WEEK 7: Paris(4-2) at Celina(4-2)

[d0tc0m]

As for the game itself, after the beatdown Paris gave the Bobcats last year, I'd say they've got to be favored by a decent margin heading into this game. They've got speed to burn on both sides of the ball, a good offensive line, and they're well-coached.

From what I've seen, they've got a stable of backs that can break a big play on any-given snap. And that's just flat out hard to defend for four quarters.

That said, the Bobcats have more speed and athleticism at the skill positions this year than they've had for a long, long time. The downfall so far, has been the youth in those spots. Most of these kids are coming up from undefeated JV/freshman teams from a year ago, and they've been getting their feet wet, adjusting to the speed of the varsity game. The offense, as Regal pointed out, goes as Hunter Watson (QB) and Logan Point (RB) go. Both have motors that just won't stop, and Point — a future Navy SEAL — will just keep coming and coming at you. He has a rare combination of explosiveness, brute strength, patience, vision and agility. He can bruise you to death for 3-4 yards a pop all night long. Or, if he gets to the second level, he can hit another gear and get gone. When he has big games, the Bobcats usually do really well.

A couple of burners play at receiver, and then Celina mixes in a 6'7 junior, DJ Dell'anno, who is a varsity newcomer and will be an impact player as he continues to grow and mature in the game. The problem for the Bobcats, offensively, has come with pass protection breakdown. It's forced some turnovers, put the Bobcats behind the chains and made for tough sledding at time. It also effects the running game, as defenses have been able to start creeping up into the box.

Defensively, the Bobcats have more speed than they've had in a while at all positions. The secondary has the ability to stick with receivers and be good in a number of coverages. The only downside to that group is their overall size. Linebacking crew is led by one of the best in the district with Logan Engle at MLB, and the outside spots are anchored by some younger guys who are going to be really, really good as they mature. Defensive line has some bright spots, but they've got to do a better job of understanding their assignments and not getting caught breaking contain, or getting washed out into the LBs.

That will especially be key this week, making sure we keep contain on the outside, and give Engle and company time and space to flow to the ball carrier. If Celina can get Paris behind the chains and force some obvious third-down passing situations, I think the Bobcats will have a great chance to keep this thing close and make a few offensive plays here and there to possibly pull off the upset.

The key on offense will be getting Point going early. If we can keep him in a rhythm and then open up some quick-hit passing lanes for Grayson Wester and Isaiah Martinez in the slot spots, we'll break a few big plays and put up enough points to hang with the Wildcats.

 

Overall, I really expect the Bobcats to play much much better this year than they did a season ago. The Bobcats have been able to compete with some hyper-athletic teams in Frisco Memorial and FW Nolan Catholic. Now, they've got to put it all together against those Uber-athletic types and find a way to pull out the win.

 

Should be a fun game and a great atmosphere. Hope the Parisians enjoy their time at the new Celina stadium!

[cotton84]

16 hours ago, regaleagle said:

The best thing that can happen for Paris is to win this game against Celina this week, regardless of what happens against Argyle the following week.  The rest of their district schedule should be wins against Sanger and  North Lamar.  If they lose this week, they could be relegated to 4th spot in the district standings or tied for 3rd.  It is possible in this district for all 4 playoff teams to tie with the same record in  district @ 4-2.  I'm not sure what the tie-breakers are in our  district.

Paris beat Anna 59 -7, Argyle beat Sanger 67 - 6, Celina beat North Lamar 58 - 6. 

For 4 teams to finish 4 -2, the top 4 have to lose 2 games to those teams that got stomped. Not happening. 

[RedRed]

I think Paris wins this game again. Celina has a very solid defense like most years, but I think Paris speed will hurt Celina. Paris running back #6 is a burner along with 3 or 4 others, Celina just doesn't have that type of speed. Paris will be the fastest and most physical team Celina has played thus far. 

Paris defense is really fast and physical and could present an issue for Celina's offensive line. Im not sure where all the big offensive linemen Celina has had all went to, but they are pretty small up front and don't seem to have the ability to mash on the defense like years past. 

