Once again as an casual observer with no real rooting interest, It was an interesting game in the first and 4th quarters because that's when a lot of the action took place....The way the Rockets started the game had me thinking a blow out until Mount Tabor promptly drove back down the field and tied the score....I thought we were in for a shootout until the rain started, and didn't stop until late in the game....That miscue on the kickoff which did result in a safety, did impact the game, but there were several big plays in the game that could have changed the outcome, both ways....The blocked FG by the Spartans was a big play as was the roughing he punter penalty called on the Rockets, and it was earned...Another was the dropped Spartan TD pass that was perfectly thrown in a driving rain which also impacted the outcome....I thought the coaching decision to go for a first down with the Rockets near midfield was a risky decision, but I can understand it because the Spartan offense was hard to corral even in bad weather...The thing that hasn't been mentioned here yet is the fact that the nose tackle for the Spartans basically stuffed the run up the middle for most of the night after that Rocket first possession, but he was not in the game when RB Patterson made the long TD run in the 2nd half....He was returning from the dressing room to which I thought that he maybe had been sick or something as a reason he didn't play on several possessions in the 2nd half?....He was double-teamed a lot in the first half by the Rockets, but he seemed to be an unmovable object for the most part which made it virtually impossible for the Rockets to run up the middle with him in the game....Was impressed by the Spartans overall team speed especially the QB #10 and RB #25, and felt the Spartan Coaching staff did a good job of getting both those guys in space where they could use their atheleticism....Did not understand why the Patterson kid was not featured more by the Rockets after that first series because he is a real talent as evidenced by what he did later in the 2nd half, and was really the reason A.C.Reynolds was in the game because the man-to-man coverage by the Spartans' secondary was outstanding all night long against the pass....Also thought that the Rockets' defense did all they could do to win the game....Hard to ask a defense that has just stopped a team on downs inside the 10yd line late in the game to do that again after the fumble, but they almost did, but that #10 for Mount Tabor was bound and determined to get that final yard on 4th and goal, and he did to clinch the first ever win for the Spartans against the Rockets, and advance to the Western Final....
Always enjoy High School football as a casual observer!
I'm sure that Mount Tabor will be the underdog against Weddington, but they've got some players on that team, and you just never know with the game being played in front of the home folk what kinda impact that will have with the Spartan players?