Preview: Chaminade Julienne at Alter

The stakes have never been higher than they are in this 2016 U.S. Marines Battle of the Gridiron Series regular season finale. Everything is on the line for red-hot Chaminade Julienne but the deck is seriously stacked against them.

The Eagles, winners of five in a row, need a victory to get into the playoffs. Unfortunately, they will have to earn it on the road against unbeaten GCL North rival, Alter. It is a Knights team that has shown no mercy on its foes beating them by a margin of 41.1 points per game.

Alter OL NIck Busher (photo by Mike Noyes/TriStateFootball.com)

Seven of the eight playoff spots in Division IV, Region 16 have already been determined before the teams even take the field for the regular season finale. There are a handful of teams still alive for that last berth. Chaminade Julienne is the only one of those squads that controls its own destiny. A win and the Eagles are in. A loss and the party is over.

An upset isn’t out of the question in this annual Week 10 affair. A 3-6 Chaminade Julienne squad knocked off the 8-1 Knights in 2010. The time might just be right for the Eagles to turn the tide once again.

CHAMINADE JULIENNE EAGLES (6-3, 5-1) at ALTER KNIGHTS (9-0, 6-0)
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m., Careflight Field (Springboro HS)
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PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior running back Jac’Quel Freeman and his classmate receiver Darian Jones are part of an offensive core for Chaminade Julienne that is loaded with athletes. Quarterback Ryan Peltier, Jonathan Bell and Isaiah Haywood are juniors who add to the Eagles explosiveness. Jones and Freeman have also combined for five interceptions on defense.

Chaminade Julienne QB Ryan Peltier (photo by Mark Porter/ScoutingOhio.com)

So many players for Alter are exceeding expectations it is hard to name them all individually. Linebackers David Rueth, Kyle Roshong, Alden Simms and Layne Harshbarger set the tone for the Knights defense. They do an outstanding job of keeping the game in front of them to go along with their deceiving speed and excellent tackling skills. The offensive line is led by senior Nick Busher. They have blown the opposition back off the ball all season for a bevy of Alter backs to take advantage of. Quarterback Ryan Markoff has run for 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns in his last 20 games.

TEAM TRENDS: What difference a year (or two) makes. Chaminade Julienne comes into the contest on a five game winning streak. The Eagles limped into the finales versus Alter in ’14 and ’15 having lost three straight. During this win current streak Chaminade Julienne has three victories of 30 points or more and the other two by seven points.

Alter has scored 49 points or more in seven of its last eight wins. The offense has run for 50 touchdowns (5.5/game) and no players is averaging more than seven carries per contest on the year. Last week against McNicholas four Knights had at least 80 yards rushing. Nine players have at least two rushing touchdowns. The Alter defense is holding opponents to 6.9 points per game. No one has scored more than 15 points on them.

CHAMINADE JULIENNE’S KEYS TO VICTORY: The Eagles have to find a way to stay fresh. With so many players contributing on both offense and defense getting worn down against Alter’s depth could cause problems in the second half. Chaminade Julienne must avoid fatigue, force a couple of turnovers and get its athletes on offense ample opportunities to shine.

ALTER’S KEYS TO VICTORY: Size matters and when you got it, flaunt it. Alter is big, durable and deep up front. No need for the Knights to change what got them to this point. Blowing opponents off the ball in the trenches, on both sides of the line, is what makes this team so special.

Prediction: ALTER 42, CHAMINADE JULIENNE 13

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