Charger report 2006
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Game Reports
From the opening kickoff, there was no question which team was going to win the Championship Game this year. One team was happy to be there, the other was there to make a statement. And the Chargers made a statement by totally dominating in every phase of the game. The Chargers flat out steamrolled Richmond Gold today. The only thing that would stop the Chargers today was the Chargers themselves. The Chargers and Richmond Gold know each other well having practiced side by side all season long and having scrimmaged nearly every week of the season to include a scrimmage at Husky Stadium last Saturday. Gold had their moments in the scrimmages handing it to the Chargers in a number of them, they had a great season and are a very good team, but the Chargers are the defending Midget Champions and they came out and played like it today.
Chargers won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Gold got off a good kick that flew over the 1st line of Chargers and took a nice bounce. Eric moved into position to catch the ball on the bounce but decided to let it pass to Matt who was waiting behind him. Matt picked up the ball and headed to the right, the entire Gold team flowed the same direction. Matt made a cut back to the left. Eric looking over his shoulder saw Matt make the cut and headed the same direction. Off to the races they went, Eric make a huge block on the outside Gold defender, Matt spun out of the grasp of another Gold player, ran one more over and hit the sideline, kicked it into high gear and raced all the way to the end zone with 2 more defenders trailing behind to give the Chargers the early lead. Eric got the carry on the extra point attempt and was stopped just short of the goal. 6-0 Chargers.
Matt gets a nice kickoff. Gold picks up the ball and Noah is there to make the tackle with King on the assist. Charger starting defense takes the field with the ball at the 44 of Gold. Gold goes back to pass on 1st down and Noah nearly comes down with the interception. On 2nd down, Gold tries the middle and gains 3 yards before Otis makes the stop. On 3rd and 7, Jesse and Mahoney come up with a big tackle for a loss of 3 to bring up a 4th and 10. Gold punts and the Chargers start their 2nd possession at their own 38-yard line.
Kyle and Matt muff the handoff on 1st down and are forced to fall on the ball for a loss of 2. Matt gets the next carry off left tackle and gains 7. Noah takes the next handoff and gets the 1st down at the 49 of the Chargers. It’s Smith’s turn next and he gains 4 more yards for the Chargers. Eric runs a zoom pass play on 2nd down, Kyle goes back to pass and finds Eric and tosses him the ball. Eric makes the catch and gains 5. On 3rd and short Matt gains 1 for the 1st down at the 40 of Gold. Matt takes the pitch around left end and adds 3 more yards. Smith follows with 3 more yards up the middle bringing up a 3rd and 4. Noah is stopped for no gain on 3rd down. Matt gets the 1st with a 4th down carry for 8 yards to the 26 of Gold. It’s Jesse’s turn to get into the action as he takes the handoff up the middle and powers his way to a 4-yard gain. On 2nd down, Chargers call a sweep to the Right. Parker sealed the end, Eric and Noah form a wall as Kyle makes the pitch to Matt, the play is setting up well, however, Matt is unable to handle the pitch, the ball hits the ground and somehow Gold comes up it.
Charger Gold defense comes out for the 2nd defensive series of the game. Otis makes a nice solo tackle for a loss of 1 on 1st down. Kyle makes the stop for no gain on 2nd down. And on 3rd, Kyle, Parker, Matt and Eric gang tackle the runner for no gain bringing up a 4th and long from Gold’s 25 yard line. Gold goes back to punt and gets off a kick that they down at their own 48.
After stopping themselves on their last drive, Charger offense comes out for their second offensive series in good field position on Gold’s side of the field. Noah gains 5 yards on 1st down. Matt gets the next 2 carries and gains 2 yards on each. On 4th and one, Kyle keeps the ball on a QB sneak and gets the 1st down at the 36 of Gold. Matt gets the next carry and is off and running for 16 yards to the 20. Smith then busts one up the middle twisting his way to the 7-yard line. Noah gets the next carry to the ½ yard line. Matt finishes the drive and punches it into the end zone straight up the middle. Chargers go back to the zoom pass to Eric on the extra point attempt but Kyle get the pass off a little slow allowing Gold to make the interception. 12-0 Chargers.
