Week 11 Football NOteBook: The Crossroads

After 10 weeks on the regular-season freeway, both Battery Creek and Beaufort high schools have come to the proverbial fork in the road.

For the Dolphins, the hope is to stay in the left lane for tonight's Class 3-A playoff opener at Lake City, zooming ahead from the gust generated by last week's 48-point, season-saving victory against Lake Marion.
As for the Eagles, they've got on their blinker. No way do they want to stay in the same lane that produced their worst defeat in six years -- a 33-3 loss to Summerville in last week's unofficial Region 8-AAAA title game.

And while Battery Creek's need for a win is a bit more dire, a similar sense of urgency surrounds Beaufort High's regular-season finale against Goose Creek. Remember (and I know you do, because I've written it plenty of times in this space), an inability to recover from last year's loss to Summerville turned a 9-0 start into a three-game losing skid that ended in the postseason's first round.

Here's the skinny:

BATTERY CREEK AT LAKE CITY
As Carlos Cave watched film on Lake City this week, he found himself engrossed in a case of deja vu.

For one, the Panthers run essentially the same 4-3 and 3-5 defensive formations that the Dolphins mainly line up in, making Battery Creek's offensive prep work a lot easier.
Also, Lake City's offensive attack resembles that of Region 8-AAA champ North Charleston -- heavy on the edge and option run with big-play potential through the air. And while the Dolphins fell to North Charleston, their wealth of speed matched up favorably with such an attack and helped build an early 14-point lead before it was squandered.

"We had a good week of preparation, which you always like to be able to say," said Cave, whose team has made the playoffs in each of his two seasons at the helm. "Lake City likes to blitz a lot and with their team speed, they sometimes drop into man coverage. They also run the ball well and have some key guys that we're aware of."

These key players include Shrine Bowl defensive back Sheldon Robinson, who scored on a run, reception and pick-6 last week, and running back Shon Carson, whose explosive ability has produced 25 touchdowns this season.

These weapons once again make the Dolphins' attention to defensive basics (sound tackling, good pursuit and disciplined coverage) once again critical to their success. Last week's four-turnover effort was a good start, as breaking the rhythm and eliminating opportunities will be necessary against a Lake City team that averages nearly 42 points per contest.

On the offensive side, Cave's increased commitment to establishing the run and a more intermediate pass game should bode well for the Dolphins. Not only does this balance keep the defense guessing and maximize the complementary thunder and lightning combo of Cecil Franklin and Joshua Fields (a combined 156 rushing yards and seven scores last week), it grants the Dolphins the best chance at using the open field.

With speedy threats Leander Mobley, Alex Sharpe and Cleon Wright able to turn a five-yard dump into a 20-yard gain, the Dolphins can alleviate the pressure on quarterback Stedman James to make a big play downfield. This not only builds James' confidence, but also the offensive line's, which is key to an effective spread attack.

What's more, this affords the Dolphins a chance to eat up clock with steady yardage against a Panther defense that's allowed just 93 points all season.

The potential is there for a Battery Creek upset, but actually executing this potential depends on if the Week 10 (54-6 win at Lake Marion) or Week 9 (27-0 loss to Hilton Head High) Dolphins get off the bus on Friday.

MY PICK: LAKE CITY BY 3
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GOOSE CREEK AT BEAUFORT HIGH
Eagles coach Mark Clifford seemed to have the same sense of familiarity as we talked about his approach to Friday's tilt versus Goose Creek. More than twice, he compared the Gator offense to Clover, the team that defeated Beaufort in the 2007 state championship.
And perhaps with Friday's game packing major playoff implications for Beaufort, a glimpse back to that memorable 2007 season might not be such a bad thing.

Like Clover, the Gators try to break down their opponents with a heavy dose of short runs, moving the chains with a 3-yard run here, a 4-yard run there. Such physical play can be afforded with 6-4, 300-plus pound linemen DeAndre Shell (North-South selection) and Brandon Shell parting the way for running backs Ranoy Hines and Virgil Smalls.

But while the Eagles aren't as big on either side of the ball, physical play is certainly their style. The big blows of linebackers Justin Parker and Brandon Frazier along with a steady rotation of eight linemen (led by the return of Ralpheal Snell, who has impressed in practice after sitting out the last eight weeks with a leg injury) should help the Eagles hang tough in the trenches.

Past performances indicate that the Eagle defense is due for a big game. The last two times they've given up more than 30 points (41 against James Island and 51 against Berkeley), the Eagles recovered by allowing just six points to Wando and seven points to Colleton County. Granted, Goose Creek is a bigger challenge than the former two, but Beaufort is likely still stewing from its most lopsided defeat since 2003.

The offense, as Clifford puts it, also has much room for improvement after failing to score a touchdown for the first time in four years. Constant Summerville blitzing stuffed the holes that Alex Simmons has usually found this season.

"It was a combination of missed assignments and a couple of bad reads," Clifford said. "if you run an offense like we do, you don't have to be perfect, but you have to keep on track. We can win averaging 4 or 5 yards a carry, but we can't win averaging 3 or less."

Aiding this hope for recovery is the return of Josh McPherson, who was leading the Eagles in rushing before going down four weeks ago with an ankle injury.
Still, with both teams dependent on the run and, therefore, bent on chewing up clock, the ability of quarterback Beau Brown to squeeze out a big play could prove critical in what should be a close contest.

MY PICK: BEAUFORT BY 1.

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