4-1 Labrae at 4-1 Struthers

• BTrev

  I made a comment to a buddy of mine before the season started, that it might be worth a shot to play Muntean at QB and move Kimbrough to WR. He played WR in middle school, and if Pollifrone hadn't jumped ship, he'd probably still be a WR.
• soupcitysoldier

  i said earlier inthe year that Struthers would have probs with East...and I remember a certain Spread ALL Day laughing at this suggestion. Wonder what he thinks now.
• southbender12

  Struthers had 20 some carried for about 30 yards on offense...It was a good idea to abandon the run! I am just saying that it is hard for kids to master different types of offenses and it looked as though Struthers falls into the grab bag category. A 5-5 record or better would be moving in the right direction with a new coach, assuming he sticks around,but they are going to have a hard time finding wins in the rest of their schedule.
• BIG CAT

  southbender12;918268 wrote:Struthers was a bit "overrated" in the sense that they aren't as good as their 4-1 record would indicate. The only quality opponent they had lined up against was Girard which blew them out. Labrae on the other hand had the benefit of playing a higher quality of schedule and probably was a bit more battle tested.
  Struthers has a few nice athletes and linemen but when you grab bag on offense then you get poor results against good teams. I said the same thing on the Campbell thread last week. If you line up with 5 receivers one play and then go double tight the next play in the stack I then you are lacking an identity. It would be fantastic for a high school football team to be able to do that but it isn't very realistic for a program that has struggled the way Struthers has.
  Last night was a very physical football game, which Struthers has always been able to provide for their opponents but the difference was gameplanning and execution. Labrae was well prepared for what Struthers attempted to do and Struthers was not prepared for the change ups that Labrae was able to throw at them.

  Overrated, starting to believe so. I seen some interesting information on another site and decided to share.
  
  
  8/28 A Beaver Local (1-9) [3:11] W 20-14
  9/4 A Oak Glen (WV) (6-4) [4:0] L 14-35
  9/11 H Steubenville (12-2) [3:11] L 22-39
  9/18 H Chaney (1-9) [2:5] W 28-22
  9/25 A Maple Heights (12-3) [2:6] L 12-56
  10/2 A Martins Ferry (8-3) [4:13] L 6-28
  10/9 H John Marshall (WV) (2-7) [2:0] W 21-20
  10/16 H Wheeling Park (WV) (1-9) [1:0] W 20-14
  10/24 A Linsly (WV) (5-4) [6:0] L 14-21
  10/30 H Salem (9-3) [3:11] L 14-33
  
  East Liverpool 2010
  8/27 H Beaver Local (1-9) [3:11] W 16-10 2 ot
  9/3 A Carrollton (4-6) [3:11] L 19-47
  9/10 H Youngstown East (4-6) [2:5] W 15-8
  9/18 A Zanesville (9-2) [2:7] W 21-17
  9/24 A Struthers (4-6) [3:9] W 28-21 2 ot
  10/1 H Martins Ferry (8-3) [4:13] W 26-17
  10/8 H Chaney (1-9) [2:5] W 30-22
  10/15 H Oak Glen (WV) (6-4) [4:0] W 32-12
  10/22 H John Marshall (5-5) [1:1] W 29-20
  10/29 A Salem (8-3) [3:11] L 6-36
  11/6 H # Licking Valley (9-3) [3:11] L 3-29
  
  In 2 years he only beat 3 teams with winning records, who weren't very good, and 1 .500 team. Has gotten beat by 3 scores or more by all other winning programs except 1 including his playoff team. All his wins but 2 were by single a digit. His team now is 4-1 with all his opponents combined only having 4 wins...
  
  Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't we 4-6 last season? We won all the games we should have and lost a couple we should have won. We could be very easily 2-4 or 1-5 today, only winning 1 game convincingly, but winning the ones we should have based on records. After seeing this post from another site, I'm thinking Struthers Administration and people bought into all of the car salesman's smoke and mirrors. A question for all, is 5-5 really a step in the right direction? I'm thinking any coach could lead us to that.JMHO
• BTrev

  Weren't they only down by a TD going into the 3rd? Have some faith that things will open up in the second half. How many INTs did Kimbrough throw before halftime? If Muntean was put in the game late in the second, I'd say they had more passes than runs. 20-something runs isn't much at all, over the course of a game.
  
