Lakeland (September 3, 2010)
Article by Terry J. Storie
It was clearly the right call. Coach Thompson dialed up his senior’s number to carry the ball for a two-point conversion with less than three minutes left to go for the win.
If you have had the privilege of watching the Eagles play their last two football games, you know the defensive side of the ball has been, “bend but don’t break” with a knack for creating turnovers. Against Frostproof, the Eagles defense gave up nearly 300 total yards of offense, yet pitched a shutout. The only points scored by Frostproof came from a safety after a Chandler Brunson interception that was called back to inside the four yard line for a block in the back. The blitzing Bulldog defense caught Keke Wilson in the end zone almost immediately after he received a direct snap.
Lake Gibson’s offensive linemen were creating gashes for their backs throughout the game. Unofficially, the Braves put up 236 rushing yards against the Eagle defense. The defensive line was outsized, and while they played hard, the Lake Gibson running backs were getting into the secondary quite often.
When coaches make decisions in the heat of battle, they are either heroes or fools. If the play call works, they are football wizards and geniuses. When the play call fails, he or she will be second guessed.
If one considers the offensive line play of the Braves, it’s a fairly safe assumption that if drawn into a Kansas City overtime scenario, the Eagles would have had their work cut out for them stopping the already effective running game starting just five yards outside the red zone. When you consider the inconsistent special teams play, you cannot just count the P.A.T. as automatic.
The best chance to win that game with just over two minutes is to go for the two-point conversion and place the ball in the hands of your senior Division I prospect, Jaucady Rutledge. If the plan works, and you take the lead, squib kick the ball away from Remi Watson, and make the Braves drive far more than just 25 yards to score. With an ineffective passing attack (unofficially 86 yards total) the Braves are forced to chew up the remaining clock with their running game.
Going for the win by way of the two-point conversion was absolutely the right call. Our best chance to pull off this game, under the circumstances presented in the fourth quarter, was to stay away from Kansas City overtime. The play call shows the intestinal fortitude of Coach Thompson. It was an informed call. It was the right call.
