Jeff Mullen 2017 Week 9 Delaware High School Picks

[JeffMullen]

14 Brandywine at A.I. DuPont 35

35 Dover at Cape Henlopen 28

14 Sussex Central at Caesar Rodney 21

21 Sussex Tech at Polytech 14

7 Indian River at Woodbridge 49

14 Laurel at Lake Forest 21

14 Milford at Delmar 21

49 Delaware Military Academy at Newark 7

14 Glasgow at Caravel 28

28 Seaford at Red Lion Christian 21

42 Smyrna at Salesianum 35

28 St. Andrew's at Perkiomen, PA 35

42 Friends at Morrisville, PA 7

7 Appo at Hodgson 28

35 Middletown at Concord 7

21 St. George's at William Penn 28

42 Howard at Christiana 7

21 McKean at Mt. Pleasant 35

28 Archmere at Charter 7

35 St. Mark's at St. Elizabeth's 14

35 Conrad at Delcastle 14

21 First State Military Academy at Tatnall 35

 

[Uncle Bumfuzzled]

Are tickets available at the gate for the Smyrna game at Baynard?

 

[HSftballlaxFan]

No sir. All tickets must be purchased at the schools. Wednesday through Friday.

 

[DE-Sussex]

Last week was the week of blowouts. Looks like we could have a lot of close games this week.

 

[SouthDude]

good choice on Delmar vs Milford, I think laurel will beat lake and Sally's will beat smryna

 

[prepfootballstars]

What game this week showcases the best running backs? I am looking for a game that ideally both teams have a top talent at the position. Thanks

 

[84rider]

What game this week showcases the best running backs? I am looking for a game that ideally both teams have a top talent at the position. Thanks

read the message boards, you should know since your guy is the best around delmarva....lol, how can you claim he's the best and not know the competition, then you keep posting the same question which leads me to believe you are looking for someone to go back and fourth with, ie.......trollbag

 

[84rider]

What game this week showcases the best running backs? I am looking for a game that ideally both teams have a top talent at the position. Thanks

7nonstop3 is back with a new screen name, just warning

 

[eagle control]

Sals might could win this one 21-14.

 

[youjustme]

Sals might could win this one 21-14.

You forgot "maybe" and "perhaps"!

 

[prepfootballstars]

read the message boards, you should know since your guy is the best around delmarva....lol, how can you claim he's the best and not know the competition, then you keep posting the same question which leads me to believe you are looking for someone to go back and fourth with, ie.......trollbag

?? I am asking sorry to bother you sir . He is not
“My Guy” he was just the only person I seen with a power 5 offer in the area. I am asking for legitimate reasons . Sorry to bother you but this is not trolling or whatever you are suggesting.

 

[ravensrooster2]

7nonstop3 is back with a new screen name, just warning

 

[Uncle Bumfuzzled]

Sals might could win this one 21-14.

You might be able to paint a scenario where the Slowskys win but nobody can hold Smyrna to just 2 TDs.
Smyrna is going to score 4-5 TDs on a bad night.....the Slowskys must put up 6-7 TDs to win this.

I am not sure they can do this but I may attend if my future SIL picks up a ticket for me.

 

[SouthDude]

If Sals can load the box and force them to throw I think they can win. Make the QB beat them.

 

[bbmvp]

Has anyone stopped Knight all year? I'd love to know what his lowest yardage in a game and how many carries he averages.

 

[ravensrooster2]

Has anyone stopped Knight all year? I'd love to know what his lowest yardage in a game and how many carries he averages.

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/wil...EWg/gendersport/football-stats.htm#year=17-18

Franklin held him to 5.8 yrds per carry.. That's the lowest this year.. Second lowest was Dover at 7.0 ypc. Knight is averaging 10.6 ypc

 

[bbmvp]

Those are some pretty disgusting stats right there, especially 10 yards a carry. The only thing I will say is, Smyrna leaves him in the game. For example, 374 vs SC and they won by 33, yet he was running the ball in the 4th as the clock was expiring. Nothing against the kid and I know he can only do what Judy tells him, but those definitely help inflate his stats.

