It's all good in Wayne's World. Coach Wayne Carroll got his 125th career victory and he has over 20 post season wins in his career.
He is now 15 and 4 vs. the FLAA in his last 19 games. He is 4 and 1 vs. the FLAA at home in the first round. He moves into the 2nd round and he is 6 and 2 in his last eight semi-final appearances. We will talk about the semi-final game this Sunday at 6PM against the upstart and Cinderella story Attica Blue Devils, who are the six seed and upset East Rochester Gananda 18 to 0. The Rams handled Pal-Mac easily, 39 to 7. It was crappy weather all day so they moved the game back and as the Rams were on their way to victory the sun even came out to bathe the field in sunshine.
I think to explain and break down the Pal-Mac game and all the records this team is making on an individual level and making it back to Pae Tech Park for a second straight year we need to go back before we go forward. I think this all started on Saturday Oct 21st, 2005. It was a cold rainy miserable day. The Bath Haverling Rams who were 2 and 5 were to play the 1 and 6 screaming eagles of Midlakes in pool play. It was my first season with the Rams. The Rams were coming off a 0 and 8 season the previous year and had just been hit hard by the Hornell Red Raiders 41 to 0 at Maple City Park . It was very cold and the field was a mess. I am not sure the event staff wanted to be there, or the PA guy Jerry, or the concession stand workers or the ticket takers, some of the players and even myself. However there was one person that wanted to be there and knew that whether the team won or loss that day it was a building block to the future. That person was Coach Wayne Carroll. He had made it to the Carrier Dome for the State semi's just a few years before. Being in pool play must have felt a long way away from those teams in 2001 and 2002, yet he knew that every game those Freshman he had brought up that year could play in would make them better in the long run. They played that game in the rain and slop in front of about 15 fans at Haverling football stadium and the Rams lost 20 to 0. Since that loss at home that squad is 21 and 5 and have gone 11 and 3 on that field since.
Many have tried to question Coach Wayne Carroll's coaching style and ability and his staff and program. If you were there on Saturday Oct 21st 2005 and also had the pleasure of seeing those Freshman who are now Seniors play Saturday Oct 25th you could not help feeling happy for those kids and how far they had come and you could not deny that the 39 to 7 thumping was the culmination and proof that Coach Wayne Carroll is one of the best Coaches in Section V. You can not say that those years in 2001 2002 and 2003 were a fluke and that he just had great players. He took young men with no varsity experience and little to no JV experience and brought them up to varsity. Brought them along slowly to make sure they would not get hurt and made them into one of the best teams in Class B in all of Section V for the last two to three years.
People will say well with great players like Andre McCloud, Cody Hutcheson, Jake Kuver, Matt Whedbee, and Same Musso a lot of people cold have one. That is not so. We have seen in all sports, and at all levels that just because you have a great player or a few great players it does not make you a great team. Coach Carroll has gotten these youngsters to play like a team. They think like a team and win and lose like a team.
So while maybe they didn't win that day in the rain against Midlakes maybe those Freshman learned a few things and a good life lesson that they can take with them for life. Coach Carroll knew that playing in that game was a building block to getting back on top. Most programs don't even play in pool play. They hand in their pads and helmets and start shooting hoops. I think we can all agree now that Coach Wayne Carroll's coaching career, coaching style and love for his football program has been validated with the rebuilding of his program. This team is not just naturally talented, but well coached also.
To the game. The Rams were victorious 39 to 7 over Pal-Mac. In his last three games against Pal-Mac Coach Carroll has won 41 to 0, 24 to 0, and 39 to 7. I think it is fair to say Coach Tom Schmandt of Pal Mac does not look forward to seeing Bath Haverling across the field. Coach Carroll is 6 and 2 in the first round in his last eight games and 5 and 1 at home. Andre McCloud had a great game with 168 yards, three TD's on the ground one in the air on a screen and a two point conversion. Justin Seager certainly had a great game as well. Cody The Hammer Hutcheson had 105 yards on the graound with a TD and Jake Kuver had 116 yards on the ground. I think my favorite play was when Jake Kuver went down the sidelines on a run for huge yards and got down to the two or so and his big old hogmollie lineman I think it was Ben Chissom was staying with him stride for stride trying to give him as many down field blocks as possible. Good job by the big fella on that play. TC Carroll lead the D as always with 12 tackles. Justin Seager had 11 tackles and 3 sacks. Nick Carroll had 10 tackles and Danny Herrick had 7 tackles and 1 sack. The same for linebacker Sam Musso.