After a Matt kick off, Charger Gold defense takes the field at the 42 of Gold. Smith makes the 1st stop after a 2-yard gain. The defense then gives up their single big gain of the day as Kelly for Gold makes a nice run for a gain of 14 before Tank Vulliet trips him up at the Charger 42. Tank and Smith get the next stop after a 3-yard gain then Matt makes the tackle on Kelly after a 2-yard gain bringing up a 3rd and 6. On 3rd down, Mahoney gets a tackle in the backfield for a loss of 2. Gold goes for it on 4th and is stopped by big Micah Skinnell for no gain. Charger ball.
2:59 remains in the half with the Chargers leading 12-0 and with a 1st and 10 at their own 35. Matt gains 6 on 1st down. On 2nd down coach calls a QB sweep to the left. With Smith, Jesse and Matt leading blocking and Kyle following close behind, Mahoney seals the end, Matt steps up and crushes the outside line backer, Kyle hits the corner following Jesse and Smith. Jesse takes out the corner. Smith hits the sideline with Kyle and the ball right behind. Smith knocks a defender to the ground and continues downfield with Kyle right behind. Kelly moves in for Gold to make the tackle. Smith comes up with my Charger “Huge Block of the Year” as he flat out levels Kelly. As Kelly hits the ground and rolls, Kyle leaps him like a deer and rumbles untouched into the end zone for a 59-yard TD and my Charger “Big Play” of the day. This play had to be the most well executed play of the year. The play was called at just the right time. The line blocked great. The backs were blocking machines and the QB goes 59 yards untouched for the score and essentially puts the final nail in the coffin of Gold. 18-0 Chargers.
2:02 still remains in the 1st half as Matt kicks off for the 3rd time in the game. Eric makes the solo stop at the 30 of Gold. On 1st and 10, Kyle and Parker make the stop for no gain. On 2nd down, Smith makes the stop for a loss of 2. On 3rd down, Billy Brown, Mahoney and Otis gang tackle the RB for no gain. Time runs out in the half with the Charger leading 18-0.
You couldn’t have scripted a half of football much better. Charger defense held Gold to a net 16 yards with the starting defense only playing one series in the half. The Charger offense gained 149 yards plus 70 yards on the kick off returned for a TD for a total gain of 219 yards to 16. The only miscue of the half was a fumble by the Chargers that halted a drive that in all likelihood would have ended with another TD.
2nd half starts with Matt kicking off for the Chargers. Charger defense starts the 1st series of the half at the 42 of Gold. Heck makes the 1st stop of the half after a 3-yard gain by Gold. Gold jumps off sides moving them back 5 yards. Matt and Sandiego make the next stop for no gain then Noah makes a stop after a gain of 5. Gold goes for it on 4th down and Eric is there for the tackle for a loss of 3. Charger ball.
Chargers start their 1st possession of the half with the ball at the 42 of Gold. Matt gets the 1st carry of the half and breaks a big one all the way to the 8-yard line of Gold before he’s tripped up. Smith looks to finish the drive with the score but fumbles as he breaks a tackle and Gold recovers the ball taking possession at their own 6-yard line.
Charger starting Blue defense takes the field for their only series of the half. Smith makes the 1st stop after a gain of 1. Gold jumps offsides and is moved back half the distance to the goal. Matt makes the next stop for no gain. On 3rd down, Gold tries the middle and is met by a gang tackle by the Chargers. The ball pops out and Noah comes up with it but somehow the ref gives the ball to Gold. Now it’s 4th and long from the 1-yard line. Chargers smell a blocked punt. On the snap, the entire defense crashes through the O line of Gold; Nehring gets his hand up high and blocks the punt. The ball hits the ground in the end zone. Noah dives for the ball and comes up with it and the TD. Chargers 24 Gold 0. Jesse gets the carry on the extra point but comes up short.
5:14 remains in the 3rd quarter with the Chargers leading 24-0. Matt kicks off and Noah is there for the stop at the 36 of Gold. Smith and Noah make the stop on 1st down for a loss of 6. Chargers jump offsides on 2nd giving Gold 5 yards. Chargers gang tackle Gold for no gain then on 3rd down Big Micah Skinnell gets his 2nd big stop of the game for no gain. Gold jumps offsides and is moved back to their 27. Gold goes for it on 4th and long and gains 3 before the Chargers gang tackles the Back. Charger ball at the 30.
