PIAA CLASS A QUARTERFINAL
HOMER CENTER VS. STEEL-HIGH
NOON SATURDAY, HERSHEYPARK STADIUM
RECORDS: District 6 champion Homer Center 12-1; District 3 champion Steel-High 11-1
WHY THE WILDCATS WILL WIN: Most likely because this once-beaten Homer Center squad accomplished something nobody else has managed to do this season – score three or four touchdowns on the Steel-High defense. The Wildcats are a pure power football team that uses big push up front to create room for a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Ean Lee and Mike Newhouse. In true District 6 small-school fashion the forward pass is used only when necessary. The Wildcats have attempted fewer than 85 passes in 13 games. Defensively only three opponents managed to find the end zone three times against Homer Center, and two of those came in blowout victories. And the Wildcats surrender just 205 yards a game. But the key in this match up to claim victory is what happens on offense.
WHY THE ROLLERS WILL WIN: That open space to flash their superior speed shows up four or five times in each half. But, giving the ball away, putting it on the turf and taking penalties like Steel-High did in the District 3-A championship game won’t fly. The second part of the equation is to make Homer Center uncomfortable offensively. The Wildcats are not built to chase down a team or have to throw on a consistent basis. This Rollers defense has had no problem getting plenty of hats to the ball carrier this season. Expect that to continue. It will be interesting to see if QB James Warren and RB Shaheim Moody-Williams can get going around the corner on a consistent basis.
POSTSEASON SNAPSHOT: This was the third District 6 title for Homer Center, but the Wildcats’ first since 1994. So it’s been nearly two decades since Homer Center played a PIAA playoff game. Several members of this Rollers’ coaching staff have been down this state playoff road before when Steel-High won back-to-back Class A state titles in 2007 and 2008.
SHAY SAYS: You know exactly what you’re going to get from Homer Center on a weekly basis. Part of the beauty of this Steel-High (-13) crew is there’s an element of the unexpected on the table. Now, that can be good or bad. The one constant has been a stingy defense that has that rare combination of power up front with speed everywhere else. Look for the Rollers to use their speed advantage in the open field to help punch a ticket to the PIAA semifinal round.
SHAY ON TWITTER: @APShay
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