After a long season, many scrapes, turf burns sprained ankles, and concussions two deserving candidates have arrived in the Promised Land. Who would have predicted the Rebels and the Stealth at the beginning or even the middle of the year? At the mid-point this year it looked like a Stealth team that was lost and a rebuilding Rebels team…Now they look like the two teams that deserve to be there both semifinal games were won in convincing fashion and both teams look great right now. The stealth are 3-6 and the Rebels 7-2 the records are not as clean as the two AAA teams I mean AA teams playing in the other game but no team could have tread the road of the AAA and gone unscathed. You know without a shadow of a doubt that the team that takes home the hardware on Saturday will have earned it with blood sweat and tears (literally).
STEALTH
The Stealth…. Or should I say Vincent2Thomas inc. This team has defied all odds in making it into this game. As we have all heard plenty about Vincent and Thomas lets talk about the rest of the team because as you might know it takes more than two to win this game. The Stealth are the second ranked rushing offense in the league with IK and Mann who have combined for a total 466 yards on 92 carries, 18 less yards and 3 less carries than the Rebels leading rusher. Having said that I believe the Stealth run game not including Vincent is ranked perfectly Mann and IK are an incredible tandem and can get those tough yards a team needs I fully believe they will be as good as they have ever been this weekend. The Stealth O-line looked as good as it has all year last week, maybe they had some extra help?, who knows though there is no evidence... Regardless I am sure that Sarge will have his rosters before the game taking names and booting illegals. Haha I tease I tease I am sure that both of these teams have the integrity to play it straight up.
The Stealth D is good and has under achieved all year I look for them to show up with their A+ game this week, they will need it to stop a hot Rebels team. They have the most athletic backers in the league, little has been said about Justin Walker this year yet in my mind he is one of the top two backers our league has to offer. The front is average but no less than average, they can hold their own when it comes down to it depending on who shows up. With this D it truly is who will show up and they better bring down plenty of big boys as Dixie seems to have turned to a nasty form of power running as of late.
REBELS
This could be 4 of the last 5 for the Rebels, minus some timely injuries the Rebels would likely be going for their fifth ring. This organization is truly the flagship that the league should encourage other teams to emulate. Ok off the soapbox I go, rather than talk about managment lets look at what decides games.
The Rebels O has taken on a different identity as of late they have turned to challenging teams with Tapuosi and that run game first. If they look to the old I- formation the Stealth better buckle down and get ready because if the I is not stopped it will be a miserable 4 quarters the Rebels will stick to their game till it gets stopped. On the other hand they are not to bad when they spread it out either as Draper can cut up the back end of a defense if given the time. The strength of the Rebels perimeter is in their ability to have multiple recievers catch the ball their is no one guy you want to shut down. However that seems to work in their favor as they never allow you to focus on one guy. The key to the Rebels is the run if they are successful on the ground they are good.
The Rebel D is the heart and soul of this team, they have had ups and downs this year however they look good right now and after listening to a few friends I would say last week was their best week of the year. They are big, fast, and hit with malicious intent. With Wayne and the crew of head hunters the only question is if you could pick a defense to play against in this league they would be the last one you would pick....I dont think think there is much I can add to that.
In summary this is a match up laid down to us from above. Every facet of the game will be seen this week from great D to big play O to grind it out football. If you love this game you will find something to like on Saturday evening.
The Rebels won both regular season match ups, one by a furious comeback, and one they ran away with. But only once have they faced both Thomas and Vincent together. Last week the Stealth shut down the great JK, I read the scathing article on the game where the blame was laid at his feet, and what I find odd is none of his recievers have stepped up and taken the blame for drops and tipped balls...maybe that charachter trait is what is missing in the equation...that doesnt matter though today, what matters today is the Stealth D has done the unthinkable, they turned superman human. They are as dangerous as I have believed them to be all year...but stopping Tapuosi and his teammates is not the same challenge as stopping JK and his......well JK.. This matchup is going to burn hot both literally and figuratively, it has been made clear the Rebels will take full advantage of the sun putting the Stealth in all black, but will it matter? Hot is hot no matter what!! When the storm is over and the dust settles only one team will raise the trophy. The game changer for me is after watching the award arguments this week I was taken back to a post from preseason "Wayne and Andy came back for one reason" with Stokes back on the gridiron in just enough time to be able to play the postseason, it is clear these Rebels want one thing and that is all that matters. Thats the scale tipper Saturday...
