New defensive intensity: Mark Paige brings down a Bronco runner as Matthew Stutzman (40), Colton Carry (19), and Joseph Hudson (28) converge. SportsDashboards photo
This Stinger team ran with purpose and attacked with attitude. The coaches had taught them how to read offenses before the snap. The players embraced the new knowledge and perfected the techniques. They gained the confidence on defense that they were doing the right things and that confidence carried over to the offense.
This was a game that was 7-6 at halftime and there didn’t seem to be an advantage for either side. The Stingers unleashed an effective passing attack behind Maxwell Kehs’ arm. And the defense bottled up the Broncos’ patented sweeps. (Read about the Novato Yellow Jackets game here.)
Southern Marin scored midway through the first quarter on a 38-yard pass. The Stingers immediately moved the ball inside the Bronco 20 on passes to Julius Pelletier and Sebastion Rodriguez and an 11-yard run by Colton Carry.
An interception stalled the drive at the 13 yard line, but the Stinger defense overwhelmed the Broncos and when Carry batted down a Bronco pass, the Broncos were forced to punt.
A 22-yard run by Carry was nullified by penalty; but Kehs hit Pelletier with a 10-yard pass and a penalty moved the ball to the Southern Marin 15. On third down, Kevis Halphen dodged two would-be tacklers in the backfield and headed up the middle toward the goal line. His forward progress seemed stopped, but a scrum developed and all 10 other Stingers helped keep Halphen moving until he reached the end zone.
Some of the Stingers’ newfound intensity went south in the second half, with inexplicable oversights contributing to the Broncos piling up a commanding lead. But the one thing you can bank on is that this is not your early season Stingers; they now play tough, aggressive football.
Joseph Hudson led the defense in the first half along with Mark Paige and Carry. Jake Smith Sandbach stopped a Bronco touchdown drive in the third quarter when he recovered a fumble on the Novato 18 yard line.
The Stingers (1-4) play the Vacaville Bengals (4-1) Saturday.
They were definitely ready to rumble
Streaking for paydirt: Ricky Perryman (5) took the ball on a reverse and his next stop was the end zone. SportsDashboards photo
By rule and common courtesy, no score is kept in Tiny Mites games, where the emphasis is on teaching football fundamentals. So let it suffice to say that the Rumble Bees were the far superior team in the second half, where most games are won and lost.
How good were these tykes? At one point, the Broncos made a big offensive push, moving into Rumble Bees territory and facing a fourth down and inches. They ran a sweep, the kind of play that had been their foundation play. In a move that would have done Brian Urlacher proud, Matthew Pahland filled the hole and stuffed the runner for no gain.
It was that kind of game for the Rumble Bees – they played terrific, dominating defense. Earlier in the game, a Bronco runner broke away, only to get stopped by Ricky Perryman, who made a stellar open field tackle. Late in the game, Wyatt Coddington squashed the Broncos last hope with a big sack of the quarterback. Other defensive stalwarts were Kermanie Pasahil and Owen Walewander.
What is amazing about the Rumble Bees offense is their consistency. Ceequan Baysinger and Jacob Tirk regularly gain chunks of yardage on running plays. That says as much about the blocking of the offensive line as it says about their running abilities. The biggest play of this game came on a trick play. The Rumble Bees ran a reverse with Perryman ending up with the ball. Trick plays are a risky business at any level of play, including the NFL, but they are especially prone to undoing the tricksters in youth football. But the Rumble Bees worked the play to perfection. By the time the Broncos realized that Perryman and the ball were headed in a different direction, it was too late. Perryman crossed the goal line untouched.
The Rumble Bees will tangle with the Division 1 Vacaville Bengals Saturday.