Coach puts in the 3rd string offense. Parker moves to 2 back and carries nearly the entire Gold defense for 14 yards to the 16-yard line of Gold. Noah moves to QB and keeps the ball for a gain of 5. However, a holding penalty backs the Chargers up to the 23 of Gold. Parker gets the call and gains 4 up the middle then Noah keeps the ball and gains 4 to the 15-yard line. Parker takes the hand off on 3rd down, powers up the middle and once again refuses to go down as he bulldozes his way all the way to the 1-yard line. Parker finishes the drive on the next carry as he runs a left sweep in for the score. Noah is stopped on the extra point attempt. 30-0 Chargers
Matt kicks off for the 6th time in the game. Gold downs the ball at their own 40. Chargers give up 5 yards on 1st down then Nehring makes the stop after a 3-yard gain on 2nd. On 3rd down Heck and King make the stop inches short of the 1st down. Chargers stop gold at the 50 on 4th but they do give up a first down, only the 2nd 1st down of the entire game with less than a min left in the game. Okamura makes a solo tackle for a loss of 2 then the Chargers make a stop after a gain of 2 on 2nd down. Stenenski comes up with a huge sack on 3rd down for a loss of 7. However Chargers are flagged for piling on giving Gold 15 yards. On the final play of the game, Skinnell gets the final tackle of the game and the year for a loss of 3.
Chargers win and for the 2nd year in a row are the NJFL Midget Division Champions.
Chargers just would not be denied of the championship this year. After reeling off 3 straight wins to start the season, the Chargers lost 2 games in a row. They regrouped and came back to win 4 in a row. Along the way they avenged their 2 losses and totally dominated the championship game. Charger defense gave up 2 1st downs in the entire game and only a net 18 yards. All that with the starting defense only playing 2 series in the game. Gold had 8 possessions in the game for a net of 0, -1, 19, -2, 5, -3, -3 and 3 yards.
Charger offense gained a total of 215 yards plus a 70-yard KO return to start the game for a net total of 285 yards plus a blocked punt for a TD. Charger offense scored on 3 of their 5 possessions in the game. The 2 they didn’t score on, they had fumbles on Gold’s 25 and 6-yard lines. The 2nd one leading to a blocked punt for a Charger TD.
Great job to all the players and coaches on the team. Many of the players and coaches have been together for 3 straight years now and have made the championship game each year, winning 2 of them. Next year they’ll work hard to keep the streak going as most of the players move up to the peewee division.
Chargers defeat SL Green and now play for the Championship next week
Chargers vs Silver Lake Green
Chargers advance to the Championship game for the 3rd year in a row with an exciting come from behind last min score against SL Green to win the game 7-6. In a game that saw the defenses dominate for nearly the entire game, the Chargers answered a Green TD scored in the final 3 min of the game to take a 6-0 lead with a well-executed efficient drive to tie the score than added the extra point for the deciding score in the game. This drive was the drive of the year so far and I’m sure will be remembered as “The Drive” for a long time.
Chargers started with the ball downing the opening kickoff at Midfield. Matt gets the first two carries of the game and moved the ball to the 35 of Green. Eric gets the next carry for a gain of 2 followed by Smith for a run off tackle for a gain of 3. Matt and Noah get the next carries and advanced the ball to the 22 of Green for a 1st and ten. The drive stalls as Matt is stopped after a 2 yard gain on 1st down, Noah is stopped for no gain on 2nd, Matt is stopped for no gain on 3rd and Kyle on a QB sweep is stopped short of the 1st on 4th down turning the ball over to Green on downs at the 16 yard line of Green. Chargers get a scare as Kyle is injured on the play and has to be carried off the field. Kyle sits out the defensive series and is able to play the rest of the game at QB as well as some on defense.
Charger defense takes the field. On 1st down the defense sets the tone with a big gang tackle for no gain. Chargers jump offsides giving Green an easy 5 yards on 2nd down. Smith and Jesse get a yard of it back throwing the RB for a loss of 1 on the replay of 2nd down. On 3rd, Smith and Noah make the stop after a gain of 2 brining up a 4th and long. Green punts the ball.
Chargers start their 2nd drive with great field position at the 43 of Green. Matt gets the 1st carry for a gain of 3 followed by a gain of 1 by Smith. On third and long, Kyle pitches the ball back to Matt. The pitch is off slightly, Matt is unable to handle it and the ball hits the turf with Green recovering the fumble at their own 45.