 

[youjustme]

Those are some pretty disgusting stats right there, especially 10 yards a carry. The only thing I will say is, Smyrna leaves him in the game. For example, 374 vs SC and they won by 33, yet he was running the ball in the 4th as the clock was expiring. Nothing against the kid and I know he can only do what Judy tells him, but those definitely help inflate his stats.

I don't mind his stats being inflated every now and then. Many forget that he had to share the backfield with a kid like Leddie Brown last year so that had to reduce his numbers some (maybe helped his health however). So his lofty yardage, TD, and point totals may be even higher. Also to have a QB of Henderson's caliber throwing the ball around for three years reduced his need to run more. That he is only 400 yards from the 6, 200 goal is especially remarkable. The way Knight put the team on his back in that WP semi after a dirty, late hit took Henderson out was stuff of legend.

 

[ravensrooster2]

LB4 is sharing carries with two other transfers at Neauman-Goretti so his stats are pretty pedestrian this year.. hardly any receptions as well but they run the ball primarily

Also in DE most coaches sit their kids early in the 3rd qtr or at half on the blow-outs so you have kids only getting half a games worth of carries.. Smyrna doesn't do that

 

[youjustme]

LB4 is sharing carries with two other transfers at Neauman-Goretti so his stats are pretty pedestrian this year.. hardly any receptions as well but they run the ball primarily

Also in DE most coaches sit their kids early in the 3rd qtr or at half on the blow-outs so you have kids only getting half a games worth of carries.. Smyrna doesn't do that

It seems like during the first year and half of Judy's tenure, they would sit starters out much more and quicker. Now, not so much. There is a school of thought that kids should get acclimated to playing in the third and early fourth quarter instead of being thrown into them when emergency games dictate. "Learning to play then...etc.," After sitting around at halftime, fatigue from being up since 5:30 am getting ready for school, etc.

 

[SouthDude]

His stats are very inflated. If all coaches did what they do it would be a different story. This Smyrna does not get everyone they should get on all conference.

 

[bbmvp]

His stats are very inflated. If all coaches did what they do it would be a different story. This Smyrna does not get everyone they should get on all conference.

That's all I'm saying. Imagine if Parker, Kane, Denard, and Bowman played into the 4th quarter against the likes of Seaford and IR. They would probably have 400 yards and 10 TD's......no joke IR and Seaford are just that bad. Instead they put in back ups to give them time. This is also beneficial, because it keeps legs fresh and keeps players out of the way of injury. I would never wish an injury on anyone, but imagine if Knight went down vs SC late in the 4th, because he was still in the game when he shouldn't have been......the movie, Friday Night Lights and Boobie Miles anyone?

 

[youjustme]

His yards per carry are a better indicator of his effectiveness as a runner. It seems you guys are saying he is just an average running back that just happens to have a bunch of yards because he plays longer in games. If that is the case...PUT THAT DOWN, AND BACK AWAY! It's not good for you! If you have a Nolan Henderson throwing to receiver corps all game, how can you make "time in game" the determining factor? If he didn't have the quickness, instinct, reaction time, and SPEED, how could he have so many yards regardless of minutes? If the O line didn't give him the slight crease that he, but not everyone, can take advantage of, what difference would it make whether it was the fourth quarter or the first? And speaking of speed, every week you see him running away from the fastest guys on the other teams. That is when it hits the other team how fast he is. Maybe if Smyrna played to win by 14 points each week over the past three seasons, his numbers would be a lot lower, but it is precisely the wide open, high octane system that allows good QBs and RBs be great. Btw, most kids on other teams go both ways all game. Are you going to give Knight an asterisk because he "shucks, only has to play one-way"? His legs are fresher, his body is not being beat up on defensive, yadda, yadda. Oh, and if he were running against D2 kids...imagine. I'm going overboard just for effect, but it's not fair to chalk up his huge rushing yards, TD numbers just to playing some fourth quarters. There is a lot more to it than that.

 

[SouthDude]

SO are you saying when the game is out of hand, and he get 2 more TDS and 100 more yards, and everyone else in the state sits their best running backs but Smyrna, his stats are inflated, that the definition of inflated bro!!! not saying its the kids fault, its the coaches fault, he is a great running back not question, but its not because of his inflated stats, its because he is a great back!!!

