Maple Grove Football

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dpodoll68 said:
That's what I'm saying, though - you can't return a failed conversion at the HS level.

He had three choices - kneel on the ball, kick, or go for two. All of the decisions are no-risk (because the defense can't return a block/fumble/interception/etc.), but the only one with any additive value is the 2-point conversion. Not at all a big deal either way, but there was only one correct choice to be made out of those available.
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Correct. HC and whole staff was in shock and utter disbelief that they probably don't even remember making the call to kick. :eek: :confused:
 

GFBfan said:
Correct. HC and whole staff was in shock and utter disbelief that they probably don't even remember making the call to kick. :eek: :confused:
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Ding, ding, ding...this is the correct answer. They probably didn't even make a call. I'm sure the kicker just ran out there and at that point they didn't have any timeouts and were like screw it...
 

60's Guy said:
Wow! Thanks for the post and the link Johnny Boy. You can fast forward to the end but here's a recap:
27 to 10, 59 seconds to go, ball on the 18, TD pass on 4th and 8. PAT blocked 27 to 16
MG recovers onside kick at 49
1 play, 49 yard TD pass with catch and long run down the sideline
MG try for 2 failed... 27-22
MG recovers onside at 49 again!
1st down to 37 yd line, TO with 36 sec
Pass to 31 TO
Incomplete pass, 22 sec and 3rd and 4
Sideline pass for 1st down at 23 with 16 sec
False start penalty, back to 28 yd line
Pass to the 1 yard line, calmly, quickly get to line of scrimmage and spike it... 7 seconds remain at 1
Seemingly, obviously out of timeouts
MG calls a sweet misdirection run that allows the back to waltz into the end zone for the victory
Extra point try good and 29-27 win
59 seconds: Down 17 points...victory!
MG likely takes on Eden Prairie
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Crazy. Not meaning to nitpick, but why would they even try kicking the extra point there at the end? Can't blocked kicks be returned for 2 points the other way in HS?
 


How on earth did the first two TD passes -- both long bombs on a single play -- ever happen????

Maybe the first one, fine ... fool me once. But he didn't play prevent, drop 10 guys deep on the second play (after the first on-side recovery)????


You gotta be kidding me. That can't happen. If I was a parent of a STMA senior, especially with the season those kids have had, first in moving up to 6A and mostly beating everyone ..... I would want Essler fired, Plain and simple.
 


MnplsGopher said:
How on earth did the first two TD passes -- both long bombs on a single play -- ever happen????

Maybe the first one, fine ... fool me once. But he didn't play prevent, drop 10 guys deep on the second play (after the first on-side recovery)????


You gotta be kidding me. That can't happen. If I was a parent of a STMA senior, especially with the season those kids have had, first in moving up to 6A and mostly beating everyone ..... I would want Essler fired, Plain and simple.
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Don't know anything about MN HS football since years ago- but the idea of firing a HS football coach after he coached them into the quarterfinals is about as reactionary and ridiculous as it comes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

MnplsGopher said:
How on earth did the first two TD passes -- both long bombs on a single play -- ever happen????

Maybe the first one, fine ... fool me once. But he didn't play prevent, drop 10 guys deep on the second play (after the first on-side recovery)????


You gotta be kidding me. That can't happen. If I was a parent of a STMA senior, especially with the season those kids have had, first in moving up to 6A and mostly beating everyone ..... I would want Essler fired, Plain and simple.
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You've got to be kidding? Fire the coach after they make it to the State playoffs, but lose after some fluke things happen in the final minute. What could have he done to prevent any of that happening? Things just went completely wrong for them from the 4th down TD until the final TD.
 

I'm making the assumption that he played a normal defense the entire time, which would be so incredible stupid as to make you wonder if it was rigged.

Should be physically impossible to allow a 40+ bomb TD pass if your defense has at least six guys deep.
 

MnplsGopher said:
I'm making the assumption that he played a normal defense the entire time, which would be so incredible stupid as to make you wonder if it was rigged.

