(12-1)Tualatin vs (13-0)Cent Catholic.. Who’s got the Advantage?

Saturday’s 6A State Title game projects to be one of the more competitive contests in some time. Looking at the game I went to a trusted source in former All State and Collegiate WR Ryan Potter. Referenced below are his thoughts and why he gives Tualatin the edge. I will counter and elaborate as well. Have a look .. &nbsp; POTTER: Here are the advantages that I see for Tualatin 1.Height at the second level. Tualatin DBs go 6-2, 6-1, 6-4, 6-0. A lot of [player_tooltip player_id="152354" first="Cru" last="Newman"]’s passes are 50/50 balls to King and Williams. That doesn’t work against Tualatin because they have the height to defend it. 2.Height in the receiver core. Tualatin can line up WR’s/TE’s that go 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Outside of King, CC doesn’t have the height or size in the secondary to defend that. 3.Senior leadership. The team is very senior heavy. 4.X Factor- [player_tooltip player_id="110178" first="Jack" last="Wagner"]. Wagner is as fast as [player_tooltip player_id="28843" first="Malik" last="Ross"] and with them both on the field at the same time it is very difficult to key on Malik. <strong>SUMMARY</strong>- In order to win Tualatin needs to keep [player_tooltip player_id="152354" first="Cru" last="Newman"] in the pocket. The kid is elusive. Don’t let King and Williams beat you for big plays. Get ahead early. CC played in a weak conference and had an easy draw in the playoffs. They have not played a Three Rivers team yet. If they get down early, how do they react? Stay calm. CC has been in championship games before. Tualatin has not. They can’t get in their own heads. Involve Burke (6-5), Anderson (6-4), and Hale (6-5) in the offensive game plan. Their height creates matchup nightmares. Don’t let Bynum beat you. Gang tackling is important due to size. &nbsp; &nbsp; MY COUNTER:  I agree that Tualatin is going to win the football game. In my hypothetical 6A bracket, posted on PRZ before the playoffs, I had Tualatin over CC in the title game. That said as I think it will be very close. &nbsp; <strong>CENTRAL CATHOLIC SUMMARY:</strong> I would agree that Central’s schedule has been relatively weak, beating two Washington traditional powers early in the year in Camas and Tumwater, and then Clackamas handily in the conference championship. Even so I’ve learned to error on the side of caution when betting against the Rams. A few of the X factors for me if CC is going to get the W are [player_tooltip player_id="108152" first="Myale" last="Jones"] and [player_tooltip player_id="28860" first="Zachery" last="Grisham"] on D, and [player_tooltip player_id="152354" first="Cru" last="Newman"] on offense. Jones has had a phenomenal season earning 1st team all-conference honors on defense. The 6-5 345-pound D lineman surprised everyone with his mobility on the interior. All are aware of [player_tooltip player_id="28839" first="Jordan" last="King"] as one of Oregon’s top D1 prospects. He will need to have a big day on both sides of the ball, especially on D where his size matters in this type of contest. If Central is going to contain the T-Wolves WR’s, three-year starter and 1st team All Mt Hood DB selection Zach Grisham, will have to have an unreal night. Potter’s correct, that the size will be tough to counter if used right. Conference Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="152354" first="Cru" last="Newman"] passed for 27 TDs and 1 INT during the regular season, playing beyond his years. He has been exceptional. If he plays anything less than that the Rams won’t win. It’s no secret he will be targeting one of the nation’s top TE’s in [player_tooltip player_id="104685" first="Riley" last="Williams"] and King. Senior RB [player_tooltip player_id="204574" first="Ellis" last="Bynum"] ultimately could be the difference maker. If they can make Tualatin respect the run with his size and double-digit yards per carry average, they will be much more effective controlling the clock, and keeping a very dangerous T Wolves offense off the field. &nbsp; <strong>TUALATIN SUMMARY: </strong> As referenced the Rams have a good, but very young QB in Newman. The T Wolves feature maybe the top two QB’s in the state for their respective classes, in 2x 1st team all-league Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="28854" first="Jackson" last="Jones"] and the fastest rising Junior in Oregon in [player_tooltip player_id="110178" first="Jack" last="Wagner"]. This is a unique problem to have for Tualatin with Wagner playing lights out on both sides of the football. It would not surprise me a bit to see him ranked the #2 recruit state wide behind [player_tooltip player_id="104685" first="Riley" last="Williams"] when all is said and done. Bold statement but I think he’s special. [player_tooltip player_id="28843" first="Malik" last="Ross"] will need to continue his tear. As of right now he might be the biggest miss from a recruitment standpoint in the last 1/2 decade out of Oregon. If we are talking X Factors, I agree with Potter specific to the biggest variable being size. It’s incredibly rare to have a handful of 6-4/6-5 athletic kids. [player_tooltip player_id="108147" first="Kellen" last="Hale"], [player_tooltip player_id="204568" first="Peter" last="Burke"], and Jr. [player_tooltip player_id="147240" first="Richie" last="Anderson"] are just a few of the difference makers. If the T-Wolves are going to win their first state title in school history, expect Princeton commit and Gatorade Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="28846" first="Cole" last="Prusia"] to have an MVP type performance. Tualatin Junior CB [player_tooltip player_id="152355" first="AJ" last="Noland"] will need to play the game of his life. He is one of the premier Sophomore’s in the state of Oregon and he will have to keep King and a very underrated all-conference WR Stryder Todd-Williams in check. &nbsp; <strong>Projected Scores:</strong> Jordan Johnson- Tualatin 33 Central Catholic 27 Ryan Potter- Tualatin 28 Central Catholic 21 &nbsp; &nbsp;