Reporter: Tyler Pinnock
The White Plains High School football team faced a crushing 34-0 defeat against North Rockland High School. This is the Tigers’ second straight loss of the season, following their first game last week against out-of-league Fox Lane. The Tigers are struggling to piece things together on both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball.
With a seemingly undersized team, the Tigers’ tallest player is 6’4″. The lack of size has me questioning the offensive line’s ability to protect the quarterback long enough to make plays down the field or create running lanes for a running back to move the ball.
With only one touchdown in two weeks of play, it makes me wonder how the coaching staff will adjust the playbook moving into Week Three. Will they attempt to find a way to turn what seems, from the outside, like a struggling offensive system into one that can consistently put the team in a position to win games?
When looking at the defense, the struggles are seemingly just as significant as they are on offense. North Rockland appeared to be able to do whatever they wanted offensively. The passing game completed 13 of 19 passes for 213 yards, allowing North Rockland to move the ball through the air with ease. In my opinion, the six incompletions were more the result of quarterback errors than strong defensive plays from the Tigers.
My last observation about the team is the number of seniors on the roster. With 14 seniors, it provides both a positive and a negative for the team. The negative is that a significant portion of the team will be leaving after this season, creating a hole that will need to be filled. The team has faced many problems over the years, and the upcoming roster change may be necessary.
However, the number of seniors can also be viewed as a positive. The Tigers may need to move in a different direction, and there is no better opportunity to create change than by bringing in a young group of players who can quickly learn and adapt to a new structure. Just because change is needed does not mean that change is bad.
This team has the potential to turn its season around. The Tigers can make a difference between who they are after these first two weeks and who they can become in the weeks ahead.