Celina will need to be able to throw the ball and the qb will need to be able to run a lot this week for them to have a shot I believe. 

[Hawkguy888]

Paris by 12

 

[H3llR4z0r]

Paris

[d0tc0m]

4 hours ago, RedRed said:

I think Paris wins this game again. Celina has a very solid defense like most years, but I think Paris speed will hurt Celina. Paris running back #6 is a burner along with 3 or 4 others, Celina just doesn't have that type of speed. Paris will be the fastest and most physical team Celina has played thus far. 

Paris defense is really fast and physical and could present an issue for Celina's offensive line. Im not sure where all the big offensive linemen Celina has had all went to, but they are pretty small up front and don't seem to have the ability to mash on the defense like years past. 

Celina will need to be able to throw the ball and the qb will need to be able to run a lot this week for them to have a shot I believe. 

Not sure if and when you saw Celina this season lol, but there’s still quite a bit of beef on the line. You could almost argue there’s too much beef. In Celina’s best years, they never had overwhelming size on the lines, just strong, quick kids who were fundamentally sound and disciplined.

And I’ll agree that Paris might be the fastest team Celina has played so far, but FW Nolan was very dang physical (not to mention fast and athletic). They’ve been beating up on everybody they play.

Regardless, the Bobcats will have to find a way to contain the Wildcats speed and bottle them up at the line of scrimmage. If they get to the second level too many times, Paris will win by 2-3 possessions. But if Celina can play disciplined on the edges and turn things back inside to the LBs, I think the Bobcats could get an old-school-type Celina win.

[RedRed]

Saw them on the Thursday night game against Dunbar. The oline isnt near as big as years past. Both Guards and Center are all really short definitely under 5'9. My point is the last 5 or 6 years Celina had o'linemen that were 6'5 300+ lbs, they dont have anybody near that big anymore. I remember in 2015 Celina's oline looked like a college oline and could mash the defense. I just dont see this oline being anywhere close to the ones in years past. Point would have way more offers if he had some of the good Celina olines because the kid is a dynamic back. He reminds me of Steel Ratliff from Brownwood back in I believe 2008.

I think Celina has a really good defense, it will be interesting to see how they do against teams that can throw the ball around the field. 

[Parisian]

Sorry, Regal, just woke from a long nap, but as usual you've got the basics covered on this matchup.

So here's my observations:

• Last year's game was not a true indicator of the two teams' relative strength.  I'm not sure I've ever seen Paris play as perfect a game as that 54-14 mauling.  From the Paris side, it was a thing of beauty.  But I'm betting Celina remembers and will come prepared.  They've basically had 4 bye weeks to focus on this game.
• Two weeks ago, Paris was riding high with a top 10 ranking and legitimate state championship aspirations.  But Melissa exposed some warts, especially on defense.  I didn't see the Melissa game, but reports say that the tackling was not up to recent Paris standards and the secondary coverage was porous.  Brendan Lewis is all-state worthy, but the Paris D made him an all-American that night.  I did catch the Anna game and saw some more poor tackling that the Paris D doesn't normally display plus the secondary didn't look as sharp as they normally do.  I know there have been some injuries in the secondary plus the linebacking play has fallen off.  A power team like Celina will be a tough test if they don't fix those problem areas.
• The offense is still potent.  You've got to stop Jackson inside first plus contain damage on the outside edges.  Hohenberger didn't have a good game vs. Anna (just 2 passes, and 1 was awful).  He's got to hit a couple of key completions to keep teams from packing the box.  If he can, and they don't have any key turnovers or drive-stopping penalties, they can still score with anybody.

Not trying to cop out, but I don't know how to evaluate this game.  If the Cats were on a roll, it would be different, but winning at Celina is never easy even in a brand-new stadium.

BTW, the only reason to watch the Argyle-NL game is to see the battle of the bands at halftime.  The rumor is that NL will be dropping down in classification next year, perhaps to 3A-1.  They need some help like that to be competitive again.

