Last year the teams the out of state teams that traveled to Northern Ohio struggled mightily going 0-4, but this year is a completely different story. With Union’s 31-0 victory over McKinley the Ohio teams went 1-3, with the lone victory coming with Mooney’s win over Gateway.
Union is definitely not the biggest team that we saw today, but they are a well coached bunch that executes with precision.
The game could not have started off worse for the McKinley Bulldogs as they fumbled the ball on their opening possession and Union quarterback Brandon Rogers ended up punching it in to go up 7-0.
Union did not look back from that point on. While Rogers looked good at times, it was the play of super junior running back Jeremy Smith that shined the brightest. On the night Smith carried the ball 19 times for 107 yards. There is no doubt that he will be one of the top rated players in the Midland Region for the 2009 recruiting class.
One thing that also helped the Redskins tremendously was the kicking of and punting of Oklahoma commitment Tress Way. Although it was a windy night Way kept the Bulldogs pinned back all night long with his strong kick-off and punts.
While the running game of Smith was strong, it would really not be fair to not give credit to the offensive line, who opened up some nice holes, despite the fact they looked a little out of synch early on. More often then not Smith made the moves to the outside behind junior left tackle Brian Deshane, who stepped in for last year’s All-American Matt Romine.
Another bright spot in the junior class for the Redskins was tight end Tracy Moore. Moore did not put up huge numbers, but he was efficient in the blocking game. He will also be one to watch in the 2009 class.
In any game that a team wins 31-0 you have to give some credit to the defense, and Dylan Troutman was an absolute stud. He was making plays all over the field. He is right on cusp of being a legitimate division one player, an it would not surprise many in the Tulsa area to see him pick up some late offers after proving himself on the field this season.