Rob Matthews: We a day we have here, on SLPN Sports, Louisiana State Division III football! We're doing a quick run-through of the Saturday games ahead, telling you which are the barn-burners and which will be sleeper hits. We'll be covering the center ring game of the day, Golden Meadow against Avondale, later in the program. For now, Tank McNamara and I focus on Hathian, where it's once again a real crawfish boil down at newly refurbished Seaside Stadium. The sleepers of the season, the Columtreal Looters, are tangling with the Fletcher Tech Oilers. This is the Looters second home game, and they proved an underdog last time. Will they pull it off this time against the high-flying Oilers, Tank?
Tank McNamara: My money is that they will, Rob, but it won't be easy. It's tough sledding against an Oilers defense that leads the league in yards allowed against the running back. The Looters main weapon is their ground game. They use it to control the tempo of the game and take pressure off quarterback, Jason Keaton. Today, they'll be running into a brick wall. The defensive line Fletcher Tech fields is league-champ material, all four of them.
RM: And word has it that the Looters have a man down in their backfield: Michiaki Yamaguchi, who's becoming somewhat of a freshman superstar, has a fractured arm.
TM: Oh, he'll play. The Machine will play. Wheels falling off, headlight out; it don't matter. If I know Yamaguchi, he'll find a way to carry the rock, even if it's with one arm in a cast. But he won't be 100%, and that'll hurt the Looters. Seth Corbin, their Kicker, is also knocked around. Might even be out of commission. So that's two of the top elements of the Looters' play who are running on empty. Their field position and their ground game are keystones, and they're cracked. And guess what?
RM: What, Tank?
TM: On top of it all, they have a new coach. This is Hendrich Andel who, like your ol' Tank here, enjoys the distinction of being a Defensive MVP. Andel's a ball-buster. A bruiser. A feared man. Used to even be Chief of Police down in Hathian. A lion among the wolves. He'll fit in with the Looters' love of smashmouth balling just fine. But this is his first week. It's hard to take the wheel when the truck's going 90 miles per hour, you know what I mean?
RM: Of course. They've got a lot of new talent, too.
TM: Right. New techniques and new talent - the Looters are trying to get their car tuned up while it's already on the race track. Sure, they got some good new parts to add. There's a fresh pair of wideouts - Scott Andel, the Coach's son, who has a heck of a set of hands; and Leon Acosta, who's got feet as fleet as it gts. If both of these guys was one receiver, the Looters could throw it anywhere on the field and they'd land it. As it is, they're fierce competitors individually, who've soon a devotion to the squad from day one. They have this Garrett Zero kid at Safety. You seen this kid? I don't even mean seen the tape - I mean seen a picture of the guy. He looks like somebody put a pretty boy through a meat grinder. He's tough as Birmingham boot leather. Then there's Angel Pena. He's former Air Force. Another tough guy, who looks to be faster than an F-14. Lastly, oh boy, there's the new cornerback. Nick O'Connell. I do not know what bean field they plucked this dude from, but he's tall as they come. Tall, but doesn't seem to even know the game, let alone the system. I follow his Twitter, and it seems like they have him watching Hollywood movies about football to train him up.
RM: They do things their own way down in Columtreal.
TM: That they do. That they do. Fortunately, they have the two strong captains to see them through. Keaton's still running this offense, and his clear-headed play has carried the day on many an occasion. He's got a passing accuracy that's among Division leaders. Joshua Andrew-Parker is still a chief of beasts. Behind his command, he's got monsters like Omizu and Samson. He's got a brutal style of blitzing that sends men at the opposing ball-carrier from the edges and right up the A-gap. He's got heart to spare and plays every defensive snap. So the Looters have the components. Question is, do they have the health? Do they have cohesion? Can they do it against the Oilers?
RM: Considering the Oilers have Lenny Glover, Unlucky 13, who is a bad day for every opposing defense. His brilliance with Option play will have Andrew-Parker's squad's heads spinning. This is a one-man game winner. So if the Looters have a chance to loose, Unlucky Lenny can make it happen. We'll see today, at 2pm SLT, on SLPN Sports!
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