 year starter and another will be a D1 recruit next year when he is a senior. The DL is young, but solid. And we have one dominating player there as well. That group is bigger and better than last year. So, you may have an EDGE there, but it is not as great as you think.

The bottom line is that ED is the defending state champs, with be favored to win the game at home, where they haven't lost in over 3 years, and the last conference loss at home was in 2007. That loss was to Lake Hamilton by the way. All of that said our kids had alot or respect for ED, but they are certainly not in awe and they expect to win this game.

 

[gatecrasherfan]

I can't wait to see what Burris does to the LH defense. This ain't Pine Bluff....trust me.

As for the PA game, well, we would beat PA. Comfortably. They just matched up well with you guys. Once Coach Kelley grew a brain and realized their secondary couldn't cover Bennett and Daniels one-on-one they were able to stymie your offense.

FYI....I could see Clay's reasoning for going to a 3-3-5 in the second half like we talked about that night....it is conducive for defending the pass. But your d line couldn't get penetration to pressure Knighten, and he was able to make plays. Obviously a big difference in the football game on that side of the ball.

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

There were other changes on defense as well that really didn't make sense and it hurt them, it was more than the scheme. You are using the fact that you beat a DOWN Har-Ber team and a 2nd half breakdown of epic proportions on LH's part as a basis for youR total supremecy. That loss was the best thing that could have happened to LH. Now, they are focused, kind of like ED last year when they lost to Har-Ber, remember? Well, if you beat PA comfortably then I guess in your mind ED will blow LH out, right?

 

[Luke Matheson]

I'm predicting this one goes right down to the wire. It is too close to call, therefore I am going with El Dorado by two. Home field advantage will give them the W.

 

[gatecrasherfan]

Originally posted by Football_Fan_Of_44:
There were other changes on defense as well that really didn't make sense and it hurt them, it was more than the scheme. You are using the fact that you beat a DOWN Har-Ber team and a 2nd half breakdown of epic proportions on LH's part as a basis for youR total supremecy. That loss was the best thing that could have happened to LH. Now, they are focused, kind of like ED last year when they lost to Har-Ber, remember? Well, if you beat PA comfortably then I guess in your mind ED will blow LH out, right?

Folks, we have a team that is 6-1, and in first place in the 7A West, and they are DOWN?

Gimme a break. You're just rationalizing your way into that false pretense that LH is better than El Dorado. A team in first place in what many call one of the best high school conferences in the entire country this late in the season is not down. Funny the only ones saying that are from Lake Hamilton.

Believe what you want bro. Oh...of those four starters on your offensive line, how many play both ways full time? We ain't talked about that yet. Depth will play a huge role in Friday's game.

Dont even try to use comparisons to Pine Bluff from here on out. It has been fully established that they suck. Especially on D.

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

That is totally false. LH fans are not the only ones saying that Har-ber is down. Plenty of 7A West people are saying the same thing! Who have they beaten? Answer is: nobody with a winning record and they really struggled with Rogers of all teams. The fact is that is has nothing do with LH and everything to do with you claiming that this the best team in the history of El Dorado football becase you beat Har-ber.

Depth is not going to be as big a factor in this game as you think, unless there are injuries involved. LH has some guys seeing spot duty on both sides, but not that much. Even so, this is the best conditioned LH team that I have in the last three years.

 

[gatecrasherfan]

Har-Ber plays the same schedule as Bentonville and FS Southside, so you fail there my friend.

Week 8...First place in 7A West. I rest my case. They will likely finish no worse than 2nd in their conference...same place yall will finish in 6A South.

Heard your starting center is out. What's up with that?

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

The center is a day to day deal. He may play, but I doubt it. That's okay, they will have to make adjustments if he can't play. Lake Hamilton by 4, I'm out!

 

[Luke Matheson]

Gatecrasher, how would you like your crow? Fried, Baked, BBQ?

Lake Hamilton 31 El Dorado 24 FINAL

 

[gatecrasherfan]

I'll take it stir-fried....

Circa 2009. Pine Bluff beats us in Week 10.
We turned the tables four weeks later and won the state championship.

We have our eyes on the prize. You know what's gonna happen Luke. Our kids know we didn't deserve to win that game tonight. This will ultimately do more good than harm.

Scott Reed will make sure that is the case. An undefeated season would have been nice, but I will take 13-1 and a THREE PEAT championship any day....

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

LH will also be satisfied with a 13-1 record this year.

 

[gatecrasherfan]

Better be satisfied with 12-2.
Championship experience will play a big role. Ask Phillip Butterfield about 2007, and Claude Johnson of Pine Bluff about 2009. It really matters.

Take away drive-killing self-inflicted penalties away and we likely win that game Friday night...it was that close of a game. Great atmosphere too.

We shall meet again. Just make sure yall dont screw it up like Pine Bluff did last November.

 

[Football_Fan_Of_44]

No, that will not work, 13-1 is the number for LH. Championship experience or lack of it really hurt ED Friday...at the QB position. Runyon is a poised veteran and played like one. Your QB had the game on his shoulders in the 4th Qtr and could not come through. I felt bad for him. He'll be the man next year, but this year belongs to LH. Everybody knew that coming into the year and forgot it after you guys beat Har-Ber. Oh, by the way...how did they do on Friday? They still have not beaten a team with a winning record 8 games into the season.

As for drive killing penalties, ED was inside the 10 yard line going in on 2 occasions with 6 minutes remaining in the game and could not score. You kept saying all week that ED was too physical for LH and we would lose in the trenches, But you were wrong about all of that. That was the key and LH won those battles and will again. And as far as PB goes...they really were not that much better than anybody else last year and you know that.

 

[gatecrasherfan]

You're not a rookie in Week 8. Your guy just made a great play on the pick inthe end zone. Big deal....we'll give you the regular season win.


All we care about is state championships. That is the bar for El Dorado. Anything less constitutes failure.

One or two plays were the difference before. We make those plays in December. And it wasn't like we didn't run the football at all....we had 169 yds rushing as a team.

Nobody on this side is concerned at all. But out in the community here, folks are still acting like LH won the Super Bowl when they beat us.

It will turn out like PB in 09, and Har-Ber last year. Irrelevant, insignificant regular season losses that have no bearing on the final
result.

 

[JacksonHog]

This is incredible,never thought I would hear smack talk about my alma mater,Lake Hamilton or even El Dorado (I lived in Monroe,La during the days they played Ruston,forget about Neville,Ouachita,or West Monroe)

I guess the deal will be settled in LR in Dec. One thing, playing for a championship in Little Rock or Jackson are pretty good. For the fans,however, playing the championships in the Superdome in nola is even better! LOL!!