[RedRed]

2 minutes ago, Parisian said:

Sorry, Regal, just woke from a long nap, but as usual you've got the basics covered on this matchup.

So here's my observations:

• Last year's game was not a true indicator of the two teams' relative strength.  I'm not sure I've ever seen Paris play as perfect a game as that 54-14 mauling.  From the Paris side, it was a thing of beauty.  But I'm betting Celina remembers and will come prepared.  They've basically had 4 bye weeks to focus on this game.
• Two weeks ago, Paris was riding high with a top 10 ranking and legitimate state championship aspirations.  But Melissa exposed some warts, especially on defense.  I didn't see the Melissa game, but reports say that the tackling was not up to recent Paris standards and the secondary coverage was porous.  Brendan Lewis is all-state worthy, but the Paris D made him an all-American that night.  I did catch the Anna game and saw some more poor tackling that the Paris D doesn't normally display plus the secondary didn't look as sharp as they normally do.  I know there have been some injuries in the secondary plus the linebacking play has fallen off.  A power team like Celina will be a tough test if they don't fix those problem areas.
• The offense is still potent.  You've got to stop Jackson inside first plus contain damage on the outside edges.  Hohenberger didn't have a good game vs. Anna (just 2 passes, and 1 was awful).  He's got to hit a couple of key completions to keep teams from packing the box.  If he can, and they don't have any key turnovers or drive-stopping penalties, they can still score with anybody.

Not trying to cop out, but I don't know how to evaluate this game.  If the Cats were on a roll, it would be different, but winning at Celina is never easy even in a brand-new stadium.

BTW, the only reason to watch the Argyle-NL game is to see the battle of the bands at halftime.  The rumor is that NL will be dropping down in classification next year, perhaps to 3A-1.  They need some help like that to be competitive again.

NL and Sanger need to drop down in the worst of ways.

[d0tc0m]

10 minutes ago, RedRed said:

Saw them on the Thursday night game against Dunbar. The oline isnt near as big as years past. Both Guards and Center are all really short definitely under 5'9. My point is the last 5 or 6 years Celina had o'linemen that were 6'5 300+ lbs, they dont have anybody near that big anymore. I remember in 2015 Celina's oline looked like a college oline and could mash the defense. I just dont see this oline being anywhere close to the ones in years past. Point would have way more offers if he had some of the good Celina olines because the kid is a dynamic back. He reminds me of Steel Ratliff from Brownwood back in I believe 2008.

I think Celina has a really good defense, it will be interesting to see how they do against teams that can throw the ball around the field. 

Ah, the Dunbar game. Bobcats had a handful of starters out (a few on the OL) due to injury. Not much to have gained from that game, unfortunately.

It wouldn’t matter if Point had more offers or not. He got the one he wanted. The kid’s dream is to be a SEAL, and he plays with that kind of personality/motor.

[regaleagle]

7 hours ago, cotton84 said:

Paris beat Anna 59 -7, Argyle beat Sanger 67 - 6, Celina beat North Lamar 58 - 6. 

For 4 teams to finish 4 -2, the top 4 have to lose 2 games to those teams that got stomped. Not happening. 

Not really, by the math.  3 of the 4 can lose 2 games to each other and the 4th needs to be upset by Anna.  I've already figured how it could and has to happen for it to happen.......or by Sanger or North Lamar.  All 4 teams need to lose one to each other and 3 of the teams 2 losses to the other 3.  Then the last team with one loss already  to the other three must be upset by either Anna, North Lamar, or Sanger.  There is only  one scenario for this to happen.....and then everything else has to happen first for this to happen.  So it is possible, but highly highly  unlikely.  More likely is for 2 teams to tie for 2nd or 3rd spots, or even 2 teams to tie for the district championship.  So any way you look at it,  there may be a need to put the district tie-breaker rule into effect for this district this season to determine the official playoff spots.

[cotton84]

3 minutes ago, regaleagle said:

Not really, by the math.  3 of the 4 can lose 2 games to each other and the 4th needs to be upset by Anna.  I've already figured how it could and has to happen for it to happen.

