I recall my early days as a young reporter in Shelby, working on an advance for a late football playoff game scheduled for Black Friday.
I asked then-Crest head coach Roy Kirby about having to practice on Thanksgiving, and he quickly corrected me.
“You don’t have to practice on Thanksgiving,” he said. “You get to practice on Thanksgiving.”
This week, 16 4A teams and 64 public schools in total will be practicing football this week, and Cleveland is among them.
The unbeaten Rams (12-0) are the top seed in the 4A East, and will entertain Jordan.
The details: Kickoff is set for Friday night at 7:30 at John Jacobs Stadium.
Media watch: As I write this, the official list isn’t out yet. But I imagine that, somehow, we’ll be there alongside JOCO Radio and Curtis Media. Maybe we’ll have a table, just outside the press box. I’m not picky. I need power, some chairs, some table/counter space and an unobstructed view.
How they got here: Jordan clipped Apex Friendship, 44-14, while Cleveland took down Ashley, 21-3.
Massey Ratings: Cleveland -15.5. Now, it’s tempting to point out the fact that Jordan hammered Heritage, 44-0, in their meeting earlier this year — the same Heritage that Cleveland needed a last-second touchdown to beat in round one. But the computer is more interested in the Falcons’ poor strength of schedule (88 out of 104, per the Simmons Ratings.)
Series history: This will be the first meeting.
Stat pack: Amareon Blue, the son of former UNC player A.J. Blue, is committed to Eastern Michigan. The senior running back is the headliner with 1,903 yards and 29 touchdowns. Landon Melton is no slouch at quarterback, either, accounting for just under 2,200 total yards and 28 touchdowns.
Defensively, the Falcons have forced 26 turnovers (19 INT, 7 fumble recoveries) and have 11 guys with at least 20 tackles.
For Cleveland, the Jackson Byrd experience rolls on for the Rams’ offense.
Byrd, as you can see, spreads the ball around to a bevy of talented receivers. Interestingly enough, last week the Rams rushed for 203 yards in the win over Ashley.
On defense, the Rams have forced 27 turnovers (18 INT, 9 fumble recoveries), have 44 sacks and are led by a tackling machine in Sawyer Lowe. The 177 tackles for loss as a team is a ridiculous stat, too.
When Cleveland has the ball: Cardinal Gibbons is the best team on Jordan’s schedule this season, and Gannon Jones threw for 320 yards and three scores in a 43-24 Crusader win. Cleveland’s offense is a little different than Cardinal Gibbons, but it’s every bit as talented. It’s going to be a little chilly, but otherwise weather won’t be an issue. Just how effective the Falcons are at keeping Byrd and the Rams’ aerial assault in check will be pivotal.
When Jordan has the ball: It all starts with Blue. He recorded 74 yards and a score in the loss to Cardinal Gibbons and had 112 yards and a score in the other loss to Millbrook. So, he’s going to get his yards. The question is how many yards he gets per carry? In the two losses, he averaged just shy of 4.5 yards per carry. In the 10 wins, that figure spikes to 11.6. That number will probably be a good indicator of how things are going for the Cleveland defense.
Prediction: In the 11 games in which there are stats recorded for the opposing team (South Garner is missing) only Garner’s Devyn Grant and Clayton’s Aiden Smalls topped 100 yards on the ground against the Rams. And it took north of 20 carries both times. This is a matchup similar to the one Cleveland faced against Clayton, so it won’t be as jarring as it might otherwise be.
As for the other side of the ball, Jordan hasn’t played anyone as good as Cleveland since August when it faced Cardinal Gibbons. Assuming it avoids self-inflicted wounds, Cleveland should be able to move the ball.
I hate the Massey number here. This is a 7-10 point game, and I feel like the Rams might just be about to start hitting their stride at just the right time.