Sunday, November 14, 2010

Week 10 notebook

Numbers: Part One
Junior wide receiver Michael Burke IV finished the season with 72 catches for 1,185 yards.  Friday, he caught six passes for 158 yards, his third best of the season. All the catches were in the first half.

Numbers: Part Two
Junior quarterback Tyler Harrison connected on 16 of 32 passes for a career-high 314 yards and two scores to Burke and John Markley. He also threw a season-high three interceptions. Seven different players caught passes from Harrison.

Numbers: Part Three
The loss was the fifth in a row in the playoffs for the Tide to Steel-High. The 41-32 final represented the most points scored in the series by both teams. Columbia also lost to the Rollers in 2008, 2005, 2000 and 1999. The closest game in the series was a 26-18 loss to the Rollers in 1999. The Tide last won a playoff game in 2001 over Holy Nae by a 48-7 score.
Overall, Columbia has a 4-13 playoff record.

Numbers: Part 4
According to rodfrisco.com, the playoff appearance this season was the Tide's 14th, third highest in Class A behind Holy Name and Camp Hill. They have the seventh longest losing streak in District 3. Harrison's 314 yards passing could be a district record.

Odds and ends....
The Tide was 4-2 in games they led at halftime. The two losses were Friday to Steel-High and in week two to Northeastern.

Columbia honors its military

It was a big day of ceremonies today in Columbia. The Columbia Historic Preservation Society has pictures: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-PA/Columbia-Historic-Preservation-Society/236107089521

Band receives honor

The Columbia High School marching band was named the Most Improved Band at today's Cavalcade of Bands' competition at Hersheypark Stadium.
The band was seventh in the Independence Division with a score of 81.70

Comeback ends season

At Memorial Stadium on Cottage Hill at Steelton-Highspire High School, the "high rolling" Rollers scored 41 straight points to end the season for the Tide in a 41-32 playoff loss.


This one was as different as say night and day or snow or rain.

Columbia dominated the first half of the game. The Rollers dominated the second half. As a result, the Rollers are moving onto a semifinal match-up against Reading Holy Name. The Tide season ended with a 4-7 record.

The four wins is the most for a Columbia football team in the last three years. Three years ago, the Tide went 3-8 and was an un-Columbia like 0-10 a year ago. Had it not been for a couple of tough section losses to Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon, the Tide probably would have won two more games.

Under first-year head coach Mike Burke III, the Tide took a big step toward restoring the pride, which had been missing the last two seasons. With a number of key skill people returning next season, the Tide is well suited to make a run at bigger and better things.

As stated early, Friday’s game was as different as night and day.

Columbia, who had lost its previous four playoff meetings to Steel-High was up to the challenge early.

On their second possession of the game after being pinned back at their own 9, the Tide moved early up field. Junior quarterback Tyler Harrison ran for 27 yards on the first two plays of the drive, then completed back-to-back passes to Michel Burke for 60 yards moving the ball to the Roller 11.

Three plays later, Harrison scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 1-yard sneak with 3:34 left. Columbia had the early 6-0 lead after missing its first PAT of the game.

After forcing the Rollers to punt, Columbia moved in for its second score. A 46-yard Harrison to Burke pass set up a 10-yard sprint to the end zone for Harrison. With 53 seconds left in the first quarter after missing their second PAT of the game, the Tide led 12-0.

On their first possession of the second quarter, the Tide used the run and pass to move in for their third score of the half. As a sign of how good things were for the Tide. Fullback Dominic Trout rumbled 15 yards with a pass after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage by the Rollers. It was te first of two such plays on the drive, which started at the Tide 1 and ended when Harrison found Burke behind the Roller secondary for a 40-yard score. After missing their third straight PAT, the Tide led 18-0.

But it wasn’t long before the Rollers kicked their offense into high gear. After falling behind, Clayton McNair, who was held to minus 13 yards on his first three carries, broke loose on a 27-yard run to put the Rollers on the board with 1:50 left in the first half.

Trailing now 18-7, Columbia moved in for another score, but a fourth down pass fell short at the Roller 35 with 22 seconds left on the half.

But Columbia got one more chance to score. Cain Warfel picked off a Roller pass with five seconds left, but the Tide didn’t score.

Yes, it looked good for the Tide at the half. They were moving the ball on offense and their defense was the big plays. A trip to the District Three semifinals was just 24 minutes away for the Tide.

But the start of the second half was not a good one for the Tie.

McNair, who found the going rough in the first half, got untracked in the second half.

On the Rollers’ first possession of the second half, he carried four times for 73 yards, including a 3-yard blast for a score with 10:31 left in the third quarter. His second score of the game pulled the Rollers within 18-14.

It still looked good for the Tide. They moved the ball to the Roller 34 before they fumbled, giving the Rollers new life. Steel-High as most good teams do, capitalized. Five plays after the fumble, McNair bounced in from the 4. The PAT gave the Rollers their first lead of the game, 21-18 with 7:33 left in the third quarter.

Late in the third quarter, the Tide moved the ball again, moving to the Roller 45 before being forced to punt.

The punt pinned the Rollers back at their own 7.

The Rollers were now rolling and quickly moved up field, scoring with 7:12 left in the game on a 5-yard run by McNair and it just got worse for the Tide.

On their next possession, Harrison was picked off and that resulted in another McNair score and a 35-18 Roller lead with 6:47 left.

Harrison was again picked off on the Tide’s next possession, but the Rollers fumbled giving the ball back to the Tide at the 2. But for the third straight possession, Harrison was picked off by Jordan Millberry, who took the pick to the house, giving te Rollers a 41-18 lead with five minutes left.

The Tide was down but not out. DJ Wells pulled the Tide within two scores with a 37-yard run with 4:26 left. Again, the Tide botched the PAT and trailed 41-24.

After recovering the onsides kick, the Tide scored again, this time on a 50-yard pass from Harrison to John Markley. The Tide finally converted the two-point conversion and trailed 41-32.

But the Tide couldn’t recover their second onsides kick and the Rollers ran out the clock.

Local bar is cited

The Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement cited Harrington Bar and Grille, 410 Locust St., for a loudspeaker violation and for failing to adhere to a conditional licensing agreement.

Game video

Here is a link to some video of Friday's game: http://blog.pennlive.com/joecleezy/2010/11/video_columbia_vs_steel-high_f.html

Guiles receives honor at LVC

Ben Guiles has received another honor at LVC: http://godutchmen.com/news/2010/11/14/FB_1114101143.aspx