Central A&M’s three losses came by a total of 14 points against two 3A playoff teams and one 2A playoff team. Flora won its last three games by a combined 129-2.
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October 26th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
A&M Raiders,
Repeat after me: ONE GAME AT A TIME. WE ARE ONLY CONCENTRATING ON FLORA RIGHT NOW.
If you show up with your B game, you are asking for trouble (ONE and DONE).
October 26th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Go Raiders! Make it Happen!
October 26th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
A&M may have the best offensive line in the Okaw. In my opinion they do and the boys that run behind them are strong north-south runners. Look at Flora’s numbers this season. The 4 games they had this season when they played an opponent with 4 wins or more…they have been outscored 60-99 and have given up more than 20 points in each of those games. A&M rolls to round two 40-21.
October 26th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
How does IHSA pick the representatives for the conferences? I thought M-F would be the representative for Okaw Valley Blue
October 26th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Get it done, Raiders. Show em how we do it in the Okaw.
October 26th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Red and Black, I dont think it matters. They just pick it and go. But I look for CAM to roll Flora. They play in a very week conference and CAM will win.
==
CAM 35
Flora 0
October 26th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Flora looks pretty solid, but i guess all teams are that get into the playoffs,A&M coming out of the okaw will be to much for Flora, first time in 3 years where a&m is back in the playoffs,
EVERYBODY who reads this-go to flora and support your team on sat. and tell everyone u know to go and support our raiders as well,lets go raiders!!
October 26th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Flora stayed with Casey until the 3rd quarter. A couple of mistakes allowed Casey to take control and get the win. As for the Marshall, the Wolves were flat out of the gate in a sloppy, muddy mess and still stayed with the Lions. Casey & Marshall were the 3rd and 5th games of the season respectfully.
As far as being a weak conference, who knows. The did beat the teams they had to beat and did it soundly.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Wolves: this is not a box for excuses… sounds like thats all thats on ur mind. CAM has had many flat games and they lost 3 of those key games. Sounds like your full of excuses as to why your team has lost. You do have a weak conference. Don’t say you dont because 6 of the 7 wins that you have, have come from teams that are 4 wins or less (not playoff eligible) you only have one legit win which was a close one at that. I look for CAM to coast into the second round 35-0
October 26th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
No excuses, just stating facts. I do know that Central A&M isn’t even in the same class as Casey and Marshall so I guess we’ll see Saturday. I just wonder what excuses you will have?
October 26th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
he probably shouldnt have just said that, someones going to give him a history lesson on CAM
October 26th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I look for every team in the Okaw to win its first round game except STT. Nothing against them but they come into the playoffs injured, after a tough loss to a better team, and they play at Auburn. Granted Auburn isn’t the same team as last year but I still see them winning a tough game against the Bulldogs. Wolves you couldn’t be more wrong on Casey and Marshall. I’m sure that they would give both teams a run for their $$. Your confernce doesn’t hold a candle to the Okaw but obviously Casey and Marshall are good teams but you haven’t seen the Raiders play and they can hang witha # of good teams.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Yep. We’ll see.
And, A&M woun’t need any excuses.
Could be a good game for a little while.
Don’t let them fool you A&M. Start Strong and Finsh Strong.
What’s the field like? Supposed to be a lot of rain at the end of the week. So far it’s supposed to be done Friday sometime. 1-2 inches possible Thursday and Friday.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
History has nothing to do with it. Wins 8 years ago does nothing for you now. I’ve seen some teams that are pretty full of themselves, but I’m thinking you guys might take the cake!
October 26th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
we will see when CAM wins by maybe 3td’s and puts up probably 42+ points on FLora? whoever that is….
October 26th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
UH OH!!, Wolves, you just opened a nasty can of Whoop Butt!! Look out, you are asking for it!! Sickem Raiders!!
October 26th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Did you just pull that number or did you get that from the IHSA stats provided for each teams playoff history?? Just curious, it matches Floras playoff game record 0-8.
Relax, some of these guys like to get under peoples skin. They are ery successful I might add. Many are from other teams as well, but now it is time to Back the OVC so we come together from all parts of the conference and support each others teams.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
preach on..
October 26th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Wolves,
I think they are probably trying to do you a favor so you don’t get to excited about winning, only to have the rug pulled.
You can argue with them if you want to, but you won’t win that either.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
0-8 in play-offs..opponents had losing record of 33-48…and who the heck is oblong..palestine…albion and farmer city (blue ridge)?!!! then 2 ot’s against a 4-5 team…PLEASE!!…you better not bet the farm…you must live in Charlie Brown Park down there …cause your in fantasy land, and not ready for the real world
October 26th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
i retract my previous prediciton,
CAM
49-13
October 26th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
FLOORED in Flora..its a knock-out…i see no movement…
October 26th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
we arent trying to be cocky…we just know what the deal is…you might be able to beat 1 team in our conference…but we arent that 1!