So at the end of the game I can tell you this. Andre McCloud is now at 3996 yards for his career. He has gone over the 1000 yard mark for the second season with 132 carries for 1118 yards. He has 17 TD's this year putting him at 69 in his career. If you are wondering, McCloud is averaging 8.4 yards a carry this year and 139 yards a game. He now sits in the top ten all time in Section V in rushing. He passed Anthony Pollizzi of Hornell and Kyle Miller of LeRoy on Saturday. McCloud is now 9th all time. He is right behind Tremayne Bendross of Churchville-Chili who has 4075 yards. Then there is Tysean Harris of Clyde-Savannah with 489 yards. Both those backs played in the 90's. After that is Wade Rowcliffe of Cal-Mum. He has 4262. With a good game McCloud could leap frog two more people.
TC Carroll is now at 314 tackles putting him just 60 tackles away from the all time tackling record at Bath Haverling.
There is not much history between Bath and Attica . They have not played in the regular season at least since the 2000 season. They have faced off twice in Sectionals since 1999. Bath won the first game in 2001 28 to 15 at Attica . It was a quarterfinal game and Bath was the six seed and Attica was the three seed. In 2002 Attica and Bath played in the semi finals at St. John Fisher and Bath won 34 to 8.
While the Rams are 16 and 5 on the road since 2005, the Blue Devils are 13 and 9. Coach Carroll and his team are 1 and 1 at Pae Tech Park playing two games there last year. Attica has never played at Pae Tech Park . Since taking over in 2004 at Attica Coach Cusmano has made it to Sectionals two times. Going 0 and 2 until their third trip to sectionals under him with that win over ERG they go to 1 and 2 in Sectional play. Coach Cusmano is 2 and 2 against the LCAA DI since he took over. In 2004 pool play he beat HFL 26 to 14. Attica finished 5 and 4. In 2005 Attica went to Livonia in round 1 of sectionals as the 5 seed and lost to Livonia 34 to 8. They ended their season 5 and 3. In week 7 of the 2006 season Livonia beat Attica 36 to 22. Then later that year in pool play Attica beat Way-Co 22 to 16 to finish 4 and 4. Since the 2004 season Attica is 5 and 4 in non-league games, 2 and 2 vs. LCAA D1 teams, and 3 and 2 vs. FLAA teams. Since 2004 the program is 25 and 17 with two sectional wins.
Bath is averaging just over 30 points a game but on the road they average 25 points a game. If you rake out the Dansville game they scored 7 at Hornell and 21 at Livonia . On the other side of the ball the Rams' D is only giving up 11.25 points per game. On the road they are only giving up 9 points a game. The Rams are 3 and 0 on the road this year.
The Attica Blue Devils average 32.5 points a game, but only 25.75 on the road and their D gives up 19.25 points a game but 23 points a game on the road. Attica is 2 and 3 against teams with records of over .500. The win against ERG last week and the other win was against Alexander week 1. Alexander had a 4 and 4 record and lost to Canisteo Greenwood in Round 1 of Sectionals.
They are five and three but their opponents' combined record this year is 36 and 28. They are 3 and 0 against teams with under .500 records.
This team is an okay team, but is not a great team. They have lost to two Class C schools. Granted, good ones in Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama but they have also lost to Notre Dame, a Class D school.
I think the Rams win this one going away. Just too big. That game Saturday against Pal-Mac was not won on Saturday at 4PM, that was won at Saturday and Sunday mornings in the weight room. I think the same will be true on Sunday.
One thing I think you might see if not this week against Attica or next week against Geneva or Hornell is the Wild Ram. They ran the Wildhog in Arkansas with McFaddin, they now run the wildcat in Miami with the Dolphins with Ronnie Brown. What about the Wild Ram with McCloud getting the direct snap in the shot gun and having The Hammer Hutch as his lead blocker and going around the end. You would start out with Kuver in the shot gun with McCloud and Hutch on either side of him. Then at the last moment Kuver goes in motion up to the line and out as a wide out. McCloud moves to the QB position gets the snap and runs to the left side behind Hutch and the line. You run away from the side Kuver ran out to and he immediately goes out of bounds because out at wide out he is free game out there he is not the QB anymore out there so he should get right out of bounds. The play should be ran not only to the opposite side of the field as where the QB goes out to but it should be ran to the sideline of the opponent so that when Jake goes out of bounds he is going out of bounds on his own sideline, not into enemy territory.
They might not do it this year with Andre but that might be a play you just might see next year with Nick Carroll.
I will check in with more later this week.