Defense comes out on fire determined to get the ball back for the offense. Kyle crushes the RB on 1st down after a gain of 1. Eric gets his 1st sack of the game on 2nd down assisted by Mahoney for a loss of 7 yards. After an incomplete pass on 3rd, Green is forced to punt. Chargers down the punt at their own 35-yard line.
Chargers 3rd offensive possession starts with Matt being stopped for no gain. Noah gets the next 3 carries and gains the needed yards for the 1st moving the ball to the 48-yard line. On 1st and 10 from the 48, Kyle completes a short pass to Eric on a Zoom pass play. Matt gains 3 on 2nd, Noah is stopped for no gain on 3rd and on 4th, Matt gets the needed yards for the 1st however, a holding penalty on Noah backs the Chargers up 10 yards. On the redo of 4th down, Matt gains 9 yards but comes up short of the 1st down. Green takes over on downs at their own 45-yard line with 3:02 left in the 1st half.
Charger defense trots back onto the field. Tank, Matt and Smith make the 1st stop after a gain of 3. On 2nd, Chargers are called for pass interference giving Green a 1st down at the 37 of the Chargers. Eric gets his 2nd tackle for a loss in the game with a tackle of the RB in the backfield for a loss of one; once again Mahoney was there for the assist. With 2:10 remaining in the half, Kyle gets the next stop after a gain of 4 at the 34 of the Chargers bringing up a 3rd and 6. Green goes back to pass, Eric nearly sacks the QB but he’s able to get the ball off, the receiver is behind the Charger’s defenders and makes the catch and rumbles down to the 15 yard line before he is dragged to the ground after getting a 1st down with 58 sec remaining in the half. With Green threatening, Chargers need to make some plays to go into half time without giving up a score. Green attempts to run a sweep to their left. Eric is there to make the stop for a loss of 2 with Okamura on the assist. On 2nd down, Green completes a pass to the 7-yard line. 26 seconds remains in the half, Green is out of time outs, time for 1 more play. Green attempts to power it up the middle but Nate Otis is there to make the stop for no gain as time runs out in the half with the score tied 0-0.
Chargers kick off to start the 2nd half. Matt gets off a nice kick and Eric and Noah are there to make the stop the 45-yard line.
Defense takes the field. Tank and Nehring make the 1st stop up the middle after a gain of 2. On 2nd down, Kyle, Noah and Skinnell gang tackle the RB after a gain of 5 brining up a 3rd and 3. Tank makes the stop in the middle after a gain of 1. On 4th and short, Green is able to just make the 1st at the Charger 45. Gold defense is in the game. Eric moves back to corner. On 1st down, Eric and Perez break up the pass attempt brining up a 2nd and 10. Tank Runs the RB out of bounds after a gain of 1. On third and long, Eric breaks up another pass attempt forcing a 4th and long. Green goes back to punt and is flagged for a delay of game penalty backing them up 5 more yards. They get off a good kick to the 18-yard line of the Chargers.
Chargers 1st offensive drive of the half starts with 2 carries by Matt. Matt advances the ball to the Charger 30. Noah gets the next carry and gains 2 followed by a carry by Smith for a gain of 3. On 3rd and 5, Noah gets the call and moves the ball to the Charger 42 for a 1st down. The drive stalls here as Matt is thrown for a loss of 3 on 1st down and is stopped for no gain on 2nd and 3rd downs. Matt gets off another good punt on 4th down with Otis making my “Charger Big Hit” of the game with a crushing tackle on the return man just as he made the catch.