The Mighty Bees found the going rough
Taming the wind: It was like trying to tame the wind as the Mighty Bees chased down the Broncos' main ball carrier. Here Gavin Herrera (53), Tyler Fischer (4), Isaiah McGrue (40),and Marquise Wallace (70) converge on the runner. SportsDashboards photo
There were a couple of dominant motifs in this game. The Southern Marin defense presented a different challenge. And their sweep on offense seemed unstoppable.
The Broncos approach defense with an entirely different attitude. Most front sevens – the down linemen and linebackers – play a read and react game, where they read what the offense intends and then react to it. That’s way too passive for the Broncos. At the snap, they charge into the backfield like starving tigers who see fresh meat. The Mighty Bees offensive line was clearly unprepared for this form of unchecked aggression and the Bronco defenders spent almost as much time in the Novato backfield as the Mighty Bees backs. For most of the game, Novato’s offensive thrusts were disrupted and repulsed by this defense.
On the other side of the ball, the Broncos run a sweep that’s very similar to the old USC Student Body Right play that earned Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, and Marcus Allen Heisman Trophy awards. As that list of collegiate stars implies, the student body right play can be devastating in the hands of a team that’s proficient at it, even if the defense knows it’s coming. But it’s unusual to see a team at this level that can run the sweep that efficiently. For the most part, Bronco ball carriers had an escort of 2-4 blockers as they skirted the end. The Mighty Bees contain man was outnumbered.
There is a reasonable chance that these two teams will meet again in the Norcal playoffs and the outcome of another meeting is not a foregone conclusion. A Mighty Bees offensive line will be more prepared to fight off the Broncos defensive charge.
It was notable that the Mighty Bees defensive line bottled up the Broncos on interior running plays. This implies that the battle in the trenches can be more even than it appeared Sunday. When the Broncos tested the middle of the defensive line in the first quarter, Gavin Herrera made two tackles in the series to prevent a first down.The Mighty Bees can also construct defensive tactics to nullify the Bronco advantage on the sweep.
The Mighty Bees won’t need to improve much on offense to move the ball against Southern Marin. Early in the game, Jake Rutledge was able to gain ground. On their first possession, Rutledge reeled off a 21-yard run deep into Bronco territory, but the drive halted there. Later in the first quarter, Rutledge carried twice for a first down and Michael Pina carved out a chunk of yardage before the drive stopped. In the fourth quarter, Josh Ball broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown run.
In addition to Herrera, Tyler Fischer was effective on defense and Andres Tabunut alertly fell on a Southern Marin fumble.
Saturday the Mighty Bees will play the Division 1 Vacaville Bengals. The Bengals are 4-1 on the season and will provide another tough test for the Mighty Bees.
The Killer Bees are still searching for the end zone
Just a few more steps: Killer Bee Luisangel Lara (53) gets ahead of the pack on a kickoff return. He was stopped at the 6 yard line, just a few steps from the team's first TD of the year. SportsDashboard photo
All of the comments about the Southern Marin Cadet team apply to their Jr. Peewee team. They attack on defense and they run a devastating sweep on offense. The defense often frustrated the Killer Bees, breaking up plays almost before they got started.
Despite the problems the defense presented, the Killer Bees showed more life on offense. The offensive line did a better job of blocking at times, freeing runners for more forward progress. And they added a passing game, which paid off when quarterback Herman Rossbach hit Luisangel Lara for a 5-yard gain.
Lara was the beneficiary of the improved blocking schemes, at one point gaining 23 yards off the left side when a big hole opened up. Nicholas Flores made a nice gain in the same series of downs.
Lara provided the Killer Bees with their best scoring opportunity of the year. In the second quarter, he returned a Bronco kickoff to the 6 yard line. But a fumble on the next play turned the ball over to Southern Marin.
On defense, Matthew Hudson, Lara and Rossbach provided resistance. Rossbach made a touchdown-saving tackle early in the second quarter when the score was still only 8-0. Flores halted one Bronco drive by intercepting a pass.
The Killer Bees are 0-5 as they go to Vacaville to play the Division 1 Bengals (4-1).
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