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Celina vs Graham

TCU44

By TCU44
in High School Sports

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regaleagle Mentor

regaleagle

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Even though Celina almost pulled it out.......I was more impressed with the way Graham played than Celina.  Celina has the personnel but just doesn't look like a winner.......they make too many bonehead mistakes.  Celina needs a good RB that is dependable......they don't have one. Makes it difficult for their QB and linemen.  Graham has  good Qb and several other good skill players on offense.  They made too many unforced mistakes tonight too.  But at crunch time they were able to convert.......Celina did not on several drives when they had opportunities.  Gilmer/Graham should favor Gilmer.......but not by much. Not sure Graham matches up  very well to Gilmer.....will have to wait and see. Could be a very close game.  

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d0tc0m Rising Star

d0tc0m

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6 hours ago, regaleagle said:

Even though Celina almost pulled it out.......I was more impressed with the way Graham played than Celina.  Celina has the personnel but just doesn't look like a winner.......they make too many bonehead mistakes.  Celina needs a good RB that is dependable......they don't have one. Makes it difficult for their QB and linemen.  Graham has  good Qb and several other good skill players on offense.  They made too many unforced mistakes tonight too.  But at crunch time they were able to convert.......Celina did not on several drives when they had opportunities.  Gilmer/Graham should favor Gilmer.......but not by much. Not sure Graham matches up  very well to Gilmer.....will have to wait and see. Could be a very close game.  

 

I'll chime in now. I'd been staying quiet during the playoffs because ... well, I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.

First off, congrats to Graham. They played hard. It was a clean, hard-nosed, hard-hitting football game. And it hurts to lose, especially the way we did, but it's not as bad when you lose to a classy group of kids and coaches. Graham is that, or at least they showed it tonight.

Secondly, I'll catch some flak for this I'm sure, but Celina was the better football team. Period. The only real "conversion" in crunch time that Graham had was the miracle play on 4th-and-a-mile, and you just tip your cap to them. I do not know how we didn't knock the ball down, or intercept it, but the Steers threw up a prayer and it was answered and their kicker is very good and very clutch. But Graham's high-powered offense scored all of one touchdown against the Bobcats, and it came on their first possession in the first quarter. Unfortunately, they also returned the opening kickoff for a TD, something which no one had done against Celina so far this year, so that put the Bobcats in a bind. Celina also had two more TO's (one on the second-half kickoff return, which had not happened this year) that gifted Graham two more FGs. The Bobcats defense dominated Graham apart from one drive early in the first, and one Brett-Favre-esque heave into traffic. The bottled up Gilbertson in the backfield and held big Reagan Carter to almost nothing, too. Most of the time, the best team wins, but sometimes that's not the case, and that's the way it felt after this game. Now, that said, for sure the MOST experienced team won. Graham is a very seasoned, senior-laden team, and that's why they never really panicked. 

 

On the other hand, this Celina team was really a year or two early. What we thought was going to be a veteran bunch coming into the season, quickly turned into a youthful inexperienced group, due to injuries and other circumstances. MOST of the kids on field last night for Celina were either sophomores or juniors, with a freshman or two even sprinkled in. And a couple of those sophomores or juniors were filling in for other sophs/juniors who were injured in the playoffs, one of which was a big big loss for us. I know Regal said Celina needs to find a dependable RB, and I think we have two that we're developing in No. 11 (who comes from a crazy backstory in New York, moved to Celina this summer and is playing football for the first time in his life) and No. 14 BOTH of which are sophomores. They're going to be good, they're just green and raw and learning how to play the game. Throw in the fact that we have a brand new offensive coordinator in his first season in that role, and you've got a recipe for lots of growing pains.

I was afraid when Graham jumped way out in this game that the youngsters for Celina may fold up. But they responded in the second half and came roaring back. I was proud of this team. They were very frustrating to watch early in the season, but those three losses came to three top-10 Div. I teams, two of which are gonna play today for a spot in the semifinals. The youngsters grew up for us. Not overnight. But they worked hard and they were a blast to watch down the stretch and in the playoffs, and I'm very proud of them and this coaching staff. This was one of the more fun Celina postseasons I've seen in a long time, just because we were literally watching these kids mature and grow up on the field, sometimes in the middle of a game. I sure wish we could have our shot at Gilmer, because I think our defense matches up well, but sometimes in HS football, heartbreak is part of it. I know these Celina boys are hurting this morning, but if what we saw down the stretch is any indication, this heartbreak is going to fuel the offseason.

I know early in the year, a Melissa poster on here (who was actually a Celina fan during the golden years of the 2000s) said Celina better get it done this year because they didn't have much after this season, but his assessment couldn't be more wrong. This postseason run was probably a year early, and what we have coming back the next couple of years will be very exciting to watch, not to mention some studs coming up from 8th grade next season.

Again, hats off to Graham and their success this season! And congrats to my Bobcats! I'm very proud of them and already can't wait for next season!

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regaleagle Mentor

regaleagle

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Good post d0tc0m.......there's always more to the situation than meets the eye.  I was watching that game last night and I just could not understand why Celina looked a little "unsure" at times......but now I know.......they were sophs and freshmen.  Didn't know Celina had so many injuries to their starters.......nobody said a thing.  Now I can understand why some of those conversions just didn't happen for Celina like they should have, and some stupid penalties and such.  I was rooting for Celina.......I thought they might have a chance this season.  But I guess the injury bug got them down the stretch.......that's happened to Argyle before. This season Argyle has tons of depth, so it's next man up without much of a difference.  Argyle plays so many players during the season nowadays.......lots of sophs are starting on defense this season.  And lots of sophs that don't start play lots of minutes in rotations and back up roles. Celina will have a very good qb next season......only a junior next season......to lead this team.  Sounds like lots of youth played for Celina this season like Argyle had.  See you in the salt mines next year.  

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regaleagle Mentor

regaleagle

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1 minute ago, HearEmaGrowlin said:

Gilmer going to beat the breaks off Graham?

Nope.......you ain't gonna "beat the brakes" off a senior laden squad.  Their QB is good, they have a couple of very good receivers with sure hands that can catch in traffic and go up for the ball, and have a good RB.  Their defense is active and coverage is good.  Celina was no pushover, but lacked seasoning......which we did not know was the case.  In that bright orange.......sometimes its hard to tell, LOL.

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PantherNation2015 Proficient

PantherNation2015

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15 minutes ago, regaleagle said:

Nope.......you ain't gonna "beat the brakes" off a senior laden squad.  Their QB is good, they have a couple of very good receivers with sure hands that can catch in traffic and go up for the ball, and have a good RB.  Their defense is active and coverage is good.  Celina was no pushover, but lacked seasoning......which we did not know was the case.  In that bright orange.......sometimes its hard to tell, LOL.

So your saying that Graham is what some told us Caddo Mills was supposed to be?

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regaleagle Mentor

regaleagle

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What I said is that Graham might not match up very well to Gilmer......we'll have to wait and see.  Then I said they will not be a pushover because they have some good players at the skill positions on offense and a senior laden team.  Besides.......it becomes a matchup thing when both teams have made it this far.

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