October 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I’m not even an A&M fan but I know this confernce like the back of my hand and A&M is one of the better teams in it. They are gelling at the right time. They are hungry and ask teams like Tuscola how they like this confernce. They beat up on 1A teams for years and now they hate being in the confernce. Okaw teams get more competition than ever with Tuscola and Unity added in the mix and that’s what makes this confernce so successful in the postseason. I got a stat for everyone how about 4 teams making consecutive Quarters from the conference the last 5 years!!!! That is called competition. I don’t doubt that last years Casey team or the St Joe squad for three years ago couldn’t handle this conference but it would make their regular seasons much harder.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I’m kinda feeling sorry for Wolves, who probably didn’t realize that the Okaw polishes their blogging bluster with the same intensity as on-field competition. Wolves = fresh meat. Go Okaw!
October 27th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Wolves: I’m telling you from experience buddy, don’t try to argue with these Okaw homers. It won’t do you any good, it’ll just raise your blood pressure. Take care of CAM on the field and then argue all you want. Good luck Wolves!
October 27th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Time for the Okaw to step up. Good luck Raiders!
A&M 34
Flora 13
October 27th, 2009 at 7:23 am
Raiders,
Remember this is your first opportunity in a while to do something in the playoffs. At all cost you CAN’T LOOK PAST THIS FLORA TEAM. IF, Casey and Marshal are as good as everyone says, Flora didn’t play them that bad.
Just BRING IT 110% and give your self an opportunity to be successful in this first game.
All the TALK about how good you are, and all the TALK about how you are going to roll over Flora will remain to be seen Saturday.
LETS GO RAIDERS!!!
October 27th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I, for one, am a little nervous. I know how good A&M COULD BE. That being said, A&M has not come out and jumped on anyone all year, except Meridian in week 9, and that was because we just don’t like them. Flora is 7-2 for a reason and they played with 2 good teams from their conference. Now they have a lot of bulletin board material and a bad attitude toward the Raiders and the Okaw in general. Not one person thinks they have a chance to win and nobody is giving their conference any respect. These can be helpful motivators for an underdog. I will end with this; I’d be pretty embarrassed if I wake up Sunday and the season is over, especially after talking so much smack throughout the week. Show some respect, Flora is here for a reason.
Go Raiders!
October 27th, 2009 at 9:20 am
BaT, you are correct on a few points:
1. they did have two teams in the conference..the rest were roll overs. 2. Bulletin material and a bad attitude maybe…but anger and emotion doesnt = success on the field
3.here for a reason…yeah …had 7 weak teams 2 play..not that they had a choice like college teams that set soft schedules
4. You’d be embarrassed…well..on that one..then let me smack talk and you can hold your head high…besides its more fun to talk smack all week and win and say I told you so….than 1 bleak-Opps, I was wrong..
Their is also a REASON they are 0-8 in play-offs…they may be tough in their neighborhood…but welcome to the rest of the best of the State!
October 27th, 2009 at 9:32 am
A&M is back you sound like one of the tools on the Maroa blog. Have some respect for an opponent. They have to play the teams in their conference and can’t schedule tougher teams. They beat 7 out of the 9 they played. Speaking of bad teams how many bad teams did A&M beat this year? Beat one team with a winning record and that was Tuscola. Beat W-L, Argenta, Meridian, Shelbyville, Clinton,bad teams. They could say the same thing about your team so back off. Never overlook an opponent or you might just end up at home on the couch.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Not being negative A&M but look.
Flora 276 scored 101 allowed only 4 of 9 teams actually scored on them.
A&M 314 scored 129 allowed 7 of 9 teams scored.
If you think your going to survive playing less than 4 full quarters of football you are wrong.
Practice and prepare hard, be confident of your capabilities, and give it all you got from start to finish. If you do this them I believe you will come out on top.
October 27th, 2009 at 10:18 am
A&M
One more stat for you. Flora is 5-0 at home this year. Now all you need to do is take this information and realize you need to play your best. If you want to get to the next level.
There is no reason you shouldn’t win this game if you give it all you got. It’s simple.
October 27th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Im a raiders fan and i have a brother playing on the team. I have seen these kids play together for years, and just to let you know these kids play together just as well as any football team i personally have ever been a part of. I would like to see some info about Flora. i dont know anything about them. only how long it is going to take me to drive there. How about we get some actual football discussion and drop the smack talk.
October 27th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Smack talk?? Did someone say smacktalk??
October 27th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Trojan gods get back to class. Hard to root for you clowns. Just hope you win so A&M gets another shot at you cocky _____’s
October 27th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
All i have to say,
Come on now, TG and clown from N have shown some support here for us (A&M), so be nice. It’s OVC week until two OVC teams meet, then some may want to pick sides. Not now.
