[ArmChairHC]

There are a lot of ifs and buts that come into this match up. There are a lot of factors that could determine the outcome of this game. So here we go….

Last night a tough schedule won the game for Raceland. Raceland face adversity off and on all evening. But the grind of tight ball games or playing from behind, kept Raceland from being intimidated by the moment. When things got tough, Raceland seemed to have the answer, especially defensively. That was from having to get comfortable being uncomfortable through out the nondistrict part of the schedule. But, as RAD said, you can play too tough of a schedule and bite off more than you can chew, especially as a small school. See Pikeville ‘24 edition for that example.

Sayre hasn’t played much of a schedule. Pikeville was the best team they played and it wasn’t really close. And Pikeville was pretty banged up and borderline depleted. Sayre only scored two offensive touchdowns to beat the Panthers. That being said, the schedule isn’t the end all be all. Sayre’s ability to line up and play physical football against their last two opponents, has shown their kids have grown up a little since last year and they seem to have a little more toughness than they did a year ago. Their offense is also very diverse and well coached.

This game is a clash of styles. Sayre will want to push the tempo and run and gun. While Raceland will look to slow the game down and control TOP and the LOS. Sayre hasn’t seen a front 7 with the speed that Raceland has this year. I don’t think they have played a secondary that’s as good as Racelands either. The question is, how does Raceland approach the game. First and foremost their philosophy is always been STOP THE RUN. Well…Sayre doesn’t really do that. They can run the ball, but their approach is spread it out and nickel and dime you with quick concepts. So does Raceland adjust to that? Last year they did in the second half and it changed the game completely.

Coffman is a phenomenal athlete. But idk if he is something Raceland hasn’t seen before. He is going to get plenty of touches though and is probably good for two scores.

The magic number, imo is 21. Sayers defense is also better than what I thought. They force a lot of turnovers. But Racelands defense has time and time again, proved to be a very hard thing to deal with. They have given up a few big plays, but in order to beat Raceland, you will have to sustain drives and be extremely efficient.

Lot of things go into this one. But I think the experience of being at Kroger, and the process of the day, coupled with a strength of schedule, and speed of the Raceland defense and line play will decide the game. This is not going to be a walk in the park, but I think the Rams finally get it done.

Rams 22
Spartans 14