Centreville Tigers (12-2) vs Kirk Raiders (12-2).........As this Saturday approaches two teams prepare to face off for the AA State Championship and neither are strangers to being in a championship game. The Centreville Tigers will defend their state title against the Kirk Raiders who were in the title game just two years back. August 22nd seems like long ago and 27 teams had the same hopes when week one began but now only two will get the opportunity for what many dream about. Centreville and Kirk mirror each other in several ways but the two biggest comparisons seem to be the strong running games and defense they both possess. Centreville will no doubt be at limited strength due to injuries on their huge offensive line. This was indicative last week with Zack Sinclair rushing for just over 100 yards and no touchdowns in the Tigers 17-14 win over Oak Forest. The tailback had consecutive 200 yard rushing efforts and 7 touchdowns against River Oaks and Bowling Green in the first two rounds. Kirk has a tailback of their own who can take over a game in Rob Dambrino who accounted for 220 of Kirk’s 275 total yards in the Raiders 7-6 win over the Lee Colts. When it comes to the defensive side of the ball these two squads are the best in AA and have the numbers to prove it. The Kirk Raiders are #1 in the area of points allowed at only 8 per contest while Centreville is right behind them at #2 allowing only 9.71 points a game. During the first three rounds of the playoffs Kirk has improved on that number allowing just over 5 points a game while Centreville has given up 10.6 points a game. On the other side of the ball these two teams have a few contrasts……while both are effective on the ground Centreville has a decisive edge with regards to the passing game. Senior quarterback Kyle Brown is battle tested and has made big plays when called upon. Brown is one of the better all around athletes in AA sports and accounted for both Tiger touchdowns last week against Oak Forest. Whether Brown can effectively distribute the football behind a patched up offensive line will no doubt be pivotal to the Tigers success on Saturday. As for the kicking game I give the edge to Centreville. Nathaniel Gration has been solid all season for the Tigers. Kirk head coach Scott Martin has done an excellent job with Raider football and everyone knows the program Centreville head coach Bill Hurst has built. It’s safe (In my humble opinion) to say that the best team from AA South will face the best team from AA North on Saturday. Two weeks ago I would have given the Kirk Raiders about as big a chance to win state as my chances of getting a bailout check from the government but the injury situation has changed that dramatically. All that being said I think we’ll see a defensive gem of a game with points coming at a premium. The kicking game could be the deciding factor in what should be a low scoring game………I got Centreville over Kirk 13-10.
*It’s been lots of fun this season and I appreciate all the calls and text messages. I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and all the fans and players have a safe Championship Saturday!
God is great!
*It’s been lots of fun this season and I appreciate all the calls and text messages. I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and all the fans and players have a safe Championship Saturday!
God is great!