Charger defense is on the field again. They make a nice gang tackle for no gain on 1st down. On 2nd, Green fumbles and falls on the snap for a loss of 1. George jumps offsides on 3rd down giving Green an easy 5 yards to end the 3rd quarter. Chargers begin the 4th quarter on defense with the ball at the 49 of Green and a 3rd and 6 after an offsides penalty. Gold defense is still on the field. Green runs it up the middle on 3rd and 6. Eric and Smith make the stop at the 1st down maker. That penalty really hurt. Instead of brining up a 4th and 5 and a likely punt, Green’s drive is kept alive. On 1st and 10 Tank, Noah and Smith gang tackle the RB in the backfield for a loss of 2 at the Charger 45. On 2nd down, Smith and Mahoney apply heavy pressure with Nehring making the tackle for a loss of 2 at the 47. On 3rd down Green goes back to pass, heavy pressure from the defense forces the QB to run and Nehring is there to make the stop after a 3 yard gain bringing up a 4th and 9 from the 44 of the Chargers with about 6 min left in the game. Green goes back to pass, Perez lets a receiver get behind him, the QB finds the receiver all alone and connects with a nice pass to the 30 yard line of the Chargers. 1st and 10. Green jumps offsides and is backed up 5 yards on 1st down. Green attempt to run left again and Eric is there to make the stop for no gain. Green connects with a pass on 2nd down with Matt there to make the stop at the Charger 28. Chargers get heavy pressure on 3rd down forcing an incomplete pass bringing up a 4th and long form the 28. Green goes back to pass on 4th. No one is open so the QB takes off on the run and makes it all the way to the Charger 12 yard line before Matt and Noah force him out of bounds. Chargers make the stop after a gain of 2 on first down then give up the score on 2nd down but the defense steps up and makes the stop on the all important extra point attempt. 6-0 Green.
So here we go. Chargers trail by six. 3:31 remains in the game. Lose and the season is over. But looking into the eyes of the offense you can see they have no intention of losing this game. Smith takes the Green kick off and returns it to midfield. Coach goes to the hurry up offense. Matt gets the 1st carry and gains 8. On 2nd, Matt gets the 2 yards to the 40 of Green. 2:27 remains in the game. Matt gets the call again and breaks a big run down the left sidelines with Eric and Noah lead blocking around the corner all the way to the 24 of Green. Green is on their heals and jumps offsides. 5 more yard for the Chargers down to Green’s 19. Matt gains 4 more off left tackle bringing up a 2nd and 1 then gets the 1st on the next carry with a run to the 11 yard line. Noah gets the next carry and gains 4 to the 7 with 1:30 left in the game. On 2nd and goal the Chargers are flagged for movement on the line and are backed up 5 yards. Now its 2nd and goal from the 12-yard line of Green with 1:26 left in the game. Green calls a time out. Coach Mike talks to the huddled Chargers. Chargers come to the line. The line opens a huge hole. Noah is the first one through the hole and he takes out a linebacker, Eric is through the hole next and he drives another defender to the ground as Matt follows his blockers through the hole all the way into the end zone to tie the game at 6. Coach calls a time out for the all-important extra point attempt to win the game. In the huddle the boys are crying with tears of joy. Coach settles the boys and makes the play call. Coach calls a strong right power 35, which is a play that Eric gets the carry through the 5 hole with Matt lead blocking. Eric looks at Coach Mike and says, “No. Run a power 24, I’ll block for Matt and we’ll get it in the end zone and score.” And that’s exactly what happened as the line once again opened a hole that Noah and Eric came through taking out defenders along the way as Matt followed them into the end zone for the go ahead point and my Charger “Big Drive” of the game, or rather the Season. The team and their fans exploded into a loud roar as the ref signaled the extra point run was good. But the game isn’t over yet. Just over a minute remains in the game.
Matt hits a squib kick towards the Charger bench. It doesn’t look like it will make it the necessary 10 yards as Eric, Noah and Otis converge on the ball. Coach yells to let the ball go. The ball crosses the 10-yard distance and Eric dives for the ball along with a defender. They roll out of bounds and as a result, Green is awarded the ball. Defense needs to make one last stop starting at the 47 of Green.
On 1st down Green goes back to pass, Eric gets by the lineman attempting to keep him out and sacks the QB for a huge loss. Jesse arrives a split second latter and the ref flags him saying that he head butted the QB, which was a very questionable call. 46 seconds remains in the game. Green goes back to pass and once again Eric and Jesse applies heavy pressure forcing the QB to take off running. Matt stops him after a gain of 7. On second down the QB goes back to pass and Eric and Jesse again get to the QB and sack him before he can get the pass off. Green calls their final time out with about 10 seconds remaining in the game. Green comes to the line for their final play. Chargers need one more big play to end the game with the victory. On the final play of the game the QB goes back for a Hail Mary but before he could even get set up, Eric gets to him for another huge sack dragging the QB to the ground to end the game and seal the victory. 7-6 Chargers.