Should be physically impossible to allow a 40+ bomb TD pass if your defense has at least six guys deep.
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Watch the replay. They had 1 40+ yard TD pass in that whole sequence. They rushed 4 the entire last minute.
 



I read the recap in this thread. OK fine, so the first TD pass was "only" 18 yards. In the redzone, great play, you move on. Nothing wrong there.

They recover onside kick. Fine. Nothing wrong there.

But at that point there are 4x seconds left in the game, and they need two TDs to win. How are you not running prevent defense??????


That one incredibly boneheaded decision just cost the team the entire season. Everything they worked for, and did so well during the year .... gone. They won't even be remembered as a footnote.



**** This is all just my opinion, and my opinion only. And my opinion doesn't amount to diddly squat.
 

I didn't even know Mason was coaching again.
 

MnplsGopher said:
I read the recap in this thread. OK fine, so the first TD pass was "only" 18 yards. In the redzone, great play, you move on. Nothing wrong there.

They recover onside kick. Fine. Nothing wrong there.

But at that point there are 4x seconds left in the game, and they need two TDs to win. How are you not running prevent defense??????


That one incredibly boneheaded decision just cost the team the entire season. Everything they worked for, and did so well during the year .... gone. They won't even be remembered as a footnote.



**** This is all just my opinion, and my opinion only. And my opinion doesn't amount to diddly squat.
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I get what you are saying. They rushed 4 and had 7 dropped into coverage on all the plays after the 18 yard TD. The long pass play was a medium pass caught along the sideline and the receiver was fast, got a block on sideline that took out two defenders and he outran everyone else. Final drive was a few short passes, then one down the middle for about 20 yards to set up the final running play for a TD. Still don't understand why a flag wasn't thrown on that last play as MG did NOT have 7 players on the line of scrimmage. Can only guess that everyone was in disbelief about what was happening, including the referees and they missed it. Still a really hard way for the season to end for StMA.
 

MnplsGopher said:
How on earth did the first two TD passes -- both long bombs on a single play -- ever happen????

Maybe the first one, fine ... fool me once. But he didn't play prevent, drop 10 guys deep on the second play (after the first on-side recovery)????


You gotta be kidding me. That can't happen. If I was a parent of a STMA senior, especially with the season those kids have had, first in moving up to 6A and mostly beating everyone ..... I would want Essler fired, Plain and simple.
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HAHA. This dude is on a roll.

Even for a new member, his initial posts have been some real beauties.
 



GFBfan said:
I get what you are saying. They rushed 4 and had 7 dropped into coverage on all the plays after the 18 yard TD. The long pass play was a medium pass caught along the sideline and the receiver was fast, got a block on sideline that took out two defenders and he outran everyone else. Final drive was a few short passes, then one down the middle for about 20 yards to set up the final running play for a TD. Still don't understand why a flag wasn't thrown on that last play as MG did NOT have 7 players on the line of scrimmage. Can only guess that everyone was in disbelief about what was happening, including the referees and they missed it. Still a really hard way for the season to end for StMA.
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Then I guess there's nothing left for me to do but: 1) retract my previous posts, which were wrong, 2) sit here in utter disbelief than 7 young men dropped back in coverage could not prevent a touchdown. That play was the entire season, down the tubes. Sure, they also had the last drive to stop them ... but with the second on-side recovery, the moment was practically impossible, and the football gods are as cruel as they come.

Great season for StMA nonetheless.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Gold.
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Ha! My phone was acting up this morning so I could only read some of the comments. Looks like it's been determined that you can't returned a blocked kick for 2. With that being the case, going for 2 would have made the most sense. Go ahead by 3 in case the following kick off is returned a ways and there ends up being a penalty (like facemask) that allows one more play for a possible FG.
 

Actually, the final onside kick was illegal as well. There are two penalties that should have been called on the play.

Two years ago a rule was put into place at the high school level that a kicking team player may NOT contact a receiving team player until the ball has gone 10 yards. It's obvious that Maple Grove contacted the STMA player before the ball traveled 10 yards. I cannot believe that it was not called. That cost STMA the game. It's Rule 9.3.8 in the NFHS handbook. So the STMA players and coaches were not arguing that the ball didn't travel 10 yards. They were arguing that there was obvious illegal contact against the players on their front line.

