Robert Matthews: Welcome back to another pulse-pounding weekend of
SLPN Sports, covering week 3 of Louisiana State Football, Division III. This Saturday at 3pm SLT, we'll be watching the Looters road show on their last destination before heading back to Hathian for Homecoming in week 4. They'll be traveling to Madisonville to face the Commandos, and you can count on high-flying action. Will "Tank" McNamara, State Championship Defensive MVP will be with me, on the edge of our seats.
Tank McNamara: I certainly hope so, Rob. Up to now, the most exciting player in these games has been Mother Nature.
RM: Harsh, Tank.
TM: I'm pulling your leg. But the weather has put on a heck of a show. It was hot as a jungle first weekend, then hit us with a storm in week 2.
RM: The skies are clear over Madisonville this weekend. Let's cross our fingers.
TM: The skies of Madisonville are always clear, Rob. At least that's what you'd gather from their passing game. These guys like to fling it like nothing else. Who can blame them? When you've got an arm and a head like Shabazz Muhammed does, you let the man pitch! He can dump off, he can go long, he can fake, play action, put it on the money through a whole tribe of defenders. I've heard him criticized for not being mobile enough. But heck, who needs 'run and gun' quarterback play when you got a gun like that? Just let him gun all day long.
RM: Though talk around the Division is that the real story out of Madisonville is their defense. They run the skies on both sides of the ball.
TM: The skies and the ground. You're dead on about that, Rob. Last week, we saw a blitz-heavy defense against the Looters, and this week, it's going to be flexibility that the Commandos rely on. They rely on a defense that baffles their opponents. They go from pressure-on-man coverage to covering zones on the field, and fake it like they're playing in the pros. Now, this is a new system, installed by a Defensive Coordinator who came in two years ago. But by and large, the men of Madisonville have come in line. And in the case of the two positions that kind of defense depends on the most - the Safety and the Cornerback - they have a pair of players who were born to run the Madisonville defense.
RM: Freddie Miles and DeQuan Davis.
TM: Yep. Prince Freddie and the Dairy Queen. Don't let the nicknames fool you. These guys earned them because they get treated like royalty off the field. And they deserve it! Safety Freddie Miles runs that whole defensive squad. He's a crisp, smart captain who can get his boys in line, shifting however he reads the opposing quarterback. He's also got hands with their own darn gravitational pull. Anybody puts a football within three feet of this guy, and Freddie - who stands just shy of six and a half feet - he's going to take it from you.
RM: Statistically, he's only eclipsed by DeQuan on this team.
TM: I think DeQuan eclipses the whole division! He had eight interceptions last year. Eight! And he had one just last game against the Apache. Thing is, even more impressive are the five forced fumbles he had. What Cornerback forces fumbles? Dee-Q likes stripping so much, you'd think he had a part-time gig at the Titty Twister down at Hathian!
RM: Not that you're familiar with that establishment or anything, Tank.
TM: I think someone gave me a book of matches from it once. Anyway, DeQuan Davis is a very physical cornerback. He doesn't just get under a pass coming his way - he bumps the intended receiver out of the way and snatches the ball. If you get your hands on it first, he'll still come for it. This makes him a threat to running backs as much as it does receivers. Any offense that tries to get their running back into open space past DeQuan Davis is out for a big surprise!
RM: Do the Looters have any surprises in store for Madisonville? I know the big shocker last week is that they could go nose-to-nose in a turf war against Avondale and beat the Chasers at their own ground game.
TM: If Columtreal's got any surprises planned, then it's a surprise to me too. Man, these kids were one-note all last Saturday. Thing is, they had the muscle to make that note work. And that muscle is named Michiaki Yamaguchi. Whoo-ee! That kid doesn't just open a can of whoop-ass on opposing defenders, he brings a whole drum of it. He laid out guys who we might one day see in the MVP circle, like he was pushing around grandpappies. And he's just mean enough to do that to the elderly, too! You see the eyes on that guy? Stone cold!
RM: He handled the mud, he handled the defense, and in the end, some smart signal calling by Quarterback Keaton let Mich hand Columtreal its first win.
TM: It was a win to be proud of in any circumstances - fresh team, away game, bad weather - but when you throw in the complete lack of a passing game outside of some solid possession catches by Hayden Grimm, this was one for the books. Speaking of which, the accuracy on that Corbin kid is off the chain. You'd think he was leading those kicks in through laser sighting. I tell you what, if he keeps practicing as hard as he is, Corbin's going to be the unsung hero of this season. He can deliver field position as easily as a pizza.
RM: What about the Looter defense? They have a extra layer of steel in their ranks this week.
TM: They have their heart restored. Joshua Andrew-Parker is back. The British Beast is back! And I'm sure the Looters are even more excited than I am. This dude's got the perfect fit for the defensive tackle position - big legs, big upper body, big everything; especially big speed. He's explosive! And when you set him on the same squad as Scott Samson, you don't have a defense, you have an arsenal. You have a war chest, brother. Scott isn't as big as Andrew-Parker, he's not the same salty veteran and steady captain, but he is vicious. He's as mean as a half a dozen Andrew-Parkers, and as a Strong Safety, he's become a force to be truly feared on the fields of Division III football. Guys better hope they got good insurance and a loving family when they line up against Samson, because they can almost count on a hospital stay.
RM: Sounds like a monster.
TM: Sure is. Though, if you really want a monster, look no further than Vidarok Omizu. The guy's name even sounds like some kind of creature that could tackle Godzilla! 'Release the Vidarok'! Well, Vidarok's been unleashed. He's on his first week aboard the Looters, and he's already towering above most of the defense. I mean that literally! The dude's almost seven feet tall! He's packing on nearly three-fifty. And he's a linebacker who can run a four-four. Thing is, we don't know whether he'll know where to run. He's coming in real late to the game, and will need to pick up a system that Andrew-Parker designed, but that Scott Samson's been trying to run in his absence.
RM: The Looters defense is a mess.
TM: Yeah, but it's a glorious mess. It showed up strong as they come in the mud of Avondale. If they keep the excitement high, and channel that, they're going to have what it takes to win championships - a killer defense!
RM: Spoken like a true Linebacker, Tank. We'll see if the Looters can lock it down under clearer skies against the Commandos, tomorrow at 3pm SLT. Be there, for SLPN SPORTS!