October 27th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
some sound like a parent lecturing a kid…in one ear an out the other…kids relate to smack talk because thats what they dooooooo!your go get’em speech is foreign to them…they understand..”go kick that …! Come on TG explain to these out of date gramps that kids understand AND recognize smack talk…thats ALL it is…calm down
October 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Smack talk = NO CLASS If you have to talk out of both sides of your mouth to get fired up to play someone you have some problems. Have some respect for the sport and your opponent. Kick their _ss and then move onto the next one. No coach in their right mind allows their kids to show up another team. TALK IS CHEAP!!
October 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
norman vincent peele….you can if you think you can…the power of positive thinking…I call it confidence…your calling it cocky… you must “believe to achieve” winning doesnt come from just dreaming though..talent,planning,effort and execution will… i just believe A&M has the foundation set,great coaching, and they have been tested by some good measuring sticks…and its time to go out and show themselves as the winners they are..
October 27th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Now thats more like it A&M is back.
Don’t forget “Short term goals lead to long term success”.
Focus on one game at a time Raiders.
Confidence is a great thing when properly applied. A&M you have every reason to be confident with your game, just make sure you apply it properly and it will work well for you.
GO RAIDERS!!!!!
October 27th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
A@M and okaw #1: I hate to break up your little cliche’-fest with a prediction, but A&M wins 26-14. Make the Okaw proud! BTW, “A cliche’ is a cliche’ because it stands the test of time.”
October 27th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I think that A&M shouldn’t have any problem with this team. Guys they have 1 win against a team with a winning record. Their confernce sucks minus Casey and Marshall. They get spanked! 35-6 A&M!
October 27th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
If the boys show up and play to their potential (and I think they will), I’m in.
A&M 42 Puppies 7
October 27th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
okaw #1, you need to get off these blogs! just let the boys play high school football and stop writing stuff on here…
October 27th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Flora 21 CAM 17 There, that should stir things up a bit.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Okaw #1: “just a fan” does not speak for “Just a Fan”. I’ll admit you rub me the wrong way sometimes too, but if you stick to football and not the trashtalk you have some good input. Keep posting.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Massey Matchups has A&M as the OVC’s only loser this weekend 6-17. Prove them wrong Raiders!!
October 27th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Okaw # 1: Sorry I have NOT responded to your comment on am I “overlooking” Casey-Westfield from last week. NO, not being scared of the Warriors does NOT mean I am overlooking them. My rationale is simply this: I believe Casey-Westfield graduated a core nucleus of 16 seniors who were as talented as the seniors who graduated from my Trojans circa 2006. If CW can indeed replace all those seniors and they indeed can get back to Memorial, beating my Trojans in the process, I will be the first to tip my hat & say “Incredible”! But this year’s CW team will have to prove it to me in the playoffs first; seeing is believing! —————-
My sincere best to your Raiders in their opening round playoff game; also, CONGRATS. on the Raiders being named the Okaw Valley Blue conference’s Representative, which I noted on the IHSA’s web site. Even though I humbly believe Tuscola in the best team of the three, I have NO issue with the IHSA using playoff points to determine the conference representative. Go Raiders, Go Okaw!
October 27th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
i just checked it…it came up 4-17 Flora…rut row…they know something we don’t?…Massey you need to tweak your computer …someones slipped you a virus…
October 27th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Well, the Massey Rating really only had A&M pegged on the last game against Meridian. I’m sure that the 5 shutouts Flora had are probably causing a little problem with the calculations and that they probably played Casey and Marshall closer than anyone would have thought. It should be a very interesting start when both teams are figuring each other out. At any rate I wouldn’t take too much stck in what the Massey rating says.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:23 am
A&M line play will dominate wolves on both sides and Hayes will have a huge game = raiders win easily.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:27 am
I love this conference.
————————————
loop-t-loop & A@M is BACK both hit it on head about this conference being top notch. Theres nothing better for a program to be tested, and beaten a few times during the season to get better.
————————————
Apparently Cumberland played flora earlier this season in a 28-21 victory that game, but Cumberland rushed for over 200 yards that game. I think A&M main concern will be on the defense side of the ball, A&M is going to score, they just need to keep Flora in check.
————————————
I wouldnt be so quick to dimiss this conference as weak. Both Marshall and Casey-Westfield I know without even thinking could bang with the best of us in the Okaw. I still think A&M will take care of business, but it may be close early…
October 28th, 2009 at 8:01 am
What is this “Massey Rating” you speak of?
October 28th, 2009 at 9:08 am
i found it at highschoolsports.net …you can pick a state..look through the way teams are ranked…simulate match-ups…find of fun …they rank all teams in the state regardless of size, or you can pick a class…
October 28th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
sorry Flora, U will not win this game. A&M wins this game 30-14. The okaw is a much better conference than the one Flora plays in… Marshall is not a very good football team and would finish 4th in the okaw…. CW would finish in the top 2….
October 28th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Yes: CAM is done with the Okaw for the year. This is the post season so quit talking about whose conference is better. Flora may win, CAM may win, but it doesn’t prove crap about strength of conference either way. By the way, either Marshall or CW could’ve won the Okaw Blue outright (no tie-breaker needed).
