Who: Mount Pleasant 1 - 3 (Home 0 - 1, Away 1 - 2)
Media Rank: TNJ: # NR , WDEL: # NR
National Rank: #9928 State Rank: #32
Conference: Blue Hen Flight B, Conference Record: 1 - 1
When: Saturday, October 6th 2:00 PM
Where: Mount Pleasant High School - Link
Series: Saint Mark's leads the series 1 - 0
Last Played: 2017, Saint Mark's won 58 - 7
Weather: Game time temps: high of 72, low of 71, cloudy with 0 % chance of rain and 6mph winds.
Media Coverage: N/A
Coach: Randy Holmes
Schedule: Link
Roster: Link
** CalPreps rankings.
Media Rank: TNJ: # NR , WDEL: # NR
National Rank: #9928 State Rank: #32
Conference: Blue Hen Flight B, Conference Record: 1 - 1
When: Saturday, October 6th 2:00 PM
Where: Mount Pleasant High School - Link
Series: Saint Mark's leads the series 1 - 0
Last Played: 2017, Saint Mark's won 58 - 7
Weather: Game time temps: high of 72, low of 71, cloudy with 0 % chance of rain and 6mph winds.
Media Coverage: N/A
Coach: Randy Holmes
Schedule: Link
Roster: Link
** CalPreps rankings.
Saint Mark's travels to Mount Pleasant High School this weekend to take on the Green Knights. The Saturday matinee game affords the Spartans an extra day of practice, and a brief respite from the bright lights of a marquee match up. Both of which could be beneficial coming off their overtime loss to Archmere Academy. Close defeats are tough to digest under normal circumstances. When many of the wounds are self inflicted, it only compounds the despair. Unnecessary penalties, unforced turnovers, and mental lapses plagued Saint Mark's in their first loss of the year. And while the number of these mistakes were unusually high, and not likely to be repeated by the same team in a single season, it is still cause for concern. In tight battles, against stiff competition, even a few of these errors can mean the difference between victory and defeat. At their core, these are habits, that can be addressed, and corrected in practice. If there was ever a time for the Spartans to get back to their grind, and work on the fundamentals of the game, it's now. The longer week should help in this area, as could their next opponent. Mount Pleasant should challenge Saint Mark's enough to test them, though not to the point of shutting them down. The Spartans should be able to focus on their execution, developing better patience, and maintaining cooler heads in heated situations. The game should also offer less distractions for the players, being on the road, and in the afternoon. There will be less pressure for the players to put on a show in this atmosphere. All in all, the timing of this contest couldn't be better. And while it would feel good to win big, coming off the heartbreaking loss to the Auks. It would serve Saint Mark's better to concentrate on the how, more than the how much. This game offers the Spartans an environment to work out the wrinkles, that they won't likely see again going forward.
Mount Pleasant enters the contest with the same record (1 - 3) and nearly identical results as they did when the teams met last year. After falling in a close game to St. Elizabeth (20 - 10), they manhandled Dickinson (37 - 12) for their lone win. That was followed by lopsided losses to Sussex Tech (47 - 6) and A.I. DuPont (35 - 7). In many ways they appear comparable to the 2017 squad that finished 4 - 6. The notable difference being in the players that returned. Although they lost ten seniors to graduation from the group, many of their key players were underclassmen and are back, with experience, and ready to lead this year. The Green Knights offense looks balanced, though they will lean towards the pass or run depending on their opponent. They feature a tandem of running backs in Carnell Smith and Donnell Gandy. Smith has rushed for 257 yards and three touchdowns, while Gandy has contributed with 163 yards and one score. Both can be dangerous runners if they get into the open field. Quarterback Zach Wallen passes for an average of 112 yards per game and has thrown three touchdowns. His favorite target is Jorden Collins who has 24 receptions for 330 yards, and three touchdowns on the year. Defensive backs Gandy, Tiler Thomas, and Treasure Williams are standouts on a defense that has struggled at times. They have given up 28.5 points per game, though that number is inflated due to the competition they have faced. Like many teams, Mount Pleasant has their share of skilled athletes, but lacks the surrounding cast. I would expect the Green Knights to have their moments, but Saint Mark's talent and depth should take over and allow them to prevail.