: NIsportsPublished: November 6, 2009
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share thisMANDATA - It comes down to this, can Line Mountain push aside a four-game stretch that includes a single win over lowly Halifax and sit a little higher going into the District 4 playoffs, or continue to feed off a season ripe with expectations but bereft of any results thus far?
It's a dilemma worthy of a Shakespearean epic, if the Bard lived in Trevorton or Herndon.
Sitting in the way of a 7-3 regular season for the Eagles is a Pine Grove team which at last glance was 30 points behind Pen Argyl for the final seed in District 11 Class AA tournament.
Line Mountain has 870 points in the District 4 playoff rankings after nine weeks of action, and despite the Eagles' considerable flubbing of the second half of the season, is in first place in the district. To be caught by either Southern Columbia or Bloomsburg, either would have to win and have every team they beat this year win in the final week as well.
The Cardinals beat Line Mountain last year 23-8 to make it into the District 11 playoffs, only to be bounced in the first round, while at the same time keeping Line Mountain from hosting a playoff game.
Two seasons ago, a loss to the Eagles sent the Cardinals spiraling to four straight losses, as was the case three years ago, although in '07 the Cardinals missed the playoffs while earning an Eastern Conference bid the year before.
This year's Cardinals are experiencing an unusually down season for them, considering how things have gone for them in the previous decade, apart from nine-loss seasons at the beginning of the century.
These Cardinals are also without a Krammes or an Emerich to give the ball to at the skill positions.
They are a run-first team with Nick Todero, a 5-foot, 8-inch sophomore quarterback, taking the snaps for Jeff Sampson's team. Todero has still thrown for 487 yards and eight touchdowns to one interception.
But Todero's principle job is to hand the ball off to a number of Pine Grove backs.
The most accomplished this season is junior Josh Himmelberger. At 6-2, 180 pounds, Himmelberger has 658 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cameron Conrad, another sophomore, is second on the team in rushing with 300 yards, followed senior Cale Hoover with 247 yards.
Leading the team in receptions is Larry Zimmerman with 16 catches and 211 yards and three touchdown catches.
The Eagles shouldn't be in as much of a preparation vacuum against Pine Grove as they admittedly were with unknown opponent Susquenita, which the Eagles' coaches had seen in person once and had one other tape to build a game plan for.
"We looked at film on Sunday, and will be trading film with them Tuesday morning," Line Mountain head coach Mike Carson said on Monday night following the Eagles' 27-7 loss to Susquenita. "We'll spend a lot of time Tuesday and Wednesday night trying to put together a game plan. A least it's a team that we have some familiarity with, but they have some familiarity with us as well."
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