 

[bbmvp]

Someone is getting a little salty. Nobody ever said he wasn't that good. He's already committed to UD and about to be the state's all time rushing leader. I get that Henderson was the QB, but that also means that defenses had to spread out more against Smryna and he still had over 150 a year and actually 224 his 10th grade year according to maxpreps. So I don't want to hear he doesn't get his carries. All I ever said is his stats were inflated for the fact that he stayed in games late, compared to other schools that sit guys. Again not Knight's fault, that's on Judy.

 

[youjustme]

First of all, the vast majority of games that got out of hand over the past four years (and there were many), saw starters on the bench, or on sidelines with pads off. There's is an over-exaggerated notion that Knight always stays late. That is not true. Of course, there have been games when he was in late and I have been the first one to blast the coaches when that happens. Except when it was to make a point about dirty play or other shadiness from the other side. Even then, I bellyache about possible injury, etc. Secondly, there are many games that get out of hand in the first quarter when Henderson and corps plus Knight really had it clicking. Would you have your back sit out half to three quarters of game just out of respect for the opponent? Or would you keep working and improving? I have had sons as starters and backups on Smyrna teams over the last seven years so I know that there have been games when back up have played practically the last two quarters and definitely the last quarter. I have also seen games with starters benched, opponents goes hard to crush the backups, score a few touchdowns and Smyrna puts starters back in, as they should. I understand what inflated means. I just don't see why that would pop into a person's mind when the name Will Knight comes up. Him being special to DE football has absolutely nothing to do with inflation. I've seen this kid battle through injury, put team on back, make that extra two yards to move the chains, catch passes a wide-out would be proud of, block kids on their asses, and even pass effectively. I'm probably just sensitive to any attempt to undercut his value by inflation talk. Maybe if kids were not playing both sides of the ball and special teams too, they may have played more late in the game. Do you blame the other 99% of coaches for bailing out and using their best athletes on both sides of the ball (like we did and most teams still do) instead of letting more kids play? "Coach, if you didn't have me doing everything but concessions, maybe my stats wouldn't be DEFLATED!" Looky there, there's multiple ways of looking at things! A lot factors in play other than just Smyrna coaches being greedy and unsportsmanlike. If a person wants to qualify, or add "but if it weren't for this or that" to anything, they can and will, so to each his own.

 

[prepfootballstars]

Going to ruffle some feathers being new and all
He is a good back but he is not the best back ever from Delaware. His stats are definitely inflated in losses were he should be out of the game at least by the start of the third.
The main indicator of him not being the best all time in DE is he is going to UD that’s ends the conversation. Sorry but that is a fact.

 

[youjustme]

Going to ruffle some feathers being new and all
He is a good back but he is not the best back ever from Delaware. His stats are definitely inflated in losses were he should be out of the game at least by the start of the third.
The main indicator of him not being the best all time in DE is he is going to UD that’s ends the conversation. Sorry but that is a fact.

You don't know where he will end up and no one was discussing if he were the best back to ever come out of Delaware. In addition, you can't use where he is going as an indicator of much. The best back to ever play in DE might be working at McDonald's because of grades, or working on his Dads soybean field because he had to follow in the family tradition. Some chiseled, plumber's son from 1960's Claymont might have been the best given an analysis of the metrics. The point is that people always give the people that they have seen with their own eyes extra weight. I have nothing more to say about inflation. If his stats are considered inflated, so be it. Good for him. So is his humility, kindness, and respect for others. I'm sure he'll take a side of "stats" to go along with those.

 

[prepfootballstars]

Grahm Roberts

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

Going to ruffle some feathers being new and all
He is a good back but he is not the best back ever from Delaware. His stats are definitely inflated in losses were he should be out of the game at least by the start of the third.
The main indicator of him not being the best all time in DE is he is going to UD that’s ends the conversation. Sorry but that is a fact.

This is...silly.

There are athletes who are the greatest in their area that do stay closer to home for college for one reason or another and that doesn't mean they aren't top level in terms of high school ranking. I'd say the jury's still out for now, but to discount Will Knight because he's going to UD is silly.