6 wins and 6 losses come from Argyle, Paris, Celina, and Melissa playing each other.  

For all to be 4 - 2, there has to be 2 more losses somewhere.  One upset from another team doesn’t get it. 

[TDJ89]

Paris

[regaleagle]

1 hour ago, cotton84 said:

6 wins and 6 losses come from Argyle, Paris, Celina, and Melissa playing each other.  

For all to be 4 - 2, there has to be 2 more losses somewhere.  One upset from another team doesn’t get it. 

Yep......only 3 of the 4 teams could end up in a possible tie at 4-2......not all 4.  One could stand alone with one loss or none. Two could still definitely tie for the district championship......and the other two could tie also.  The possibilities are still there, but may diminish after next week's games.  

[regaleagle]

Paris will not see a bye week until the last week of district play on Nov. 8th.  But their last two games are against Sanger and N. Lamar......so that's like cruising anyway.  They will pretty much be able to figure their standing when they  play Celina this week and Argyle next week.  They just won't know the final outcome until the final week when Argyle plays Celina. Melissa gets Anna this week, then Celina and Argyle, then finishes with Sanger and North Lamar.  Argyle gets Paris next week, then Melissa and Anna before finishing with Celina on Nov. 8th.  Celina plays Melissa next week when Paris is hosting Argyle, then plays Anna next and gets their Bye week before playing Argyle at home in the final week.

[d0tc0m]

Melissa's win over Paris caught my attention, for sure. I was ready to put them down for a fourth-place spot in this district. Now, I'm not so sure. Depending on how Celina does against Paris this week, I think we could see a logjam for the 2-4 spots. I still think Argyle is the clear-cut favorite now to win the district crown, but I'd say there's still a chance at least one of the other three pulls an upset over the Eagles.

Either way, I think it will be a lot like last season, with District 5 and District 7 having all four teams playing in the second round. And I think undoubtedly the Region II winner comes out of one of those districts. I suppose a Kennedale could sneak in there, but I don't know that they have enough to squeak past either Argyle or La Vega this season.

Lots of football left, thank goodness!

[regaleagle]

First football weather of the season starts this Friday evening with a cool front in North Texas.  Not sure how cool it will be......but it won't be hot on the field or in the stands.  Probably a light or medium jacket will suffice. I don't think there will be any rain in Celina......and if it does rain it will be early Friday morning and not affect the field or game conditions by kickoff.  Not sure about any windy conditions, though.......will check the weather forecast again tonight.

[regaleagle]

I really don't see any reason not to attend this game in Celina's new stadium tomorrow night.  It should be a very exciting and action-packed contest between two really good football teams.  Celina has 4500 capacity on their side and 2000 on the visitor side.  Hey d0tc0m......if you could put up a link for the photos of the new stadium for everybody to see that would be great.  If I knew how I would do it.  I'm really kind of excited to go see this game.....esp. since Argyle plays Paris in Paris the very next week and I won't get to go to that game.  And of course Argyle vs Celina is a must-see game every year.......we are basically 45 minutes apart in the metroplex.  You  never know what will happen when those two teams get together in football.  If have this feeling that the Celina players, coaches, and fanbase are all on a "high" this season with the new stadium being opened.  They have some quality players and most probably a better team than last season.

[swaha]

Saw Paris the first week...I think they will be too much for Celina. They have speed at the RB position as well as across their defense. I was also impressed with their physicality on defense. Evidently, they had some issues in the Melissa game...still surprised they gave up that many points.

[d0tc0m]

Here are a couple of photos. This is about the best I could do. I have some on my phone, but they all have my little boys in them, and I prefer not to broadcast them out over the internet. In the overview of the stadium, you're looking at the home side. It's very big, but Celina has done a good job of packing it out. I imagine Friday's cooler weather and the magnitude of the game will bring a full crowd. Not sure how well Paris travels, but there will be plenty of seating on the visitor side, even for the neutral fans like Regal. In the other picture, head coach Bill Elliot is showing some of the boys around the new dressing room. I don't know if you need a twitter login to view this or not, but here's a little clip with some other photographs of the facilities.

