(12-1)Tualatin vs (13-0)Cent Catholic.. Who’s got the Advantage?
In this article:
Saturday’s 6A State Title game projects to be one of the more competitive contests in some time. Looking at the game I went to a trusted source in former All State and Collegiate WR Ryan Potter. Referenced below are his…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSaturday’s 6A State Title game projects to be one of the more competitive contests in some time. Looking at the game I went to a trusted source in former All State and Collegiate WR Ryan Potter. Referenced below are his thoughts and why he gives Tualatin the edge. I will counter and elaborate as well. Have a look ..
POTTER: Here are the advantages that I see for Tualatin
1.Height at the second level. Tualatin DBs go 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0. A lot of
Cru Newman
Cru
Newman
6'0" | 185 lbs | QB
Central Catholic | 2024
State
OR
’s passes are 50/50 balls to King and Williams. That doesn’t work against Tualatin because they have the height to defend it.
2.Height in the receiver core. Tualatin can line up WR’s/TE’s that go 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Outside of King, CC doesn’t have the height or size in the secondary to defend that.
3.Senior leadership. The team is very senior heavy.
4.X Factor-
Jack Wagner
Jack
Wagner
6'4" | 185 lbs | QB
Tualatin | 2023
State
OR
. Wagner is as fast as
Malik Ross
Malik
Ross
6'0" | 190 lbs | ATH
Tualatin | 2022
State
OR
and with them both on the field at the same time it is very difficult to key on Malik.
SUMMARY– In order to win Tualatin needs to keep Cru Newman Cru Newman 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB Central Catholic | 2024 State OR in the pocket. The kid is elusive. Don’t let King and Williams beat you for big plays. Get ahead early. CC played in a weak conference and had an easy draw in the playoffs. They have not played a Three Rivers team yet. If they get down early, how do they react?
Stay calm. CC has been in championship games before. Tualatin has not. They can’t get in their own heads. Involve Burke (6-5), Anderson (6-4), and Hale (6-5) in the offensive game plan. Their height creates matchup nightmares.
Don’t let Bynum beat you. Gang tackling is important due to size.
MY COUNTER: I agree that Tualatin is going to win the football game. In my hypothetical 6A bracket, posted on PRZ before the playoffs, I had Tualatin over CC in the title game. That said as I think it will be very close.
CENTRAL CATHOLIC SUMMARY:
I would agree that Central’s schedule has been relatively weak, beating two Washington traditional powers early in the year in Camas and Tumwater, and then Clackamas handily in the conference championship. Even so I’ve learned to error on the side of caution when betting against the Rams.
A few of the X factors for me if CC is going to get the W are Myale Jones Myale Jones 6'5" | 320 lbs | OL Central Catholic | 2022 State OR and Zachery Grisham Zachery Grisham 6'0" | 200 lbs | DB Central Catholic | 2022 State OR on D, and Cru Newman Cru Newman 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB Central Catholic | 2024 State OR on offense. Jones has had a phenomenal season earning 1st team all-conference honors on defense. The 6-5 345-pound D lineman surprised everyone with his mobility on the interior.
All are aware of Jordan King Jordan King 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Central Catholic | 2022 State OR as one of Oregon’s top D1 prospects. He will need to have a big day on both sides of the ball, especially on D where his size matters in this type of contest. If Central is going to contain the T-Wolves WR’s, three-year starter and 1st team All Mt Hood DB selection Zach Grisham, will have to have an unreal night. Potter’s correct, that the size will be tough to counter if used right.
Conference Player of the Year Cru Newman Cru Newman 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB Central Catholic | 2024 State OR passed for 27 TDs and 1 INT during the regular season, playing beyond his years. He has been exceptional. If he plays anything less than that the Rams won’t win. It’s no secret he will be targeting one of the nation’s top TE’s in Riley Williams Riley Williams 6'7" | 230 lbs | TE Central Catholic | 2023 OR and King.
Senior RB Ellis Bynum Ellis Bynum 5'10" | 200 lbs | RB Central Catholic | 2022 State OR ultimately could be the difference maker. If they can make Tualatin respect the run with his size and double-digit yards per carry average, they will be much more effective controlling the clock, and keeping a very dangerous T Wolves offense off the field.
TUALATIN SUMMARY:
As referenced the Rams have a good, but very young QB in Newman. The T Wolves feature maybe the top two QB’s in the state for their respective classes, in 2x 1st team all-league Quarterback Jackson Jones Jackson Jones 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Tualatin | 2022 State OR and the fastest rising Junior in Oregon in Jack Wagner Jack Wagner 6'4" | 185 lbs | QB Tualatin | 2023 State OR .
This is a unique problem to have for Tualatin with Wagner playing lights out on both sides of the football. It would not surprise me a bit to see him ranked the #2 recruit state wide behind Riley Williams Riley Williams 6'7" | 230 lbs | TE Central Catholic | 2023 OR when all is said and done. Bold statement but I think he’s special.
Malik Ross Malik Ross 6'0" | 190 lbs | ATH Tualatin | 2022 State OR will need to continue his tear. As of right now he might be the biggest miss from a recruitment standpoint in the last 1/2 decade out of Oregon.
If we are talking X Factors, I agree with Potter specific to the biggest variable being size. It’s incredibly rare to have a handful of 6-4/6-5 athletic kids. Kellen Hale Kellen Hale 6'5" | 205 lbs | LB Tualatin | 2022 State OR , Peter Burke Peter Burke 6'5" | 215 lbs | TE Tualatin | 2022 State OR , and Jr. Richie Anderson Richie Anderson 6'4" | 225 lbs | DL Tualatin | 2023 State OR are just a few of the difference makers. If the T-Wolves are going to win their first state title in school history, expect Princeton commit and Gatorade Player of the Year Cole Prusia Cole Prusia 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB Tualatin | 2022 State OR to have an MVP type performance.
Tualatin Junior CB AJ Noland AJ Noland 6'2" | 185 lbs | DB Tualatin | 2024 State OR will need to play the game of his life. He is one of the premier Sophomore’s in the state of Oregon and he will have to keep King and a very underrated all-conference WR Stryder Todd-Williams in check.
Projected Scores:
Jordan Johnson- Tualatin 33 Central Catholic 27
Ryan Potter- Tualatin 28 Central Catholic 21