Rebels 35 Stealth 28
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IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW THINK TWICE THE SUM OF ALL PARTS IS NOT ONE..
Great post, I'm hoping for a different result than predicted, but I think you have nailed the strengths of both teams. The Rebels prefer hard nosed defense and pound them into the ground offense, the Stealth prefer the passing game, mixed in with timely rushes to keep the defense off-guard. The Stealth Defense has been a mystery to me. I think a lot depends on who shows up for the game.
For the Stealth, I think this game really depends on how well they travel. If the team that played the Shock last week shows up, I think the Stealth have a great chance of winning the game. The weather in St George is going to be scorching hot. I have posted that I think the game time should be move back to 9 PM for safety reasons, but it won't happen. Since it will be so hot, both teams will need to substitute players early and often, which means the deepest team will have a big advantage. Since the game is in Rebel territory they should have a much easier time getting more players to the game. Advantage Rebels.
Last week against the Shock, the Stealth defense was dominating, and Defense was the difference in the game. This week the Stealth will need to shut down the middle of the line. The Rebels are most dangerous up the middle, if the Stealth can force the Rebels running game to go lateral, they can shut them down. The Rebels RBs like to cut up field as soon as they can and are happy with a 5 yard gain. Tapuosi is the threat up the middle, Loveridge on the edge. The DE's need to box the ends and force Draper to stay in the pocket, he also makes most of his big plays when he gets outside. Draper isn't the run threat that Vincent is, hes only run the ball 9 times and looks to pass when the play breaks down. But he is dangerous when he gets outside. The Rebel receivers are good, the Stealth DBs need to stay in contact with them. If the DBs play like they did last week they will be fine. I think the Stealth had more interceptions and knocked down passes last week then we did all year. Draper doesn't throw often to his running backs.
The Stealth offense has been pretty consistent at moving the ball all year, but they need to be more efficient scoring when they get into position. It seems like they have a better chance of scoring a TD from 20 yards out then when they are inside the 10. Although Sam Thomas has had a stellar year, the Stealth offense is much better when Stark, Lester, Cullimore and Ragin are available and playing well. The stats may look like Sam gets all the balls, but Vincent really moves the ball around to all his receivers. My guess is the Rebels will try to take Sam out of the game with double or triple teaming him, this should open up the other receivers for a big game. Lester and Ragin were not in attendance for the last Rebels/Stealth match up and should be a factor this game.
The Stealth running game has actually been pretty efficient, the Stealth run to keep defenses off balance. Mann, Ibani and the rest don't get a lot of carries, but they run hard when they do. Also, Vincent has shown himself to be dangerous on the run, hes the 3rd leading rusher in the league. The Rebels can't just forget about him or he will hurt them with his legs.
The Stealth special teams have been mixed, Kick off and return have been good, FG and Punt have been suspect. I think most of the problem has been protection. On FGs and Punts, Thomson has a good/great leg, but doesn't seem to have much time to get the kick off. The Stealth miss too many scoring opportunities with missed FGs. Hopefully the Stealth will have more offensive linemen this week to help protect better. On punt returns, Lester is dangerous, but I've noticed all the Stealth punt returners are too deep, which doesn't allow them to catch the punt. I don't think the Stealth have returned a punt in the last 4 games. Far too many punts hit the ground and roll. Bishoff, the Rebels punter only averages 32 yards a punt, our returners shouldn't be more than 40 yards deep this game.
Again this should be a great game with two worthy teams. If the Stealth get all their players to the game I think they have a great chance of winning, but the weather will definitely be a factor.
Please all players for both teams stay hydrated, remember water, water, water. If you start to feel light-headed get off the field. Heat stroke is very serious, you may be great athletes but you are still basically weekend warriors and don't practice and prepare for the weather conditions you will face in St George. Hopefully the weather won't be as hot as currently forecast.
Have a great game and be safe! GO STEALTH
Shout out to my nephew Chase Loveridge(Rebels), even though I hope you lose, have a great game and be safe ;)