  I agree. 5-5 would be moving in the right direction. I've heard that Asher will be here for at least one more year, and I've heard that he's gonna be gone after this year. With Struthers moving to the AAC Red next year, and facing a more difficult schedule, it'd be tough for everyone to have to learn all new playbooks, and go through growing pains all over again. They still have an abundance of talent at the lower levels. Whether or not it develops will be key.
  
  The season isn't over yet. Hell, they still have a shot at a winning record... or even the playoffs if they can win 3 out of 4. It's unlikely, I know... but not impossible.
  
  Asher will probably start getting some heat, if he hasn't already, if they're on the wrong end of another blowout. They've played 2 legit opponents so far... they were outcoached, outplayed, outhit, outgameplanned, outeverythinged both times.
• BTrev

  I actually made a comment to someone close to EL's program, about that same thing, Big Cat. It was right after I found out he got the job.
  
  I disagree though. Not just any coach could've gotten them to 4-2. In fact, I would say that most coaches would do just the same, if not worse.
  
  Would I say Asher is overrated? It's hard to argue that he isn't.
• Ohio

  

  I guess struthers fans would still rather have Saunders and if they still had saunders this year struthers would be a wopping 1-5 right now..... People need to realize it takes time when you try and get kids who arnt used to winning to start winning and alot of it happens at home alot of struthers kids do not listen to their parents so why would they listen to some guy they met a couple months ago? Alot of struthers fans seriously ask for way too much, Struthers will never be the power house they once were and people are going to have to realize that, i honestly might start sitting on the other side of the stadium to watch the games because some of the people over here think they can do a better job when realistically they can't struthers politics run this town and until that changes nothing great will come from it.
• BIG CAT

  BTrev;919658 wrote:I actually made a comment to someone close to EL's program, about that same thing, Big Cat. It was right after I found out he got the job.
  
  I disagree though. Not just any coach could've gotten them to 4-2. In fact, I would say that most coaches would do just the same, if not worse.
  
  Would I say Asher is overrated? It's hard to argue that he isn't.

  Thank You, BTrev. Not all would see, but even before Ashers arrival I'd have to say our kids always played hard. And you making those same comments about him being overrated, lets me know someone besides me is seeing through all the smoke..
• Ohio

  

  Struthers plays their best football against the better teams, but the reason they lose is they give up when they get down, can't tackle, and no intensity
• BTrev

  You continue to bash Saunders, Ohio, and bring him up. No one said anything about him. Have you ever even met him, or talked to him?
  
  Two things that I disagree with you about.
  
  1. No one said anything about being a powerhouse again. I do think that 6-4 isn't unrealistic though, especially with the current schedule. Struthers's players from 10 years ago laugh at their schedule now.
  
  2. Everyone on the team had success at the MS, Freshman, and JV levels. If anything, the Sophomores and Juniors aren't used to losing. I can count the number of Seniors that play this year on one hand. I don't think they're struggling because they're not used to winning. I think it's a result of having to acclomade a bunch of Sophomores to the Varsity level, more than anything.
  
  I do think Asher needs to step his game up. I'm not saying they should've beaten LaBrae or Girard, but they're better than 27-0 and 45-14.
• BTrev

  Ohio;919720 wrote:Struthers plays their best football against the better teams, but the reason they lose is they give up when they get down, can't tackle, and no intensity

  I agree. #6 embodies this. That's why I say, move him to WR. He's a great athlete, and he definitely belongs on the field. I doubt that he'll ever be a great QB though.
• BTrev

  [INDENT]You continue to bash Saunders, Ohio, and bring him up. No one said anything about him. Have you ever even met him, or talked to him?
  
  Two things that I disagree with you about.
  
  1. No one said anything about being a powerhouse again. I do think that 6-4 isn't unrealistic though, especially with the current schedule. Struthers's players from 10 years ago laugh at their schedule now.
  
  2. Everyone on the team had success at the MS, Freshman, and JV levels. If anything, the Sophomores and Juniors aren't used to losing. I can count the number of Seniors that play this year on one hand. I don't think they're struggling because they're not used to winning. I think it's a result of having to acclomade a bunch of Sophomores to the Varsity level, more than anything.
  
  I do think Asher needs to step his game up. I'm not saying they should've beaten LaBrae or Girard, but they're better than 27-0 and 45-14.[/INDENT]
• BIG CAT

  BTrev;919783 wrote:[INDENT]You continue to bash Saunders, Ohio, and bring him up. No one said anything about him. Have you ever even met him, or talked to him?
  
