I’ve seen both play who says Burg can’t stop West pass and West can’t stop burgs run. I think West can slow down Burgs run but West isn’t very good at all at stopping the pass. Burg’s defense is solid all the way across the board and that should be a good chess match between the 2 teams but after seeing the 2 I’d say Burg by 10.
Just depends on what West team will show up. IMO we have only played one game with some fire,moxy, and attitude. That was against Portsmouth. Which turns out, they demolished a pretty good Portsmouth team that night. Weak schedule, and some sub par play the last 3 weeks have left a little people skeptical, and that is somewhat deserved. If you can’t get fired up to play your rival, week 10 for an SOC championship, at your place, and to secure a top 4 seed in the playoffs, you either don’t have a pulse or shouldn’t be playing football.
For maybe the first time ever, Burg is going to have to be just as concerned with the passing game against us. Historically West Is very run heavy. This is not the case now with a very seasoned and impressive Mitchell Irwin at the helm. With atleast two very good receivers. Although Burg will be the best team by far we have faced, I think we can limit the big plays on the ground. If they start throwing successfully, that is where the problems will rise. The intangibles is what worries me. Special teams scare me to death. And the depth is a huge advantage in favor of the pirates.
To the people that are just basing things off of comparing Waverly and Minford scores, I hope everyone buys into it. This is a more than capable team, just have to go do it. Very important game to dictate the direction of the new program. Beautiful stadium,facilities, and assets. Just have to bring championship caliber attitude back to the West Side. Its long over due. Some of these kids didn’t grow up with the same winning culture and attitude, as teams of the past have. I just hope they can bring it back.
We do still have to play Oak Hill, and I don’t agree with looking over anyone. You still have to play the games. Hope and pray for no injuries, and Go Siders.
You should not compare scores against common opponents it means nothing in a sense and it’s really all about match-ups and if people think that Burg can’t defend the pass they are very wrong Burgs defense is very solid all around and it will be the best defense that West has faced and on the other hand I think that Burg has already faced teams with a better running game but we will see because it’s all about match-ups I see Burg being a favorite in this game and should be a dandy!! Go Burg
Every year this game gets touted to be such a dandy and the burg straight up demolishes West, every single time. I don’t expect anything different, Burg by 20
This series as of late has been dominated by Burg,
2021 38-0 Burg, then a week later 23-14 Burg
2020* Burg did not win the SOC, 47-13 Burg
2019 41-7 Burg
2018 28-7 Burg, then a week later Burg 52-7
2017 41-7 Burg, West 9-0 going into that match up.
2021 being the only only close game and it was the playoff game. I could be completely wrong and West wins but going off recent matchups it hasn’t
Last year was a great playoff battle but I took a peak for this year, and my early prediction is another lopsided victory for the pirates. The one thing that I think West has to worry about in this game is special teams and depth. Burg should have favored field position all night. Also this will be West’s toughest game as of yet so the starters will have to battle the entire game. Burg doesn’t have too many two way players, if they do go both ways, they get rest with backups. If Burg makes a few mistakes and allows West to get a couple of easier scores, then it could get close. But if Burg plays mistake free, they should pull away in 3rd.
This is a game that Burg is accustom to and it’s what defines their program. Teams thinking they have it together just to get beaten by the team that has been the gold standard. Look at Waverly just last year, retained a lot of important players from the 2020 team and lost in 2021 when they were more than capable of winning. I see the same with West, more than capable of winning it’s just a matter of putting it together for 4 quarters
Well you beat me to the point about Waverly. We have beat Burg the same amount of times since 2010, so it’s not like anyone else in the SOC has really been up to that level. Their is no question they are the gold standard of football in this area. I also never said we would beat them.
11 on 11 we have just as good, if not better players. They can reach on the bench and get better than we can though. They are very well coached, know how to win and expect to win. Special teams and fresh legs could very well be where the game gets decided, into the 4th. West will only win if we have 0 turnovers, limit the penalties, play field position, and play efficient pass coverage.
To say West has no chance is stupid. They are a very talented group and we are proud of them. Everyone always says don’t get mad at other programs for being good, try to make yours better. Well that’s what we are doing. Whats scary is when you look at the talent we have lost to other schools, and then we turn around and beat those schools. Really head scratching when people say bad things about the program, leave for “greener grass” and then lose to us. Imagine if we had both the Hurds, Hart from ND, Sanderlin brothers etc.. We are 8-1, and going to be playing for an SOC championship at a beautiful stadium. Do you want us to tell the kids they have no shot? West has a proud football program. Had some very good ball players through the years. 2nd in SOC championships. Been to a state championship. All time winning percentage is above .600 which puts us in the top 10 percent of teams in Southeastern Ohio. Might not be Burg or Ironton, but it is a proud football town, and we want it to be at that level. It went through some hit or miss years. And alot of these kids didn’t experience the winning attitude and expectations as they were growing up through the feeder system. We want to bring those expectations back to what it was in the past.
So yeah their has been some let downs in the past 10 years. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable. One thing this age does have, is success against Burg in years prior. I dont necessarily think beating them in middle school makes them better. But alot of teams are beat against Burg before they step on the field, because it says Burg. This group knows they can beat them.
I really do hate even talking about it with an Oak Hill team to beat before but it is what it is. I hope for a huge crowd and playoff environment. I’ll be there cheering them on, got to believe you can win or it will never happen. Go Siders