The other rule that was changed this year was that there has to be at least two yards of separation between each of the kicking teams players(not counting the kicker) on the kick. You will see the 3 players on the bottom of the Maple Grove kickoff unit are almost touching before the kick. Another penalty.

Too bad a team had to lose because of an obvious missed call.
 

Gopherwatcher said:
Actually, the final onside kick was illegal as well. There are two penalties that should have been called on the play.

Two years ago a rule was put into place at the high school level that a kicking team player may NOT contact a receiving team player until the ball has gone 10 yards. It's obvious that Maple Grove contacted the STMA player before the ball traveled 10 yards. I cannot believe that it was not called. That cost STMA the game. It's Rule 9.3.8 in the NFHS handbook. So the STMA players and coaches were not arguing that the ball didn't travel 10 yards. They were arguing that there was obvious illegal contact against the players on their front line.

The other rule that was changed this year was that there has to be at least two yards of separation between each of the kicking teams players(not counting the kicker) on the kick. You will see the 3 players on the bottom of the Maple Grove kickoff unit are almost touching before the kick. Another penalty.

Too bad a team had to lose because of an obvious missed call.
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Correct. Add the egregious illegal formation on the winning touchdown and it's not a stellar ending.
 

Gopherwatcher said:
Actually, the final onside kick was illegal as well. There are two penalties that should have been called on the play.

Two years ago a rule was put into place at the high school level that a kicking team player may NOT contact a receiving team player until the ball has gone 10 yards. It's obvious that Maple Grove contacted the STMA player before the ball traveled 10 yards. I cannot believe that it was not called. That cost STMA the game. It's Rule 9.3.8 in the NFHS handbook. So the STMA players and coaches were not arguing that the ball didn't travel 10 yards. They were arguing that there was obvious illegal contact against the players on their front line.

The other rule that was changed this year was that there has to be at least two yards of separation between each of the kicking teams players(not counting the kicker) on the kick. You will see the 3 players on the bottom of the Maple Grove kickoff unit are almost touching before the kick. Another penalty.

Too bad a team had to lose because of an obvious missed call.
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Even the write up in the Minneapolis Paper stated that Maple Grove kick off team blocked STMA players while the play was happening. So everyone caught it but the refs.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Amazing comeback - but a curious decision at the end. If you're up 28-27 with 4 seconds left, why would you kick the extra point instead of going for two? An extra point does nothing whatsoever, but a 2-point conversion at least protects a tie in the highly unlikely event of a FG. I'd love to know his thought process behind that decision.
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Well with four seconds he probably figured not enough time left and the only way they lose is by a td on the kickoff. The 2pt conversion wouldn't matter.
 

Whytetale said:
Well with four seconds he probably figured not enough time left and the only way they lose is by a td on the kickoff. The 2pt conversion wouldn't matter.
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As I already stated, a 2-pt conversion would protect a tie in the highly unlikely event of a FG. A FG is at least possible, no matter how unlikely. There was nothing to be gained by having a 2-point lead vs. a 1-point lead.
 


Definitely bad officiating at the end of the game with the rule explanations stated above.

The one thing that totally stood out to me while watching the ending of the game is the sportsmanship of the players. They were constantly tossing the ball to the officials after each play and even though the second on-side kick did not travel 10 years the players were not in the face of the officials.

I know it is tough and disheartening to lose in such a manner but the character of the players will go along way.

It was just refreshing to see such a well manner group of players just out having fun unlike the current thing that you see on Sunday and sometimes on Saturday!!!
 

I would add one more missed penalty was the 2nd onside kick, although not as egregious as the other ones that have already been pointed out. The player to the kickers right (left of the kicker on the video) is offsides on the kick. Maybe only a half yard or so, but definitely in front of the kicker at the time of the kick.
 

I was at a game earlier this year, and on one play, two players went in motion. everyone - including the defense - assumed a penalty was coming. But no flag was thrown and the play went forward. everyone in the press box was cracking up - we couldn't believe what we just saw.
 

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