What a great game. The team put their entire hearts into this game. Looking at the boys after the game you’d have thought they lost the game with all the tears running down their cheeks. But they were tears of happiness for putting out every thing they had to answer Green’s score with just over 3:00 min remaining in the game. With defeat staring them in the face, the team was able to put together “The Drive” to march down the field and win the game with a tremendous effort by each and every player and coach on the team.
One game remains. For the third year in a row, the boys are in the Championship Game. This year's opponent, Richmond Midget Gold. A team the boys have scrimmaged many times this year, to include a scrimmage in Husky Stadium immediatly after defeating Green on Saturday. It should be another tough exciting game that in my opinion the Chargers will come out victorious and win the Midget Championship again this season.
Me running over a defender
Chargers win 1st Playoff game:
Chargers started their defense of the Midget League Championship today with a resounding win over Silver Lake White in round one of the playoffs. Chargers took the opening kickoff and put together a grinding 14-play 70-yard drive ending with a 2 yard TD run by Matt on a sweep play. Chargers converted on three 4th downs during the drive and burned up nearly the entire 1st quarter on the clock. They also competed a well-executed zoom pass to Eric for a 1st on a 3rd and long. The line blocked well, all the backs did a great job with their blocking and Kyle managed the offense well at the QB position.
Noah added the extra point to give the Chargers the early 7-0 lead.
Not to be outdone, the Charger defense came out on fire shutting White down completely on their 1st drive of the game. The defense was swarming holding White to only 2 yards and forcing them to punt after a 3 and out.
Charger offense took over at their own 26-yard line to start their 2nd drive of the game. They were unable to move the ball and were forced to punt on 4th down.
Charger defense again holds White to a 3 and out with the big play of the series coming on 3rd down as Eric recorded a sack to bring up a 4th and long.
The 3rd offensive series for the Chargers started with a 3 yard gain by Matt then two carries by Noah for little to no gain bringing up a 4th and long. Matt is forced to punt for the 2nd time in the game. He gets off a great kick for a touch back.
White takes over on their own 20-yard line. On 1st down, Chargers defend the pass attempt well as it falls incomplete. Parker, Matt and Kyle make the stop on 2nd down after a 4-yard gain. And on 3rd down, White breaks one for 20 yards before Noah is able to make the stop preventing an even bigger gain. White now has the ball on their own 46 with a 1st and ten and time running out in the half. On 1st down Eric comes off the end, sheds his blocker and crushes the QB knocking the ball lose that Otis recovers for the Chargers.
Charger offense takes over at White’s 31-yard line with less than 2 min in the half. Matt and Eric streak down the right sideline, Kyle gets off a nice pass, Matt and Eric jump for the ball covered by 3 defenders. Eric has it on his fingertips as he hits the ground. Matt lands on top of him and Eric is unable to hold onto the ball. On 2nd, Kyle pitches back to Matt who attempts to pass, but it’s not a pass, it’s a Statue of Liberty play as Eric comes around and snatches the ball from Matt’s extended arm. It looks like Eric might have open field ahead of him but one defender isn’t fooled and makes the stop after a short gain, Matt is stopped on 3rd down for no gain and time runs out in the half with the Chargers leading 7-0.
Chargers kick off to start the 2nd half. Charger defense gives up their 1st first down of the game as White puts together an eight play drive that stalls on the Charger 25 yard line.
Chargers take over on downs but are unable to move the ball and are forced to punt for the 3rd time in the game unable to get a 1st down. Matt gets off another good punt with Tank on the stop for no return.
Charger defense continues to play well. Otis and Mahoney make the stop of 1st down for no gain. Billy Brown comes up with a huge hit and stop on 2nd down after a gain of 2. On 3rd down Smith and Otis make the stop for no gain setting up a 4th and long from the Charger’s 43. White attempts a left sweep that Eric puts a stop to for no gain. Charger Ball and the end of the 3rd quarter with the Chargers still leading 7-0.
White jumps offsides giving the Chargers an easy 5 yards. 1st and 5 now, Smith gains 1. On 3rd down Noah get the call and it looks like he's stopped for no gain but he puts one hand on the turf and lounges forward as he’s going down to get the yards needed for a 1st down. It was a tremendous effort by Noah to get the 1st down keeping the drive alive. Eric gains 3 on 1st and 10 followed by Matt gaining 9 for another 1st down. Chargers are moving now, as it appears that the boys in Blue are wearing down White. Noah gains 2 more yards. Smith gets the next carry but the Chargers are flagged for a false start backing them up 5 yards. It's now 2nd and 12 from White’s 34 yard line. Matt gets the carry on a sweep, Jesse lays out the outside linebacker braking Matt free who takes it the distance for a 34-yard TD. Noah adds the extra point to put the Chargers up 14-0.
