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TOPIC: Sectional 39 Champs! |
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| Ram Forever32
November 9, 2013
4:10:13 PM
Entry #: 4103716
| Let me begin this post by saying Congratulations to all involved with the Paoli Football program on an outstanding victory over Triton Central to claim the sectional championship! By far last night was the best game we have played this season. Watching the closing seconds of the game tick away, it was very refreshing after all the adversity this team had faced all season, both on and off the field. Rams you did a remarkable job, and when it mattered most you played your best game!
Now to the detractors for this entire season, those who have talked about strength of schedule, and that we play in a weak conference, and that when we finally play a "quality" football team that is when it will show how mediocre we are. I'm curious as to the mindset of these folks when they woke up this morning to find that in fact Paoli had topped the mighty Tri-Ton Central Tigers and claimed what was rightfully theirs, the Sectional 39 Championship trophy! To these people I would simply state that for the majority of this season the Rams have done all they could do, they have WON! Regardless of the team lined up across from you, the job still has to get done and the Rams have handled that for the most part all season. Maybe now we can finally put all this talk about our "good but weak" program away!
Enough on those lines, as I feel like the game last night said all the words on this topic that need to be said from this point on. Back to the game, there were so many gutsy performances all night long, but the defense really needs to be recognized for shutting down what apparently before last night was a really good running back. Brett played a very good game, as did Tanner W (in my opinion one of the top, if not the top receiver in the state), Garrett came back strong after the kickoff mistake and played a very solid game, Austin Moore did a nice job of catching passes, and it would be mute to mention these receivers without mentioning the offensive line that gave Brett time to throw and find them. Overall, it was very exciting to watch, and now it is on to bigger and better things in the Regional against Southridge! GO RAMS!!!
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| bleeding purple and gold
November 11, 2013
11:55:26 AM
Entry #: 4104042
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By Bill Keane bill@tmnews.com | Updated 8 hours ago
FAIRLAND — It was one of those nightmare kind of starts that every coach fears and a lot of teams never recover from.
But the Paoli Rams have proven time and again, they are not your average team.
Sixth-ranked Triton Central’s 14-point outburst at the outset of Friday night’s Sectional 39 championship game only served to inspire the Rams even more as they answered with 21 straight points to claim their second sectional title in the last five years.
The Tigers returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to set up the first score, then turned some extra effort on the part of Paoli senior Garrett Strange into another score on the ensuing kickoff.
As Strange drug a handful of Tiger tacklers toward midfield, Triton Central junior Drake Holtz ripped the ball away and raced to the end zone to make it 14-0 with just over two minutes gone in the opening period.
The Rams and their fans may have been shocked by the start, but they were by no means in awe of the Tigers, who they’ve faced the last three years in sectional play.
“That start they had, it was a shock,” senior Tanner Wroblewski admitted. “But everybody just stepped up. The seniors, the juniors, everybody just refused to quit. I’m so thankful for everyone who helped us along the way. I’m glad we finally brought one back home.”
Wroblewski had a big night for the Rams, hauling in 11 passes from junior quarterback Brett Balsmeyer for 133 yards and two touchdowns. But the one reception he had off a half-back pass from Tanner Kameda and the two passes he intercepted in the waning minutes may have been the biggest catches of the year thus far.
With the Rams backed up in their own end, facing a third and 12 from the 13-yard line midway through the final frame, Kameda fumbled the toss from Balsmeyer, but had the whereabouts to pick it up and loft a pass down the field where Wroblewski, as he has a number of times this season, made an adjustment, then made the catch for a first down near midfield.
The Rams went on to chew up all but 2:46 of the clock, setting up the two interceptions by Wroblewski that finally sealed the deal.
“Everyone played well and I’m so excited to get to go back home with this,” said Wroblewski. “We knew they were going to give me one-on-one coverage and we took advantage of it. Brett threw the ball well and the offensive line did well for me to even be able to get the dang ball. So everybody just stepped up and I’m so proud of all of them.”
The comeback came as no surprise to the younger Balsmeyer, whose father the coach never wavered in his support or enthusiasm, even after the sluggish start.
“We’ve had pretty good practices all week and when we got down tonight nobody shut down,” Brett noted. “After Garrett let that one get away, he came back with a nice game. He caught some balls (7 catches for 60 yards) and did a nice job, along with the “O” line. They did a hell of a job protecting me, and then Tanner Wroblewski caught some good passes. He helped me out a lot and came through when we needed him.
“Then SJ (Evan Jones) got his first touchdown for the game winner. We designed that play up all week for this moment, to get us to the regional.”
After Balsmeyer hooked up with Wroblewski for the game-tying score with 8:59 on the clock in the third quarter, the Paoli defense forced a fumble, which Ethan Wells pounced on to set up the game-winning push.
The six-yard touchdown pass to Evans, which came on fourth and goal, capped an 18-play drive that saw Balsmeyer complete passes to Wroblewski, Strange and Austin Moore before scampering 15 yards himself to set up the game winner.
The overall team effort was something coach Balsmeyer took a lot of pride in.
“Our offense made plays, our defense made plays and our special teams came back after those first two mishaps, so it was just an awesome job by everyone involved,” Balsmeyer said. “Our coaching staff, the effort and time they spend in preparation is just tremendous. They do a wonderful job. We’re all brothers and we cuss and fight and get after each other, but at the end of the day we get along real well and we get the job done.”
The Paoli defense, which held 1,000-yard rusher Jonah Thacker to just 66 yards on 21 carries, set the tone early and never let up.
Joey Hoffman had a big hit on the first drive, before Kameda caught Thacker for a six-yard loss and Mark Miles sacked Dillon Nelson for another six-yard setback late in the first quarter.
Wells recovered fumbles in the second and third quarters, while Jones tackled Thacker two yards deep in the backfield on third down, setting the stage for Bryan Morell and Wroblewski to snuff out a Tiger drive inside the Paoli 10-yard line early in the final frame.
“Our kids just did a great job,” said Balsmeyer. “Last year we gave Thacker 102 yards on 16 carries in the first half and we were up 14-0. This year we’re down 14-0, but the kids did a great job of hanging in there and battling. We held a very good back to very little tonight.”
Miles, Ruger Gill and Jones teamed up on a sack with just over two minutes to play, setting the stage for Wroblewski’s two picks that put the game away.
Balsmeyer was happy to see his team play to its potential and reach the regional for the first time since 2009 and just the third time in school history.
“I told them we were destined to be in this position when the draw came out,” said Balsmeyer. “Unless we would go out and lay an egg, we step on the field we’re going to win those first two games. But now we’re going to have to work for them. It’s not just going to happen. So I’m proud of the kids’ effort, the coaches and the community. It’s nice to finally get past Week 12.
“So we’ll enjoy this for a little while and get back to work.”
The Rams (10-2) will entertain Southridge (10-2
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| Shizz
November 11, 2013
1:20:30 PM
Entry #: 4104059
| Nice article
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| RealisticFan
November 11, 2013
1:53:49 PM
Entry #: 4104067
| Friday night was awesome. Foght back from adversity to control the game on both sides of the ball. A case could be made for several MVP's for the game, and rightfully so, but in my opinion, the honor goes to the offensive line. We had to pass the ball, and they did a wonderful job allowing time for this to happen.
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