  Two things that I disagree with you about.
  
  1. No one said anything about being a powerhouse again. I do think that 6-4 isn't unrealistic though, especially with the current schedule. Struthers's players from 10 years ago laugh at their schedule now.
  
  2. Everyone on the team had success at the MS, Freshman, and JV levels. If anything, the Sophomores and Juniors aren't used to losing. I can count the number of Seniors that play this year on one hand. I don't think they're struggling because they're not used to winning. I think it's a result of having to acclomade a bunch of Sophomores to the Varsity level, more than anything.
  
  I do think Asher needs to step his game up. I'm not saying they should've beaten LaBrae or Girard, but they're better than 27-0 and 45-14.[/INDENT]

  27-0 and 45-14 I think we've seen all he has to offer. Win the ones we're supposed to and lose big against winning programs. That's his MO
• BIG CAT

  Ohio;919720 wrote:Struthers plays their best football against the better teams, but the reason they lose is they give up when they get down, can't tackle, and no intensity

  Isn't a coach supposed to make sure all these are done?
• BTrev

  Let's move on. We can always come back to this when the season is over.
  
  Anyone have anything to say about Struthers vs. East?
• southbender12

  Ill take Saunders over Asher every day of the week and twice on sunday..Helen Keller could of been your coach and you'd be 4-2 right now
• Spread All Day

  

  No one ever said that Struthers was going to be a powerhouse again, but i agree with Ohio when he says that Struthers fans are incredibly ungrateful. They are 4-2, yes beat bad teams, and lost to good ones. We know. Asher has done something that no coach since Zetts has, he made the kids believe in themselves. That being said, Yes Ohio is correct again by saying the Cats would be 1-5 with Saunders. Yes they would be. Yes B-Trev ive met, and talked to Saunders. The game friday was embarrassing, but kids make mistakes and lose games, as do coaches. I put that on the Defenseive scheme more than anything, but its over now.
  And another thing B-Trev, guys from 10 years ago laugh at Struthers' schedule this year, but i'm pretty sure the Cats had a stretch of being an awful team with one or two good players every year for about 8 years there..
  
  As for next week, i don't even want to predict a score, lets just hope the cats can play well.
  
  4-2 guys, seasons not over. Not by a long shot.
  They can beat East, Lakeview and Campbell with the right playcalls! I promise! Maybe even Hubbard!
• Spread All Day

  

  southbender12;920173 wrote:Ill take Saunders or Asher every day of the week and twice on sunday..Helen Keller could of been your coach and you'd be 4-2 right now

  You either
  A. have not been around Struthers football for the past 5 years or
  B. An upset El fan, or
  C. Completely lacking of any working brain cells.
• Spread All Day

  

  Drive Asher out of town and see the Cats struggle for 10+ more years.
• BIG CAT

  BTrev;919928 wrote:Let's move on. We can always come back to this when the season is over.
  
  Anyone have anything to say about Struthers vs. East?

  The only like opponent is Liberty. I feel if the Struthers that played EL shows up we can beat almost anyone. The problem is it's the week7 and we've only seen that team once. East has played a much rougher schedule keeping them all fairly close. Saying that I have to give East a slight edge. I hope I'm wrong!
• BTrev

  Did I ever say we'd be better off with someone else calling the plays, or that Asher should get axed? I didn't think I did...
  
  Asher has had trouble beating quality opponents. The facts are there.
  
  I never said he was a bad coach, by any means. I said he needed to do a better job. Everyone does. It shouldn't come as a surprise, or as some big shock when someone states the obvious.
  
  Ungrateful, not at all. The kids actually had a goal to make the playoffs this year. I don't think it's unfair to expect anything from them, that they don't expect from themselves.
  
  Saunders probably wouldn't be 4-2 right now, but I really doubt he'd be 1-5. Ohio and Spread were both so anti-Saunders, that they'd probably be content with whoever got the job when he resigned, regardless of what the team's record would've been at this point.
  
  Call me crazy, but I believe that if Struthers is ever going to break out of their slump, they can't be satisfied with 2 point wins over 0-6 teams, or 13 point wins over 1-5 teams, or getting beat by 31 points, or getting beat 27-0 on homecoming night. Say what you want, but those sound just like stats from the previous 2 regimes.
  