Also worth noting: As part of Friday's game, Celina's 1999 state championship team will be honored for the 20th anniversary of that unbelievable group. They will spend the first half on the upper terrace of the locker room/indoor facility, then be honored at halftime.

[d0tc0m]

Here are a few more. All of these photos are done by Rene Marler, who had a son — who was a very good receiver — that played for the Bobcats a few years back. Renee and her family run the @OurCelina twitter and OurCelina magazine. They do a fantastic job and she is a great photographer. If you visit their twitter, you can find plenty of photographs from all of Celina's games.

These are more crowd shots, good looks at the home side. There are also a few decent shots of the Bobcat Terrace. It's pretty neat to see.

[d0tc0m]

32 minutes ago, swaha said:

Saw Paris the first week...I think they will be too much for Celina. They have speed at the RB position as well as across their defense. I was also impressed with their physicality on defense. Evidently, they had some issues in the Melissa game...still surprised they gave up that many points.

 

If the Paris that took PG to the brink shows up, they're going to make life tough for the Bobcats. If the Paris that played Melissa shows up, I think the Bobcats will come out on top. There's no question Paris is going to be fast and physical. But, like I said earlier, FW Nolan was also very fast and physical, as was Frisco Memorial. Liberty Christian also had a great deal of speed and athleticism, they just didn't have the discipline to do much with it.

The Wildcats got Celina at the perfect time last season, and THEN they punched the Bobcats in the mouth, and they just never could recover. That started about a four-week, identity-crisis spiral for Celina. They finally recovered after being obliterated by Argyle in the final week of the regular season. There's no question the Bobcats remember that manhandling from last year, and these boys are hungry to turn that around. This year's team has a lot more speed, a lot more athleticism, and all the right pieces to get the job done. I think they could surprise Paris tomorrow night. Either way, I think both of these teams are pretty good and have a great chance to make some noise in the postseason.

[swaha]

32 minutes ago, d0tc0m said:

 

If the Paris that took PG to the brink shows up, they're going to make life tough for the Bobcats. If the Paris that played Melissa shows up, I think the Bobcats will come out on top. There's no question Paris is going to be fast and physical. But, like I said earlier, FW Nolan was also very fast and physical, as was Frisco Memorial. Liberty Christian also had a great deal of speed and athleticism, they just didn't have the discipline to do much with it.

The Wildcats got Celina at the perfect time last season, and THEN they punched the Bobcats in the mouth, and they just never could recover. That started about a four-week, identity-crisis spiral for Celina. They finally recovered after being obliterated by Argyle in the final week of the regular season. There's no question the Bobcats remember that manhandling from last year, and these boys are hungry to turn that around. This year's team has a lot more speed, a lot more athleticism, and all the right pieces to get the job done. I think they could surprise Paris tomorrow night. Either way, I think both of these teams are pretty good and have a great chance to make some noise in the postseason.

This should be a great game. Based on what I saw against PG, this year's Paris team is a lot more disciplined than last year's group. 

[d0tc0m]

That might have been the only knock against the team last year, was just a slight lapse in discipline at times. They had everything else. Honestly, last year's Paris team had some of the biggest linemen I've ever seen at the HS level. If you'd have put Div. I or II jerseys on those boys, they'd have fit in no question. They were massive.

I really do hope it's a great game. The only way this one turns into a blowout is if Paris runs away with it. I think they're just too physical and athletic to let Celina get too far out in front. But I think the Bobcats have enough in the tank to go shot-for-shot with the Wildcats and put themselves in position to grind out the win late in the 4th quarter.

This is really only the second actual quality district game of the year for District 7, truth be told, and it's going to have big-time playoff implications.

[regaleagle]

What about food at the stadium d0tc0m?  What does Celina offer at the concessions or around the area if I want to get there early and beat that traffic off of 380 in rush hour Friday traffic???    I think the game kicks off at 7 pm.......not 7:30 pm.