October 28th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
CWalum, you are right this is the post season and strength of schedule is what you base who will do what in the post season. One of the reasons I pick CAM to win big is because of their strength of schedule. On the other hand Flora’s schedule was weak. They would of been lucky to win 3 games in the OVC. CW or Marshall would not of won the OVC blue this year. CW plays an unbelievable weak schedule. Does this mean CW is not good, no it does not but you are not the team you were last year, not even close. So you will be lucky to get to the semis, if even the elite 8. So I will stick with CAM big over the Wolves.
October 28th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Clown: you can sit there and claim strength of schedule all you want, but the ONLY thing that matters in any playoff game is how your team matches up with your opponent. Flora has a very effective line and plays straight up smash mouth football. Anyone who says CAM will push them around needs a reality check. CW is not the same team as last year, nobody is. This is high school football and nothing stays the same from year to year. We are not as explosive on offense, but our defense is better than last year so I’m not the least bit worried. CW, without a doubt, would have won the Blue this year, and could have won the Black. Face it, your conference had a down year. It happens.
October 28th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
CWalum, you are out of your mind! You are not better than last years defensive team. Not even close. You play weak teams thats why u are undefeated. I will take 2 or 3 losses to tough teams than undefeated year to weak teams. I will tell you how weak your conference is, your own coach even said that they stopped preparing for opponents and started running plays strictly to get ready for raining playoff games. Your own coach said that! But all that means to me is that you are going to leave some sprinklers on all week! hahahahaha…your conference is weak and I know its not your fault what teams you have in your conferene but dont say it compares to the OVC. And we will see if you could of won the OVC Blue or Black!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
cwalum
I’m just going to leave this as the old Harley Davidson phrase, ” If I have to explain you wouldn’t understand”. PERIOD!!
SEE YOU SATURDAY!! GET READY TO PUT YOUR STUFF AWAT FOR THE YEAR!!!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
cwalum,
Sorry, that was directed to Flora. Your stuff will need put away after te semis if yo make it that far!!
For sure If Casey was playing in the OKAW this year, you would be riding a 6-3 record MAX. Marshall would maybe be sliding in at at 5-4.
Just being honest.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
the kids playing in this game are probably more mature then the majority of the people on this blog
October 28th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
GO RAIDERS!!! GO OVC TEAMS!!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
cw alum,
I mght give you better than that, BUT!! You tell me where your wins are going to come frome to do beter than that?? Same for Marshall?? And why??
October 28th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Correction before you tromp. “from” and “better”.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Deck hand Crunch,
You should probably just go to the game and not participate in the pre game scouting!!
October 28th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Actually I think it will be a good game to start, but I think A&M will prevail, I like everyone else hopes for everyone to have a good game injury free for both sides. All joking aside.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
actually i have no connection with either of these towns, just a sports fan. But after reading this blog i would love to see Flora win. Like Okaw said i hope it is a good, injury free game, but GO WOLVES!!!
October 28th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
lol I think A@M and MF kicking the doodoo out of each other will be the highlight of the playoffs
October 29th, 2009 at 6:25 am
clown: When have you ever watched us play this year? You’ve been too busy sheltered up in that bigtop drinking the blue and gold koolaid, that’s why. The reason our coach is preparing for the playoffs is because our first team (once again) only played about 2/3 of the games. We’re not just undefeated but we’re cleaning up. Tell me clown, how many games have your 2nd stringers played 1 1/2 quarters? NONE Anyone who says they’d rather have 2 losses and a #7 seed versus 0 losses and a #1 seed is a fool, plain and simple.
Okaw #1: I’m not going to do a game-by-game analysis for you. If you don’t get it now, you never will.
October 29th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Go Raiders! If you play like a team (like you did in the 2nd half against Tuscola), there aren’t many teams that can beat you! Make the Okaw proud…….
October 29th, 2009 at 7:58 am
clown from the north: I can tell you do not follow football at all outside of the OVC. I will can tell you that the LIC does have some strong team and it has some very weak teams too. Casey is not just a strong team, they are the best team in 2A. If Casey were in the OVC they would have won both sides of that conference, Black & Blue. I will tell you I don’t know if this years Casey team is better than last years team was, but the are just as good and a lot bigger and stronger. On Defense they are every bit as good as last year.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Thank you, FINALLY a clown I can agree with. lol
October 29th, 2009 at 8:25 am
The only teams I have seen play this year are in the Okaw. However, The LIC sounds a lot like the Okaw in that there are good teams at the top, somewhat good teams in the middle and weak teams at the bottom. More than likely, the top teams could play each other 10 times, and one way or the other, one team would win 5 to 6 of those games. That doesn’t diminish the stature of either conference, because from year to year, the teams move up and down in the standings. There’s no doubt Casey, Marshall, Flora and Cumberland would be competitve in the Okaw, might even win the Okaw. The closest we will ever come to finding out will be if two teams meet in the playoffs. In the meantime, yes, Casey has a year-in and year-out great football program, Marshall has a great team this year. Flora and Cumberland are tough this year. The proof of who is better on any given day will bear out in the playoffs.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:57 am
The bottom of the LIC is beyond weak. It is pathetic. Winless Sullivan goes 3-6 or 4-5 in the LIC.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:20 am
okaw guy: the bottoms are equally weak, but yeah Sullivan might eek out a couple wins
October 29th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Pretty good sources tells me that Tuscola and A&M “shouldn’t” have any problem with Flora or Cumberland. And thats from the coaches. In films coaches saw weaknesses that can be exploited AND both A&M and Tuscola have bigger, stronger, faster, and more atheltic kids than either Flora or Cumberland.
