The NEPSAC Tom Austin Bowl championship football game pitted Proctor against Noble & Greenough School at Phillips Exeter Academy Saturday afternoon. The game ended a few hours ago. I have no statistics to support the insights that follow, but this was best football game one could imagine. Proctor was not favored, but we had the advantage of immense fan support. With several hundred alumni, parents, faculty and students (despite the fact that we're on vacation!) we were able to make all the noise that mattered. We played off of the team spirit of the players in front of us. Here, we see boys up from the bench after yet another rushing first down.....
In his two years as head coach, Chuck Reid has assembled a squad that blends youth with experience. Their cohesive spirit is contageous, and the crowd in green fed off of their energy. This is immediately after a fumble recovery.
Throughout the game, the teams had one thing in common: great defense. As the game proceeded, they gained another thing in common: great respect for one another. Noble & Greenough's offense featured a stellar passing game that connected a super-talented QB with very fast, tall receivers. Proctor countered with a punishing running game, with three boys looking for big holes created by a creative blocking scheme.
The huge differential in fan support was one asset. On the field, Proctor dominated first downs, time of possession and rushing yards.
Raymon, Spencer and Isiah all mix power with finesse, but each definitely looks for openings, and hesitates to size up situations. No one creates more chaos as a runner than Isiah.
They would be hit behind the line (as Nobles' runners were, repeatedly,) were it not for the blocking schemes. Check this out.
This game was an emotional roller-coaster, as Nobles took a 14-0 lead into halftime. The green team received an immense ovation going into the break, and came out fighting. Scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter, we finished regular time at 14-14. Spencer got plenty of yards after this straight-arm:
Overtime gave each team the ball at the 25. Proctor got the ball first, and after a surprise, long pass to the three yard line, scored, but failed by an inch on the two-point conversion. N&G eventually scored, also. So the entire championship came down to a point-after attempt. We blocked it, and secured an undefeated season, sharing the championship with a very fine team from Dedham, Massachusetts.
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