LM coach preps Eagles for SCA

By CHUCK SOUDERS (SPORTS WRITER chuck_s@newsitem.com)

Published: November 20, 2009

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larry deklinski/Staff File Photos Line Mountain quarterback Marty Beninsky, left, picks up yardage last week against Montgomery. Beninsky injured his shoulder during the game, but is expected to be ready to go this week. If not, freshman Cole Rickert, right, who took over last week, will get the nod for the Eagles.

Line Mountain's Mike Carson has been coaching football a long time, and knows a good football team when he sees one.

And contrary to what some people were saying earlier in the season, Southern Columbia is a good football team, Carson says.

Carson's Eagles (8-3) host the Tigers (7-4) in the District 4 Class A championship game tonight, pitting the area schools against each other in the playoffs for the fourth straight year. Southern won the title game 49-31 in 2006, and 37-14 last season, and Line Mountain knocked Southern out in the semifinals, 22-17 in 2007.

At one point this season, Southern was 3-4 and in danger of not even qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in two decades. But Carson says whatever the Tigers'

problems were then, they've righted them.

"I'm really impressed," he says. "In some ways, they don't have the spectacular guys like they had on some of their state championship teams, but their offensive line comes off the ball really well and their backs are running hard. So in that way, they're just like all of their teams."

Carson is impressed with both Jake Morton and Tyrell Thomas, the Tigers' top two running backs. Morton has run for 1,077 yards and 13 touchdowns, and Thomas, who did not play in Southern's 28-6 win over Bloomsburg last week because of a disciplinary issue, has 884 yards and 11 touchdowns, and is the Tigers' leading receiver (20 catches, 205 yards).

"Morton finds the cracks and runs downhill, and the Thomas kid has great natural ability," Carson says. "They both keep their shoulder level low when they run.

"They've also been throwing the ball well. (Quarterback Jake) Townsend is throwing the ball well (1,100 yards, 11 touchdown passes) and the receivers are running good routes and catching the ball. They're the type of team where when you scout them, there's no one thing you can say, 'If we take this away, we can relax.'"

Carson says the basic formula to beat Southern is the same as it's always been.

"We're going to have control the football and get some time of possession from our offense," he says. "That and make their offense go long distances. You can't give them short fields."

Like most coaches who go against Southern, Carson is also wary of the Tigers' depth. "One of the things they've been able to do is go pretty close to a two-platoon system," Carson says. "If they're playing a team like us, who play a lot of guys both ways, they can start to wear you down."

A big question mark for the Eagles is the status of starting quarterback Marty Beninsky, who injured a shoulder in last week's 46-0 win over Montgomery.

"He was evaluated today (Monday) and was set to take an MRI, so we're still really not sure, although we're optimistic that he'll be able to play," Carson says.

If Beninsky can't play, freshman Cole Rickert is likely to start. He played the whole second half last week, and Carson is confident he can do the job.

"Cole's a special kid," Carson says. "He has a passion to play and is unusually heady for a ninth grader. If that's what we have to do, we'll do it."

A lesser concern for Carson is some of the tackling his defense has done at times this season. Montgomery broke a long kickoff return and a long run from scrimmage last season, and was in the Eagles' red zone twice in the first half.

"On the kickoff return it was more a case of people not staying disciplined and in their lanes," Carson says. "On the long run on the sideline, we missed tackles. If you don't tackle well against Southern, it's going to be a long night. At times we've tackled really well this season, but there have also been times when we've had bodies there but not wrapping up. You have to get a lot of hats to the ball against Southern."

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