Dougherty Valley will make the long trip to Ferndale for Saturday's 1:00 game. Dougherty Valley has played Division I, II, III, and IV teams this season and has amassed an impressive 7-2 record. Though Ferndale plays in a league with some Division V schools, they routinely play non league games with Division III schools and schools with great football traditions. Two of the Division III schools Ferndale defeated this year, on their way to a 10-0 record, are in the Division III playoffs.
Dougherty Valley has had a great season with a very young team --their varsity squad is made up of 20 juniors and 9 sophomores with no seniors. This playoff game presents them with a valuable experience that will only make them better as they enter Diablo Foothill play next year as a Division III school. One thing they will learn rather quickly is just how good Ferndale is. There is a reason they are the number one seed and a reason no one has beaten them. Heck, the tightest game they have played this year was a 31-14 defeat of East Nicholas (a Northern Section playoff team). If Dougherty Valley is to have any chance at all, they have to keep the ball out of the Ferndale offense's hands -- long drives that consume time. Of course, that means staying ahead of a fast, bruising defense, which few have been able to crack this year. Perhaps the only real chance Dougherty Valley has is if an epidemic of the flu hits the Ferndale team.
It may be a good game for a quarter, but by then each team will have seen where and how they match up and Ferndale will take the game over. Do miracles happen? In sports, I believe they do. And that's exactly what Dougherty Valley will need.
Prediction: Ferndale wins 35-14.
6 comments:
Dougherty Valley is either severely overrated or underrated, all depnending on who you're talking to. That being said, I don't think the ride up to Ferndale will drain them too much. The school, and the area in general is very mentally strong. The biggest problem they would seem to have is sustainging a drive. They're scores are often of the sparatic type. They are also fairly undersized 9even though they have shown they can doiminte larger teams; ie Richmond Week 1). Personally, I think Dougherty has a pretty good shot at stealing this one away from Ferndale. Dgherty Valley will be ready for the game, but will Ferndale?
My prediction: give me a coinand you will get your answer...
I see their 32-21 loss to Dublin as a better sign. Though Dublin finished 2-8, they were in a lot of games with some playoff bound teams (Concord). That game was a tight one until the second half.
I think Dougherty Valley is a good team, and the 8th seed has won it before, but it's hard to bet against a 10-0 team that has the tradition Ferndale does. This team is the defending Division IV champ and they have played like it all year. I do, however, hope it's a good game and that a lot of Dougherty Valley fans make the trek to see their team play.
If you think for a second that Coach Jorgensen won't have his team ready for Dougherty Valley, then you obviously know nothing about Ferndale Football. Although mild-mannered and extremely humble, the man means business as evidenced by the fact that the starting QB was kicked off the team for insubordination a few weeks back. DV may have all the pretty amenities that were provided by the affluent families of their area, but when it comes to hard-nosed football, no one beats Ferndale. These kids are tough and they would like nothing better than to get a shot at that State Bowl Game.
BTW, excellent blog. Great job.
That's why they have been my number one team all year. If they do win the section title, I think just about everyone in the NCS Division IV will be rooting for them in the state championship game.
Sorry Class A. I should have clarified that my comment was directed at Alex.
Again, you have done a wonderful job here with this blog. I hope that you will continue in the future. If you have any questions about Ferndale, let me know.
Something of note regarding these two teams and common opponents. One of DV's two losses came against Burton 20-9. South Fork, a team in Ferndale's league, beat Burton 28-6. Ferndale beat South Fork twice by scores of 33-0 and 35-0. Doesn't always mean much, but it may give a gauge as to where these teams are at.
Post a Comment