 

[ravensrooster2]

 

[youjustme]

Lol....not quite that ruffled, but close!

 

[prepfootballstars]

This is...silly.

There are athletes who are the greatest in their area that do stay closer to home for college for one reason or another and that doesn't mean they aren't top level in terms of high school ranking. I'd say the jury's still out for now, but to discount Will Knight because he's going to UD is silly.

If he was offered by Clemson or Alabama and he declined to stay home at UD I would understand. This is not the case. And look he is an electric running back just not the best RB prospect out of DE ever. Not even this year.

To address another point about the best not being able to get the grades, or stays home to work the family farm. That is the case everywhere in the country . The reason it holds no water is because that is part of the deal. Grades, work ethic, desire, athletic ability, and mental toughness are all parts of it.

There was an offensive and defensive lineman from the Dover area back in 1992 that we looked at while in the area scouting Luke Petitgoit. He was not on the radar and was kind of a word of mouth random look we gave him. He was better all around then Luke. Bigger, faster, stronger, quicker. But when contact was made he had no desire to play college football. And only played because his father wanted him to and said so point blank. No Scholarship in the country would have gotten that kid to play college ball he hated football. Those cases exists but are as rare as unicorns this day and age.

 

[prepfootballstars]

Also Knights offensive scheme and competition hurt his projection to the next level. 70 percent of his rushing yards come when the d has 5 and 6 men in the box. Compare this to Roberts who always faces 7 sometimes 9 in the box.

Or the most extreme example from this area Ben Tate for his highschool career 80 percent of his rushing yards came facing 7 or more men in the box. With something like 30 percent with 8 or more. When a running back at a small school with bad competition puts up production like that it projects better to the next level.

Knight probably moves to slot in College. He has great hands.

 

[DENative]

I couldn't help myself, but my two cents...Will is one driven young man and there's more to this than anyone on here is going to figure out. Doesn't make it right, wrong, or indifferent on the coaches' part...I just think there's more to it. I heard there were issues at the SC game and that may have had something to do with Will still grinding late. Once again, doesn't make it right but I'm on the outside looking in, and will reserve judgment.
One thing that I've learned from being a part of the Smyrna football culture, is it's misunderstood across the state. I'm sure that that's the case in other HS programs also. Coach Judy and Coach Marks do not typically leave student athletes in like that. Nolan sat the bench for 13 qtrs. his Jr. year and 14 qtrs. his Sr...and rightfully so with the leads of those games.

 

[youjustme]

I couldn't help myself, but my two cents...Will is one driven young man and there's more to this than anyone on here is going to figure out. Doesn't make it right, wrong, or indifferent on the coaches' part...I just think there's more to it. I heard there were issues at the SC game and that may have had something to do with Will still grinding late. Once again, doesn't make it right but I'm on the outside looking in, and will reserve judgment.
One thing that I've learned from being a part of the Smyrna football culture, is it's misunderstood across the state. I'm sure that that's the case in other HS programs also. Coach Judy and Coach Marks do not typically leave student athletes in like that. Nolan sat the bench for 13 qtrs. his Jr. year and 14 qtrs. his Sr...and rightfully so with the leads of those games.

Yeah, it's just taken as fact that starters play so many more quarters at Smyrna than at other schools, and that simply isn't the case. People said it enough that others think it's true. And I don't know much about Roberts and given the Smyrna O line, maybe he would put up similar numbers, but I doubt it. Even if he cleared the first level, I don't think he has the next gear.

And is anyone else amazed at how pfss went from asking childlike, naive questions about lil ole DE football to being practically a historian and guru of DE football in all of ten posts?!

 

[ravensrooster2]

Grahm Roberts

haha you set that up well... Fan of Bam or just a relative?

 

[7nonstop3]

Has anyone seen the DMA running back ? I mean this conversation is lol bad
DMA

 

[DDBasketballCoach]

Grahm is a better and bigger athlete than will but he's not a better running back

 

[GateKeeperRefugee]

Bam is one of the more physically imposing high school kids I've ever seen in my life. Talented too. But Will Knight's on another level. Speed, power, versatility. That offense was made for him and he was made for that offense. The results don't lie.