• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

High School 2006 Division 3 Final: Kettering Archbishop Alter (14-0) vs. Steubenville (14-0)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
I was at the New Albany-Alter semifinal. Besides the defense, Alter's triple option looked pretty unstoppable. They had no need to bother passing the ball, as they just relied on a wide pitch and nice outside blocking to spread the field.

It wouldn't surprise me if they can control the ball enough to win this one too.
 
Upvote 0
Cleveland.com

Steubenville vs. Kettering Alter
Steubenville (14-0) vs. Kettering Alter (14-0)

In what could shape up to be the most entertaining state championship game, the Steubenville Big Red will try to crack the steadfast Alter defense. Steubenville, the defending state champions in Division III, have won 40 of their last 41 games and currently boasts a 29-game winning streak. Alter, behind their powerful defense, has an unblemished record this season and has literally coasted through the playoffs thus far.

Steubenville, coming off a hard-fought 33-30 win over Dover in the Region 11 final, regrouped to overwhelm Aurora in the state semifinal, 48-13. Meanwhile, Alter continued its playoff dominance with a convincing 31-7 victory over New Albany.

When Steubenville has the ball: the offense runs through senior quarterback Zach Collaros. The talented signal caller, recently chosen as the Division III Offensive Player of the Year, is both a running and passing threat. In last week's victory over Aurora, Collaros threw for 293 yards and six touchdowns.

The Big Red's other big weapon is 6-foot-1, 190-pound running back Tamawi McGhee. The senior two year starter has rushed for over 2,500 yards in the past two seasons, including 1,600 total rushing yards this year.

The potent Big Red offense will have a hard time against one of the best defenses in the state. Alter head coach Ed Domsitz calls his defense the best he has seen in 31 years of coaching. The quick, attacking style installed by defensive coordinator Larry Masters has held three playoff opponents scoreless. The Knights have shutout half their opponents this season and have allowed only seven points over the last 16 quarters of play.

Defensive lineman Brad Cash and linebacker Ben Maxwell were recently named first team All-Ohio selections while lineman Nick Anderson was tabbed as a second-team pick.

Maxwell, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior linebacker, was also named Division III Defensive Player of the Year.

When Kettering Alter has the ball: the Knights will look to control the clock with a straight-ahead rushing attack out of the wishbone formation. Michael Shaw and Chris Roark are the two primary ball carriers for the Knights, who average a whopping 291 rushing yards per game. However, quarterback Steve O'Donnell orchestrates the offense and is a capable ball carrier as well. In last week's state semifinal victory, O'Donnell scored twice on the ground.

Steubenville has a capable defense that has been solid all season. In addition to his quarterback duties, Collaros is also a standout on defense. In Steubenville's regional final victory over Dover, Collaros intercepted four passes and returned one 100 yards for a touchdown.

Outlook: It will be a battle of contrasting styles in this highly anticipated matchup. Steubenville, behind Collaros, will have to solve the Alter defense and be able to put points on the board early. Meanwhile, Alter will try to grab the early advantage and attempt to control the clock from that point on with their steady ground attack. Which ever team can establish the pace of the game early on should be able to put the other is a precarious position the rest of the way.

-Mike Parris
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Tough game-Steubenville was up 34-20 at half, but Alter fought back to to make it 34-33 w/ 6:50 in the 4th quarter. Defensive lapses in the 1st half, and XP problems cost the Knights dearly.
Collaros is a great athlete-he was just as impressive a S as he was a QB-he throws the ball w/ a release at his shoulder. McGhee is a nice back-Alter did a good job on him, but he is nicely built and has good quicks-good fit for toledo. Congrats to the Big Red.
 
Upvote 0
Defensive lapses in the 1st half, and XP problems cost the Knights dearly.
Click to expand...

Both ways actually. Steubenville was up 14-0 quickly, and were driving again. Had a nice pass across the middle to Davis, but when he hit the ground, the ball came out. It was called a fumble, and Alter ran it back deep into BR territory. This was an awful call, as it was obvious that the ground caused the fumble. That led to Alter's first TD. They scored their second one on a defensive breakdown (but a beautiful play by that speedy back of theirs, #21). BR was up 34-13, and decided to throw a horrible pass on 3rd and 18, which Alter returned inside the 10, and scored again. Dont get me wrong, gotta give credit to them for taking advantage of mistakes and hanging around. But ya gotta wonder what the outcome would have been like if not for BR not making those mistakes. That is the name of the game though.

Now the second half, different story. Alter came out and just punched them right in the mouth. Hard running, breaking tackles left and right. I was impressed. BR's defense had to really step up at the end to hold on, and they did so. Alter ran a reverse pass on 1st and 10 with a minute or so left in the game, that was thrown straight up in the air, and picked by BR to seal the game. THAT was a horrible play call :biggrin:

Overall though, phenominal game by 2 great teams. Definitely would have been the game of the weekend if the D1 game hadnt gone to 2 OT's :)
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top