—————————————-
Paper on paper is just garbage in and garbage out. The one thing that my source told me was that in the two games films on Cumberland was that they don’t make too many mistakes in respects to turnovers and penilties. Teams that don’t beat themselves put themselves in the position to win close games at the end. This is what Tuscola and A&M need to accomplish in order to previal.
—————————————-
cwalum:
OKAW is a better conference. Casey-Westfield and Marshall are both as legit as any team in the OKAW, but… The middle four of the OKAW were all just a play away from winning the conference. Casey would have had a more difficult challenge in going undeafeted through the OKAW vs. LIC. I believe Casey is the best team from either conference and maybe Unity/Marshall are the second best, but after that, I would place A&M, Maroa, Tuscola, Monticello, and St. Teresa all ahead of either Flora or Cumberland. Those teams would win most other conferences to their school size around the area.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
cw alum: Sullivan, W-L, Meridian, Shelbyville, and Clinton are all way better football teams than Palestine, Oblong, Lawrenceville, and Edwards County. All of those teams are 4-5 in the LIC. Argenta is 5-4 or 6-3 in the LIC. There are six teams in the Okaw that would have a legit shot at winning the LIC–not saying they would but they would be right there in the hunt. Top to bottom the leagues are not even comparable.
October 29th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I don’t care who you play, 7-2 is pretty good and Flora beat who they had to play and lost to two really good teams. While the Okaw is very good, this will be a much better game than most think.
October 29th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
To quote the WarriorFan…”Teams that don’t beat themselves put themselves in the position to win close games. This is what Tuscola and A&M need to accomplish in order to prevail”. So let it be written…so let it be done!
October 29th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
What is the field conditions going to be like for Saturdays game?
October 29th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Go CAM and ALL Okaw teams….show’em what you got!
October 29th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hope it’s not to bad it sounds like we don’t play well in the mud. Sounds lke a lot of rain next 24 hrs. Don’t know what it will be like though, just rolling in town for the game. Anybody have an idea for expected field conditions?
October 29th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
cwalum
How many 3A and 4A schools are in the LIC? Casey has a good program, but one school doesn’t make a conf. Good luck but take off the blinders.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Flalum: Unless Flora has installed FieldTurf in the last 5 days, the field conditions will be mud!! After this rain, it will not dry out before Saturday.
October 30th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Friday Nites: Conferences don’t win championships, teams do. Quit talking smack about how great of a conference the Okaw is. Nobody cares dude. Teams that are obsessed about how tough their conference is are the teams that don’t think they have a legitimate shot at winning it all themselves.
October 30th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Flora’s defense will be the deciding factor in this game. If the Wolves can not stop A&M’s run game with their front 7 and have to bring a safety or two up in the box, they will be in trouble.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Raider Nation,i agree that they must stop your running game with front seven.I have been to all our games and your running back is best I saw.Some others in Okaw are good,poor Burns in Meridian plays on bad team so hard for him to do anything,but if they can’t stop your run with 7 then I see you winning big.Good luck and stay healthy to all teams
October 30th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Just to end all of the LIC vs. OVC
——-
OVC Finals appearances since 1999 (last ten years) = 7 (of the 7 appearances it was 5 seperate teams)
———
LIC Finals appearances since 1999 (last ten years) = 1 (CW runner-up)
———–
I can go back further if you would like. Go Raiders, GO OKAW VALLEY!!!!
October 30th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I dont want to sound cocky or arrogant so here is the disclamer. That post was only to stop the comparisons between the conferences, it means nothing to the playoff pairings this year. Raiders, Dawgs, Sages, Warriors, Trojans, and Rockets go out and do work. OVC nation is pulling for you all.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Thanks for the history lesson Jrthrash. Everyone on here knows the Okaw has had more deep runs in the playoffs. I never said that the LIC was a tougher conference, just that it’s not a weak one and that conferences don’t play the games. Teams do. Tell me something, are all of those trophies in the same trophy case since all your teams seem to want to claim success from each other’s victories?
