The Greenbrier East Spartans got off on the wrong foot of 2022 on Friday, Aug. 26, when they lost to Point Pleasant 30-7.
What went wrong and what went right?
My take is below:
1. Both Spartan lines struggled
Games are won and lost in the trenches and against Point Pleasant, East just was not strong enough on either side of the line. Point Pleasant ran for 412 yards against the Spartan defense, and East’s offense managed only 56 yards rushing including star Ian Cline’s -2 yards after breaking records all last year.
East has to get better up front – and they will – because not only are the players young, the season is as well. They have this week of practice and nine more games to come out and show they are getting better. If they improve, Cline will benefit the most and Cline being able to gash out many rushing yards is a huge key to East’s success.
2. Missed opportunities
The Spartans had chances to gain momentum early in the contest when Point Pleasant was struggling to hold onto the football.
They lost fumbles on their first three possessions, but the Spartans got zero points off the three turnovers, which included a blocked field goal attempt by Noah Dotson that solidified the goose egg in the points off turnovers column.
East also turned it over on a 35-yard run by C.W. Sturgell, a dropped pass that may have gone for a touchdown, an interception in the back of the end zone after a good drive (the ball looked like it hit the goalpost) and a few throws just barely overthrown that would have been big plays.
Those are typical first game happenings. East will eventually capitalize and turn some miscues into points, but the opener showed how every play is important. A conversion here and a caught pass there can be the difference in a win or a loss.
3. Miscues at the worst times
Not only did the missed opportunities hurt the Spartans, but also when they occurred hurt just as much.
You can never be sure what would have happened had something gone differently, but momentum and crowd noise could have played a huge factor. When Dotson’s field goal was blocked, the game was still scoreless, so if East goes up 3-0 at that point, Point Pleasant has a different mindset the rest of the half.
On top of that, a long dropped pass may put East up 7-0, then Point Pleasant’s game plan really changes. East was down 17-0 in the third quarter when Sturgell fumbled deep in enemy territory. Again, if the Spartans get anything there, even just three points, the complexity of the game could change.
4. One explosive play
Lucas McCallister caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Cline on a trick play early in the fourth quarter, but that was the only big play the Spartans could muster.
With an offense that features Monquelle Davis, Cline, McCallister and Jake Pate, East is going to have to strike down the field much more than one time in a game. They have the personnel to get it done, but can they get it done up front to allow those playmakers to do just that, make plays. That is the question as the team goes forward.
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