  Assuming that Asher is the coach next year, if they don't build on where they leave off this year, be it 4-6, 5-5, 6-4, whatever, I can maybe see people calling for his job if they aren't at least competitive. 6 games into his first year as HC, I do think some criticism is warranted. It's way too soon to be sharpening any axes or preparing the chopping block.
  
  Here's what Struthers has done, dating back to 2001.
  
  2001: 6-4 (3-2)
  2002: 4-6 (1-4)
  
  2001 and 2002
  Liberty W
  Campbell L
  Hubbard L
  Rayen W(2001) L (2002)
  Wilson W
  *Salem W
  *Canfield W (2001) L (2002)
  *Niles L
  *Howland W (2001) L (2002)
  *Poland L
  
  2003: 5-5 (3-3)
  2004: 1-9 (0-6)
  
  2003 and 2004
  Liberty W (2003) L (2004)
  Warren JFK W (2003) L (2004)
  Campbell L (2003) W (2004)
  Hubbard L
  *Alliance W (2003) L (2004)
  *Salem L
  *Canfield W (2003) L (2004)
  *Niles (W (2003) L (2004)
  *Howland L
  *Poland L
  
  2005: 1-9 (0-5)
  Liberty L
  Warren JFK L
  Campbell W
  Hubbard L
  Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joeseph's L
  *Salem L
  *Canfield L
  *Niles L
  *Howland L
  *Poland L
  
  2006: 2-8 (1-4)
  Liberty L
  Warren JFK L
  Campbell W
  Hubbard L
  East Liverpool L
  *Salem W
  *Canfield L
  *Niles L
  *Howland L
  *Poland L
  
  2007: 4-6 (2-4)
  Liberty L
  East Liverpool W
  Hubbard L
  Springfield W
  *Salem W
  *Canfield L
  *Niles L
  *Howland L
  *Poland L
  *Campbell W
  
  2008: 2-8 (0-4)
  Springfield L
  Girard L
  Columbiana L
  LaBrae W
  Canfield L
  Campbell W
  *Lakeview L
  *Liberty L
  *Salem W
  *Hubbard L
  
  2009: 2-8 (0-4)
  Girard L
  Columbiana L
  LaBrae W
  Canfield L
  Campbell L
  Conneaut W
  *Lakeview L
  *Liberty L
  *Salem L
  *Hubbard L
  
  2010: 4-6 (1-3)
  Girard L
  Beaver Local W
  East Liverpool L
  LaBrae W
  Conneaut W
  Campbell L
  *Lakeview L
  *Liberty W
  *Salem L
  *Hubbard L
  
  The only seasons that I'm not 100% sure on, are 2001 and 2006.
  
  In 2001, They may have been 5-5, but I'm pretty sure they went 6-4. I know they beat Liberty, Rayen, Wilson, Salem, and Howland, and they lost to Campbell, Hubbard, and Poland. I'm not sure if they beat Niles or Canfield and lost to the other, or if they lost to both of them.
  
  Also, I'm not 100%, but 90% sure that EL was the other OOC opponent in 2006. I know they lost that game.
• BTrev

  And Spread...
  
  Do you honestly believe that the program would've fallen off as much as it did, if Zetts wasn't forced out?
• southbender12

  Played for Saunders and have coached against Asher...under one of those guys the kids are disciplined and play with technique...under the other guy they aren't. I'd rather lose the right way then win the wrong way. You are whistling dixie if you think that Saunders would not be 4-2 with this schedule.
  Got news for you Spread...you guys might struggle for 10+ years anyways because Asher isn't your long term answer. I can't believe you called me an upset EL fan...I threw up a little in my mouth while reading your post.
• BIG CAT

  southbender12;920411 wrote:Played for Saunders and have coached against Asher...under one of those guys the kids are disciplined and play with technique...under the other guy they aren't. I'd rather lose the right way then win the wrong way. You are whistling dixie if you think that Saunders would not be 4-2 with this schedule.
  Got news for you Spread...you guys might struggle for 10+ years anyways because Asher isn't your long term answer. I can't believe you called me an upset EL fan...I threw up a little in my mouth while reading your post.

  I couldn't agree more. Saunders already had kids starting to believe in themselves, close to 40plus in the weight-room and was there everytime it was open. Asher on the other hand walked into a load of talent, was hit and miss with the weight-room and the sidelines on Friday are in complete shambles, they look and act like a bunch of thugs.
• Ohio

  

  Also a big difference between saunders and asher look at the talent saunders had compared to the talent asher has its not even close.