October 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
CWAlum,
anytime bro, thats not a bad idea actually. OVC Hardware Hall, that has a nice ring to it. If you guys had to get in there and hook and jab with the level of competition thats in the OVC you would probably make much deeper runs in the playoffs as well. You know year in year out you will be tested in the black and blue. CW has a very respectable program and should never be overlooked, but honestly how many times a year are the purple warriors physically and mentally tested? Once maybe twice in a good year? The success our teams have in the playoffs (IMO) can be directly attributed to the smash mouth heavyweight fights the black and blue times have to fight through every year, and we recognize that and strive to bring out the best in our rivals. There is always trash talk in the regular season but come playoff time we always support one another, thats part of what makes our conference great. Players in the OVC dont just play for Unity, or St. T, or MF, or CAM when its playoff time they play for the OVC.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Actually, you could make it an OVC shrine temple. That way, come playoff time, all the poor little programs across the state can come and place sacrifices on the alter in hopes of pleasing the OVC gods and begging them to be merciful. haha you crack me up!
October 30th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
From what I hear the field in Flora is crowned and drains well. It’s going to be soft at game time but shouldn’t be a major problem for either team.
October 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
cw: Sounds good. We can set the temple up at Maroa Forsyth High School. We already have a few other temples set up there. What’s one more??
October 30th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
TG: You’ve been MIA man. What gives? Have you been spending endless hours trying to figure out how to stop that monsterous Carlinville running game?
October 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
cwalum I think the crop needed harvesting. He’s been busy wrapping, rolling, and licking. LOL
October 30th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Okaw Conference doesnt need to share a shrine…as jrthrash stated.. multiple teams have done well, and are building their own..IMO, conferences DO help you win Championships! its been working so far…thanks to the OVC…we are sending 6 reps… MTF,ST,Monticello,Tuscola,Tolono,and CAM, all have been tested and are prepared for the state play run!
lucky for us are records arent perfect (Exception Tolono..congrats)it just shows we have been in the dirt fighting…other teams only get to “shadow Box with themselves”..then wonder why they get knocked out when they step out of conference..Yes we are proud of the OKAW!! and OUR Records are desrving of pride!
October 30th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
CWalum,
Im glad we can make you laugh, after all arent blogs here for entertainment? I would be cracking up too if I were trying to think for one second that the LIC could in any way shape or form compare to the OVC. Fact is, when you see it in black and white that the LIC has only produced one finals appearance in the last decade compared to OVCs 7 I would start making light of it as well with snide little comments like “Thanks for the history lesson Jrthrash.” Again I know nobody in the OVC will ever overlook a CW, or Marshall team (and this year Flora), but the OVC can bring it. Its always special when you make the playoffs so congrats to all LIC playoff teams.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Just one more note, No way CW rolls through the OVC with there starters only playing 2/3 of the game. (Cleaning up as you say) Every single team in the OVC knows what it is to be in a dogfight with only minutes left in the game. Generally teams that do not have that experience do not fare well when they are in that situation. One more reason a competitive conference helps you in the playoffs
October 30th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Jrthrash, I thought the lesson was over. Anyways, congrats to all Okaw teams for getting into the playoffs. Good luck, stay injury free, and take your losses just like your wins, with CLASS. May the best TEAMS (not necessarily conferences) win.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I only counted 4 ovc teams in the finals over the last ten years. They other 3 teams were not in the ovc at that time and the ovc had nothing to do with their success. Counting those 3 times would be like saying the LIC has won 4 state titles in basketball L-ville, but L-ville won all of those back in the NEC.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Central A&M had just as much if not more success when they were not in the ovc. Same goes for Unity and Tuscola.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Jrthrash: on the flip side of your argument, it makes it much easier for a team such as CW to substitute quality players and to reload every year due to the fact that the backups get so much playing time. Also, being in such tight games all year increases your chance of injuries for your starting players, hence hurting your roster come playoff time. I have the utmost respect for what certain teams within the Okaw have accomplished over the years, but in any given year playing a lot of close games does NOT necessarily mean you are good.
October 30th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Clown: Don’t forget Flora football went 10-0 back in ‘66. So, there’s one more! lol
October 30th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
True and they had 2 All-Americans on that team too.
October 30th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
CWalum,
Valid argument although injuries will affect even the best teams, especially in 3A and below. So yeah I can see that logic.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
tommorrow is going to be a dogfight for A&M, just watched Cumberland play Tuscola tonight. I still think A&M can win that game, it just may be uncomfortably close. GO OKAW!
October 31st, 2009 at 4:54 am
Good luck Raiders! Put it to Flora hard! OVC 2-0!
October 31st, 2009 at 7:55 am
A&M needs to keep themselves mistake-free. The fields are still drenched (MF had a tarp over theirs and it was still a muddy mess by the end of the game) and that should benefit the Raiders with their running game. I think they’re all over Flora today.
