American Heritage Hosts Liberty One Week After Both Appeared On FloFootball
American Heritage Hosts Liberty One Week After Both Appeared On FloFootball
One week after Plantation (FL) American Heritage and Henderson (NV) Liberty each notched huge season-opening wins while appearing on FloFootball, the two groups of Patriots will battle in yet another high-profile non-conference game.
One week after Plantation (FL) American Heritage and Henderson (NV) Liberty each notched huge season-opening wins while appearing on FloFootball, the two groups of Patriots will battle in yet another high-profile non-conference game this Friday in Plantation, FL.
Suffice to say we have a uniquely extensive knowledge of both programs as a result.
American Heritage is filthy on defense -- and clearly demonstrated as much in its 14-7 road win over Bishop Sullivan in Virginia Beach, VA, in week one.
Tyson Campbell came up big for the Patriots, particularly late, and will present the biggest challenge of the season for Liberty wide receiver Marquez Powell -- assuming that Patrick Surtain Jr. is held out again Friday due to the MCL strain he suffered in a scrimmage two weeks ago against Miami Booker T. Washington.
Should Surtain suit up, Powell's only escape from Campbell will be the one cornerback in the country who's actually ranked higher in the ESPN 300.
That's probably not the alternative Powell had in mind.
After coming up empty on its first few drives, Liberty flipped the script in its 51-20 win over Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro last week at home, junking the spread for a stack I-formation and forcing the Sabercats to load the box to stop the run. The move worked like a charm because Saguaro's defensive backs, already near the line of scrimmage, began overplaying the run.
By design, that allowed Patriots quarterback Kenyon Oblad to succeed off of play action, which put Saguaro on its heels and completely changed the complexion of the game.
Liberty's early spread passing struggles only figure to be exacerbated by the American Heritage secondary, so a similar run package is a likely part of the Patriots' game plan. That being said, the American Heritage front seven -- specifically, Nesta Silvera, Andrew Chatfield, and Calvin Hart -- are a different animal than Rich Curaco's bunch faced against Saguaro.
Doubling Silvera is a necessity -- and will relieve some pressure on Hart and the linebackers, which could neutralize the effectiveness of the package, particularly assuming Campbell and Surtain resist the urge to creep into the box.
Of course, when American Heritage is part of the topic, it's easy to fixate on the Patriots' defense and forget about the opponent's. A week ago, Bishop Sullivan's Teradja Mitchell and Tank Land were unwilling to let anyone overlook the Crusaders, forcing five turnovers -- including three first-half interceptions -- and dominating the American Heritage offense for the better part of four quarters.
Meanwhile, Liberty was making Saguaro quarterback Max Massingale -- he of only four interceptions in 2016 -- look out of sorts and careless with the football. Massingale threw as many touchdowns to Liberty defenders as he did to Saguaro receivers. And, with respect to American Heritage's Cam Smith, if you need to choose a quarterback between the two with an emphasis on ball control, it's Massingale.
Liberty's best chance at a road win may simply be to resist the urge to force the issue through the air, turn up the heat on Smith, and wait for opportunities like this one:
Which ultimately led to this:
Want to dig in a little deeper? Do your own film study. Full replays of both games are available on FloFootball.
Aug. 26: Liberty vs. Saguaro
Aug. 26: American Heritage vs. Bishop Sullivan
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Suffice to say we have a uniquely extensive knowledge of both programs as a result.
American Heritage is filthy on defense -- and clearly demonstrated as much in its 14-7 road win over Bishop Sullivan in Virginia Beach, VA, in week one.
Tyson Campbell came up big for the Patriots, particularly late, and will present the biggest challenge of the season for Liberty wide receiver Marquez Powell -- assuming that Patrick Surtain Jr. is held out again Friday due to the MCL strain he suffered in a scrimmage two weeks ago against Miami Booker T. Washington.
Should Surtain suit up, Powell's only escape from Campbell will be the one cornerback in the country who's actually ranked higher in the ESPN 300.
That's probably not the alternative Powell had in mind.
After coming up empty on its first few drives, Liberty flipped the script in its 51-20 win over Scottsdale (AZ) Saguaro last week at home, junking the spread for a stack I-formation and forcing the Sabercats to load the box to stop the run. The move worked like a charm because Saguaro's defensive backs, already near the line of scrimmage, began overplaying the run.
By design, that allowed Patriots quarterback Kenyon Oblad to succeed off of play action, which put Saguaro on its heels and completely changed the complexion of the game.
Liberty's early spread passing struggles only figure to be exacerbated by the American Heritage secondary, so a similar run package is a likely part of the Patriots' game plan. That being said, the American Heritage front seven -- specifically, Nesta Silvera, Andrew Chatfield, and Calvin Hart -- are a different animal than Rich Curaco's bunch faced against Saguaro.
Doubling Silvera is a necessity -- and will relieve some pressure on Hart and the linebackers, which could neutralize the effectiveness of the package, particularly assuming Campbell and Surtain resist the urge to creep into the box.
Of course, when American Heritage is part of the topic, it's easy to fixate on the Patriots' defense and forget about the opponent's. A week ago, Bishop Sullivan's Teradja Mitchell and Tank Land were unwilling to let anyone overlook the Crusaders, forcing five turnovers -- including three first-half interceptions -- and dominating the American Heritage offense for the better part of four quarters.
Meanwhile, Liberty was making Saguaro quarterback Max Massingale -- he of only four interceptions in 2016 -- look out of sorts and careless with the football. Massingale threw as many touchdowns to Liberty defenders as he did to Saguaro receivers. And, with respect to American Heritage's Cam Smith, if you need to choose a quarterback between the two with an emphasis on ball control, it's Massingale.
Liberty's best chance at a road win may simply be to resist the urge to force the issue through the air, turn up the heat on Smith, and wait for opportunities like this one:
Which ultimately led to this:
Want to dig in a little deeper? Do your own film study. Full replays of both games are available on FloFootball.
Aug. 26: Liberty vs. Saguaro
Aug. 26: American Heritage vs. Bishop Sullivan
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