NorCalPreps.com - Mitty, Bells tie in thriller

October 24, 2009

Douglas Benton
NorCalPreps.com Analyst

It may go down as just a tie in the ever competitive WCAL standings, but don't tell that to the Mitty Monarchs, who battled back from a double digit fourth quarter deficit to beat Bellarmine 28-27 in two overtimes Friday night as part of the WCAL tiebreaker. The Monarchs, who went 1-9 a year ago, now have put themselves as a legitimate contender in the Division II state bowl race in the lead-up to its match-up against St. Francis of Mountain View this coming week.

Mitty's offense was flowing early, but it could never finish drives and turned the ball over three times in the first half inside Bellarmine territory. The Monarchs leaned on the option attack with quarterback Kyle Boehm. He has great ball skills and kept the ball plenty on Friday on option runs to the outside.

Joey Walker supplied the tough inside runs and his threat and power running style played a key role in getting the Monarchs' offense back on track in the second half. The offense sputtered in the second quarter as the Bells' defense was able to read its fakes carefully.

An important part of Mitty's offense throughout the game was its passing attack off of play action. The presence of the running game brought down defenders and Boehm was able to get passes to the outside and to his top target, D.J. Bush. Mitty is very effective in its short passing game and are capable of opening it up more as the season goes on.

The defense though was too passive in the first half against the Bells' attack and allowed the ball carriers to get free runs for the first few yards. It also struggled at the point of attack at the ball, which had a domino effect for the rest of the defense to break down. In the second half, it was able to win more battles at the line of scrimmage, which allowed its ends and outside linebackers to play containment and Walker to attack downhill. The defense allowed just 67 total yards in the second half. Key players for the defense in addition to Walker were linebacker Brendan Manion and junior defensive back Greg Ruiz, who has a huge interception in the fourth quarter, which helped set up the game tying touchdown.

Bellarmine was able to get its running game going in the first half, but couldn't close the door with one more in the second half. Kyle Olugbode is the feature runner in this offense and he was able to churn out solid gains to put the Bells in good down and distance situations. Kris Olugbode and quarterback Mike McGovern didn't have as big of impact in the running game as in earlier games, though McGovern did have an impressive run on the last drive in regulation. Bellarmine does a really good job of blocking in space and staying on its assignments throughout the play.

The passing game had little success, which played a role in the offense really stalling in the second half. McGovern can throw a decent ball, but the Bells just don't have the weapons on the outside to be a consistent threat. I would like to see more looks of the running backs coming out of the backfield, which it showed in goal line sets near the end of the first half.

The defense was able to contain Mitty's offense and limit the big plays. This linebacker group does a good job of flowing to the football and making plays at the ball. Both Kris Olugbode and Tim O'Hara were around the ball on almost every play. The Bells use Kyle Olugbode as a rover type player at free safety and the line of defense if the runner gets past the first two levels. This is the second straight week the Bells held strong against a strong running team.

Player Reports

Kyle Boehm QB Mitty: The junior has great ball skills. He commands it well and is a master of fakes both in the option and on play actions. He seemed a bit jittery at points on Friday as he would hold onto the ball too long on drop backs and take bad keeps on running plays. However, Boehm also showcased the ability to make plays with his legs and throws a really nice ball on target.

Joey Walker RB/LB Mitty: Walker is physically imposing on either side of the ball and can make you pay when he hits. He runs hard and always picks up extra yards on offense and does a good job of shooting gaps on defense. He probably best fits as an inside linebacker at the next level.

Kyle Olugbode RB/S Bellarmine Prep: Olugbode has really good vision to go with being a patient runner. He creates havoc on stretch plays as everyone on the defense has to maintain gaps or he can break one. He has surprising speed and showed some power in his running on Friday. On defense, he plays a rover type role at safety and rarely misses a tackle. He is a very solid all around football player.

Tim O'Hara LB Bellarmine Prep: He is a big linebacker, but moves well and attacks the football. He plays well on the balls of his feet, which gets him square and downhill to the ball. O'Hara is a solid tackler who could possibly slide down and give some speed at defensive end in certain packages. He doesn't miss many tackles in the middle of the field.

Mike McGovern QB Bellarmine Prep: McGovern has developed his play throughout the season and it is seen in his running. He sees the holes well and doesn't take many wasted steps in the pocket before getting into the defense. He has a decent arm, but doesn't make many plays in the passing game, which is part due to the system and part to missing some opportunities.

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