Chargers kick off and the Charger defense takes the field smelling victory. They come out knowing that White has to pass being down by 14 in the 4th quarter. On 1st down White goes back to pass, Eric and Jesse apply heavy pressure, the QB barely gets the ball off, Matt is there to prevent the completion. However, the Chargers are flagged for a personal foul giving White 15 yards and an automatic 1st down. White now has the ball on the Chargers 30 yard line. Chargers stop White after a 5 yard gain on 1st. On 2nd, Eric again applies heavy pressure forcing an incompletion. White jumps offside backing them up 5 yards. On third and long, Eric, Jesse, Billy Brown, Otis and Mahoney crush the QB for a huge loss. However, Otis is flagged for a 15 yard face mask giving White 15 more yards and an automatic 1st down at the Charger 20. After 3 incomplete passes, Chargers give up a completion on 4th and 10 to their 8 yard line. Billy Brown makes the stop. On 1st and goal White is flagged for 15 yard. On 1st and long now, White goes back to pass, Eric and Jesse are about to sack the QB as he gets off the ball, the pass is rushed then tipped right into the hands of Matt who returns the interception to the 22 yard line. Charger ball.
Matt gets the 1st carry for a gain of 2. 2nd and 8 from the Charger 24, Matt gets the call on a pitch, the line continues to block well, the blocking backs hit their blocks and Matt hits the corner and is gone 76 yards for the score. Eric is stopped on the extra point attempt. Chargers 20 Silver lake White 0. Game over. Charges win.
For the 2nd week in a row the Chargers played like the defending Midget Champions. Today they shut out a team 20-0 that just a couple weeks ago they lost to 18 to 12.
Next up is the other team that defeated the Chargers this season, Silver Lake Green. A team that the Chargers destroyed last year in the semi final game after having lost to them during the regular season. There is no love lost between these two teams, which should make for another exciting game next week.
Me running the Ball
October 14, 2006
Chargers put together the best half of football all season in route to shutting out Mukilteo Purple 21-0, a team that just three games ago the Chargers needed to score in the final min. of the game to win 6-0.
This game was much closer to how the Chargers are capable of playing as they head into the playoffs next week. Kyle returned from injury after missing the last game and ½ and did a great job at QB. After filling in at QB during Kyle’s absence, Eric moved back to his 3 back position. Chargers took the opening kickoff and put together a 12-play drive ending with Matt scoring from 6 yards out off right guard. Smith added the extra point to put the Chargers up 7-0.
Gold defense started the first defensive stance and held Purple to a 4 and out forcing them to punt on 4th down. Defense gave up only 4 yards on this series.
Chargers 2nd offensive possession started at midfield. Kyle kept the ball on a QB keeper around right end with Matt and Eric lead blocking for an 8-yard gain. Eric got the next carry and broke one up the middle for an additional 12 yards. Jesse, who had the cast taken off his broken thumb this week, got the next carry and ran for 4 yards to the 26 of Purple. Noah gets stopped for no gain on 2nd and 6. On 3rd down, Matt gains 4 bringing up a 4th and 2. Matt gets the 1st on a 4th down run off left guard to the 12-yard line of Purple. Smith takes it to the 7 followed by Eric powering it to the 3 setting up a 3rd and goal. Matt takes the pitch and runs it on in for the score. Eric adds the extra point to put the Chargers up 14-0.
Chargers defense started their second defensive series at midfield. They weren’t on the field very long as they once again held Purple to a 4 and out giving up only 2 yards.
With about 2 min left in the half, Chargers offense takes to the field for their 3rd possession of the half at their own 48 yard line. Matt takes the pitch and gains 4 to the right. Smith adds 4 off tackle and Noah gains 4 for the 1st down at the 40 of Purple. Matt gains about 3 on first down and Eric gets the next carry and takes it to the 30 of Purple. Purple jumps offsides giving the Chargers 5 more yards. On a 1st and ten from the 25, Matt takes the pitch around right end, the line does a great job sealing the end, the backs do a great job blocking, Eric takes out the corner on a lead block as Matt takes it the distance for his 3rd TD of the game. Smith adds the extra point to put the Chargers up
21-0.
