Clippers set to face Hawks
Cumberland has tough task against Hendricken
CUMBERLAND – The query to Cumberland High head coach Josh Lima was simple and direct: Do your Clippers stand a prayer of winning your state Division I quarterfinal against Hendricken, the seven- time Super Bowl champion?
He laughed, understanding why it was asked, but his answer provided a thoughtful glimpse into his team’s approach to the contest, slated for tonight at 7 on the Hawks’ own turf.
“This is my thing: Any time you strap your helmet and lace up your cleats, you’ve got a shot,” he stated.
“Obviously, we know they’re a tremendous football team with plenty of talent; that’s why they’re the reigning state champs, but we have to treat it as just another football game.
“It’s another game on the schedule, and we’re going to take it as such with the sane preparations as any other opponent,” he added. “It is what it is. I’m not going to say they’re beatable because that would be crazy, but I also can’t say they’re not unbeatable. If I did that, then why the play the game in the first place? It wouldn’t be fair to our kids, and I have too much faith in and respect for them to say that.
“We very simply are going to have play very smart, we can’t turn the ball over, we can’t be penalized and we have to be able to execute on both sides of the ball. We have to capitalize on every situation that comes our way.”
The Hawks (7-1 overall, 7-0 league) enter the tilt as the top seed from Division I-A, while Cumberland (4-4 overall, 3-4 league) snatched the fourth ranking in I-B. This also marks the first time, Lima said, the Clippers have earned a playoff bid in the top tier since 1984.
Lima indicated he and his staff have attended a pair of Hawks’ games live, and also have studied the film of the Hendricken-EP showdown last weekend. After that 19-0 triumph, Hendricken had posted three straight shutouts and outscored its seven league foes by a 200-35 count.
“They have a lot of depth, so have the luxury of a lot of one-way guys,” he noted. “Their quarterback (Tom Comella) is solid, and we’ve seen them play a bunch of running backs because a lot of their games have been blowouts.”
Go-to backs should include juniors Israel Emmanuel and Evan Rinaldi.
“They have so many guys who can carry the ball, but also good receivers, guys like (sophomore Angel Sanchez, senior Angel Santana and Luke Swift),” he said. “That kid is a good little wideout, and they have a big, physical offensive line. They have one kid (junior Xavier Truss), and he’s got to be 6-7.
“They’ll throw a mixture at you offensively; you’ll see some spread, some ‘I,’ some wishbone. Defensively, they’re basically a 3-4, but they’ll go multiple at times because they’ll do with four or even five down linemen.”
For his own offense, Lima stated junior quarterback Joe Leonard is a game-time decision to start.
“He’s a little banged up, so we tried to get him some rest last week (during a 37-7 drubbing of Rogers),” he said. “I will say (sophomore) Dante Aviles-Santos has been doing great, so we’re see what happens. I will say this: It’s a great opportunity for us.
“It’s all going to come down to execution,” he continued. “Way back in August, when we had our first official day of practice, the first thing I said to our guys was, ‘We’ve got to take care of the little things, the things that the fans in the stands or the media don’t pay attention to. All the small elements that we run through in practice: Blocking fundamentals, hitting the right holes, making sure you place the snap in the quarterback’s hands, etc.
“I also told them that, sometimes, it goes even smaller than that, like when I tell the guys to take a knee when I’m trying to teach something, I want them not scattered around the field but in a straight line on, say, the 10-yard line. We’ll have them buckle their chin straps all at once as a sign we’re a team, we do everything together.
“We told them all those weeks ago that if we can be disciplined on those little things, then we’ll be just as disciplined in completing plays. Everything larger will take care of itself … Our whole philosophy is we want our guys to buy in to Cumberland High football, and they’re all in. Our coaches and players know what we have accomplished this year, so we’re all in, ready to put the chips on the table.”
“I’m not going to say they’re beatable because that would be crazy, but I also can’t say they’re not unbeatable.” – Cumberland coach Josh Lima