October 31st, 2009 at 9:24 am
I think that Flora pull the win out today. The Flora Cumberland score was close but Flora move the ball all most at will against Cumberland. I think that a couple of Cumberlands scores came on kick off returns and fumbles. I know that Cumberland did not have much more than a 100 yards of offense in that game. I think that Flora can take this game by a TD or 2.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:27 am
clow….ahhhhh come on now….where is the confidence…you saying they will beat CAM?…must believe they would beat the team we played with heart and scared on YOUR court..MTF then…or somehow you forgot the team that visited you and took a win from Tuscola…lets go Okaw!…..gosh i never liked clowns…your not helping the situation! LOL
October 31st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
A@m is Back, you dont like clowns because we make u into a clown! Bonehead! 13-7 CAM 4th quarter…
October 31st, 2009 at 5:08 pm
19-7 final score.
Flora Def played tough for part of the game. A&M started sluggish but really turned it on in the 4th quarter. Great game, on both sides. Refs sucked, but A&M overcame that with class.
October 31st, 2009 at 5:16 pm
OVC 5-1…Great job CAM, way to give Flora a good ole OVC beating!
October 31st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Good game to watch if you like defense. Congrats to Flora on the season, very nice facilities and a very good team. CAM, you better clean up the turnovers and penalties if you want to advance any farther. CAM controlled the whole game but only stopped themselves several times. Yes there were some questionable calls but thats football on the road. CAM fans, show some class please, theres no need blair the music and chant for another score when you have the game locked up. Okaw 5-1 in week 1, keep it up Okaw!!!
October 31st, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Raiders win. Thanks for nothing in todays paper.I guess C-Westfield deserved more ink.H&R you are so biased to MF and give A&M no credit for anything.Do us a favor stay away from our games.There are smaller papers that cover us and do a much better job Go cover Casey some more they are 85 miles away and we are 15.Thanks for nothing.Canceling my subscription to your trash paper.You guys in sports dept suck.GO RAIDERS
October 31st, 2009 at 6:00 pm
The only reason the chants for another score even started was because of the back to back unsportsmanlike penalties against flora in the final minute. trying to hit the QB when he knees it down is un-called for. Everyone is expected to win with class, some people need to learn how to lose with some class. Heaven for bid a team gets excited about a win on the road in the playoffs!!! I see nothing wrong with the music, A&M boys shook there hands and told them good game, what else do you want, its not like they danced in there bleachers or anything.
October 31st, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I agree with you raider fan, the coverage A&M gets from H&R is terrible, but in a way its nice, it doesnt put that nice big bullseye on our back like St T, and MF have. I also like how they cover Casey Westfield more than Unity Rockets, and they are in our conference and closer to there coverage area. what a joke.
October 31st, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Looks like we will be hosting Petersburg, pracctice hard boys and play physical. you guys can do it
October 31st, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Great game for the Raiders. They really started rolling in the 4th. They also play at home this week which should help against a good PORTA team. I heard the field was a muddy mess and that should also change next week. Good luck to the Raiders the rest of the way and I look forward to seeing a good game this Fri/Sat. However, all this talk about A&M not getting enough coverage in the H&R is just stupid. A&M had a front page article 4 times this year. The only time I recall them not getting coverage was for the Tuscola game which everyone that wasn’t at that game missed out, trust me. A&M fans stop complaining. Look you’d have a gripe if you were undefeated and didn’t get covered but you’ve had front page articles this year so what’s the fuss all about. You have a good team and I’m sure there will be an article sometime this week about the Raiders in the H&R. Please beat PORTA because I would love to see a rematch in the Quarters between the Trojans and the Raiders.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Don’t be so worried about the lack of coverage and hype, just be happy you got a win against a good team.
October 31st, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Raider Fan,
We enjoyed your input and are impressed by your abilities. Too bad you didn’t see all the copy your team did get this year. Wow, so much anger for a fan whose team is doing so well. Golly, we’ll miss you around here.
And for Thrash, we sell plenty of papers in Casey and 0 (that’s a zero, as in none) in Tolono. Hmmmmmm. The joke would be if we stopped writing about the teams where we do business.
Good luck to the A&M players and coaches in their playoff run and in ignoring distractions and negativity.
October 31st, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Good Luck to CAM next week in their game against PORTA. Going to be a battle.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:30 am
Administrator,
Don’t judge the whole A&M opinion by a couple. We did appreciate the times we had good coverage. It would seem that we would get as much as anyone being minutes away from Decatur. And we are having a good year, and as Justin said the other day we are the most exciting team to watch and the most mentally tough team in the area. Some of us do get up the morning after at 5:00 a.m. or so to see the paper about the game.
We appreciate what you have done so far, did however think we might have had a little more press in todays paper after beating Flora and advancing to game to against Porta..
November 1st, 2009 at 6:34 am
Great job Raiders!!!!
Couple mistakes but successful.
The facility was very nice, field looked great until I walked out on it and it was terrible.
Keep it rolling. Big week getting ready for Porta.
GO RAIDERS!!!