Defense takes the field for one last stance before half time and gets the ball right back as Perez comes up with an interception on Purple’s 1st play of the series to end the half.
What a great half of football for the Chargers against a pretty good team. Chargers defense gave up a total of 6 yards. That’s it. And they came away with an interception. The team tackled much better in this game and the pass coverage was stellar. In the 1st game against Purple, Purple was able to connect on a handful of huge pass plays that really hurt the Chargers. Not this time around. And the offense, they were equally as impressive. No negative yardage plays, no muffed handoffs or snaps, no drive killing penalties or fumbles. They looked like a well-oiled machine marching down the field on each of their 3 possessions with precision for the score and extra point for a 21-0 half time lead. Coaches did a great job calling the plays and mixing things up. Purple were on their heals the entire half.
Chargers kicked off to start the second half. Blue defense started the 2nd half for their only series of the game at the 48 of Purple. Defense holds Purple to a 4 and out driving Purple backwards as the Chargers take over at Purple’s 37-yard line for a loss of 11 total yards on the series.
Matt gains 6 off tackle and Smith takes it to the 25 for the 1st down on the 2nd carry of the drive. Noah is stopped for no gain on 1st and 10 from the 25. Matt gets the next pitch around right end but is tripped by Smith and falls for no gain bringing up a 3rd and 10. Noah gets the call and gains maybe a yard bringing up a 4th and long. A half back pass is called. Eric is wide open deep in the secondary but the pass falls short ending the drive at Purple’s 25 yard line.
Charger defense takes the field at the 25 of Purple. Misagano and Matt make the 1st stop after a gain of 3. On 2nd and 7, Purple runs into the “Tank” and Joey for no gain. On 3rd and long, the QB breaks one and looks like he may be gone before Eric catches him from behind and drags him down at the 42 after a 14 yard gain. That just fires the defense up as they punish Purple on the next 3 plays driving them back to their own 28 yard line forcing them to punt on 4th down. The big plays coming on a sack by Mahoney on 2nd down followed by a sack by Eric, Matt and Stenenski on 3rd down. Total net yards given up on this series by the defense, 3 yards.
Charger offense takes over at midfield after a punt by Purple. Kyle attempts a pass to Parker on 1st that falls incomplete. Smith gains 2 on 2nd down and Noah gains 1 on a reverse on 3rd. On 4th, Matt and Kyle muff the exchange forcing Kyle to just fall on the ball turning the ball over to Purple at the Charger 46.
Charger defense continued their dominance as they once again hold Purple to a 4 and out driving them backwards 10 more yards on this series. George came up with a big hit in the backfield on 4th down jarring the ball loose that Purple recovered. However, it was 4th down so the Chargers take over on downs.
Parker comes in at 2 back on this possession. He’s held to no gain on 1st down then gains 6 on 2nd. Kyle keeps the ball on a QB keeper up the middle and comes up just short of the 1st down. On 4th down, the center QB exchanged is muffed forcing Smith to fall on the ball. Purple ball.
Charger defense takes the field for one last stance in the game. Purple tries 4 more plays, gains 0 yards and the game ends. 21-0 Chargers.
After giving up too many big plays the last 2 games, both losses, the Charger defense came to play today holding Purple to a net –12 yards of offense. And the best thing about the defensive performance, our #1 defense only played one series, 4 plays. Our 2nd and 3rd defense did all the damage. They played great.
While the offense played flawless in the 1st half, the 2nd half was a different story. Drives were killed by some of the things that have prevented them from finishing drives with points in losses to both Green and White. Our 1st offensive possession of the 2nd half is stalled as our RB trips over his lead blocker who isn’t moving fast enough to get out front and block and we can’t get a pass off to a wide open receiver because of poor blocking. Muffed exchanges on our 2nd and 3rd possessions killed those drives. The team has been averaging 3 offensive possessions a half, 6 per game. Every single drive and every play of the drive is critical in the outcome of the game. If our offense plays as they did in the 1st half of today’s game, we’ll be in the championship game and we’ll win the game. A performance like the 2nd half and we’ll all be doing other things come Nov. 4th.