November 1st, 2009 at 8:04 am
Well, the raiders win another playoff game good job. What was impressive is that hayes fumbled the ball twice in raider terr and was able to forgive the mistakes and have a great second half. That is what the mind set has to be for a state run. Yeah the raiders struggled but was able to put together some big drives to put away the wolves. I do believe if the field had been dryer, the raiders would of had no trouble with the wolves. A&M was more athletic and quicker just not on a sloppy field. Go raiders beat the bluejays. A&M is having a black out day on saturday where your black everything.
November 1st, 2009 at 8:40 am
I wonder which Flora players were the grandchildren of the referees. I read an article from another team about getting hommered this season at Flora. I couldn’t beleve it could be that bad. I do now and then some. Worst I think I had ever seen. A&M played good enough to beat Flora and the officials.
Good job Raiders keeping your head through this game. No doubt it can get frustrating with officiating like that.
Go Raiders!!!!
November 1st, 2009 at 10:09 am
Nice job, A&M. Way to represent the OKAW. Good luck against Porta.
-
So what was the deal with the refs?
November 1st, 2009 at 11:37 am
TG,
just a lot of little stuff with the refs. They were real strict about holding calls against A&M, however at one point i seen Napier in what basically looked like a rear naked choke, and no call. if the call was obvious it went the right way however if it was questionable 99% of the time favored Flora. A&M got homored and did overcome that, that score is not indicitive of how outmatched, and outplayed Flora was. Also turnovers stalled a couple of drives so i know they will be fixing that in practice as well.
November 1st, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Well Raiders great win. It did sound like that Flora was overmatched and the penalties and turnovers will get you beat against a good team like PORTA. You’ll be at home so you won’t have to worry about offciating. Get off to a quick start and you should get to the Quarters. Don’t worry about all the distractions, you’ll have games where you’ve got homer refs or a bunch of turnovers or a number of different things. Teams that overcome those things are championship caliber teams. Focus on what YOUR job is and you should play a good game.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:39 pm
loop-t: So…are you saying the refs will be ‘home town’ refs? Honestly, I don’t see it matters much since PORTA is going to win convincingly. Good luck though.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:50 pm
cwalum,
Nice,
More baseless comments for this week???
Give me a break, I can’t wait to hear your idea about what Porta has that we will have trouble with.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Okaw, tell me just exactly how baseless they are buddy. You just beat a Flora team that, you along with everyone else on here, thought you would beat by what was it 4 touchdowns? For being the so-called OVC champs, you sure didn’t manhandle the 3rd place ‘weak’ LIC team so well did ya? You want baseless comments, refer to the whole damn home town ref convo above. Homer
November 1st, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Think what you want.
Flora refs were terrible, two face masks that I personnally saw where our players helmets were nearly ripped off with a ref watching, roughing the punter with a ref standing right there, picture after picture of holding, etc.etc. and Flora had two off sides during the entire game except the personnal fowl at the end where we were kneeling the ball and one player came and threw our QB to the ground after the whistle. Two fumbles inside the Flora 20 didn’t help, didn’t eventually hurt either. And the field was absoloutley terrible (lots of rain nobodys fault).
You still haven’t explained how Porta is going to beat A&M??
If you can’t speak intelligently about Portas abilities to beat A&M, SHUT UP!!!
November 1st, 2009 at 7:41 pm
cwalum,
You shouldn’t be supprised about the officiating. One of the teams in your conference team coaches has quotes on the Flora web site complaining about getting homered everytime he goes to Flora. All I’m saying is it must be true because it happened to us too, but it still worked out.
November 1st, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Okaw: If you want to speak of what another coach has said, get the whole story straight first. That was a quote from Red Hill’s coach, he caught a lot of hell for that one after the majority of people took exception to it. For the record, he was speaking more out of frustration than truth, which I can see as understandable. I’m going to give you guys the benefit of the doubt, but why make remarks about your upcoming games refs? Show just a little class please. This is a blog and I can say whatever the hell I want to. I was stating my opinion just like you did, but since mine wasn’t what you wanted to hear you go and smart off like a no-class jerk! Way to represent your school dude, good job.
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:11 am
Never said anything about our up coming refs. The other guy simply mentioned that we wouldn’t need to worry about refs in the next game like the last one, not that we will have an advantage just that we shouldn’t have to worry about getting homered like that.
All anyone should ever expect from he refs is that they call a game the same way for both sides.
November 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 am
The Refs in the playoffs are chosen by the IHSA. The home school does not get to choose who will ref the game. Most of the time the Refs are not from the area of the game they are reffing. So how could the be homers?
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:06 am
Agreed, there’s just as likely a chance of bad calls going against CAM at CAM as there is somewhere else.
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
Don’t know? Sure couldn’t have proved it by the game last Saturday. Doesn’t matter now A&M won. Time to move on.
Go Raiders!!!
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Boys: Grow up and use your study hall for education.