Enquirer
Powerhouse Cards haven't lost a step
BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
This just in: The Colerain football team is crushing people again.
The Cardinals (3-0), ranked No. 2 in the Enquirer Division I area coaches' poll, are winning by an average of 49.3 points a game. That is vintage Colerain, which won by an average of 39.8 points in winning the 2004 state title and outscored opponents by 33.7 points a game in 2005 (regional semifinals).
Yet, Colerain coach Kerry Coombs wonders exactly how good his 2006 team can be. Coombs will learn more when Colerain, which entered the USA Today national poll at No. 25 this week, faces Cardinal O'Hara (Philadelphia) at UC's Nippert Stadium today at 9 p.m. The game is part of McDonald's Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, with Cardinal O'Hara (1-1) ranked No. 6 in the Philadelphia Inquirer area poll.
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"I'm not sure where we are," Coombs said. "We're playing well, but I honestly don't know where we stand."
Coombs won't say it, but Colerain simply has not been tested. The Cardinals have routed Mason (41-14), Columbus Brookhaven (70-0) and Fairfield (51-0). Colerain's starting defense has not allowed a point, with Mason scoring against Cardinal reserves late in the game.
It's a typical Colerain team, with speed galore. One difference is the 2006 Cardinals aren't as physically big as recent years, when Division I college recruits including offensive lineman Connor Smith (Ohio State), linebackers Tyler Moeller (Ohio State) and Cobrani Mixon (Michigan) and fullback Mister Simpson (Michigan) were in town.
"We're small, but we can run," Coombs said.
Defensively, safety Eugene Clifford is Ohio's No. 1-ranked Division I college prospect by Rivals.com and many others. Clifford has Ohio State, Michigan, Florida and Miami (Fla.) on his short list of colleges. He also plays some at wide receiver.
Nose guard Calvin Dixon and linebacker Spencer Smith are among other defensive mainstays.
Offensively, Colerain is throwing the ball more than usual. Longtime Colerain offensive coordinator Rick Haynes, master of the run-oriented triple option, is taking a varsity coaching sabbatical to watch his son play for Lakota East. New offensive coordinator Tom Bolden, another longtime Coombs assistant, is a former Colerain quarterback.
"Tommy still holds our passing records, and of course he's going to throw it a little more," Coombs said. "We're still going to be a triple-option team, but we've also got a nice group of kids who can get open and catch the ball."
Doug Reynolds, a junior and first-year starter at quarterback, has completed 19-of-26 passes for 277 yards and six TDs this season (no interceptions). Last year, Colerain threw only 29 passes in 10 regular-season games.
Gary Pride, who quarterbacked last year's team as a junior, is now a running back as a senior. Pride, who rushed for 1,010 yards and 14 TDs last season, has committed to the University of Akron for next fall.
This year, the speedy Pride has rushed 14 times for 216 yards - a gaudy 15.4 yards per carry - and one TD. He also is Colerain's leading receiver, with six catches for 60 yards and a TD.
"It's worked out pretty well," Pride said of the quarterback switch. "It feels good knowing all the checks and plays from last year. It's like having two quarterbacks on offense now, and Doug and I are very cool with it. Coming up to varsity, he hasn't missed a beat."
Senior fullback Trammell Williams is the Cardinals' leading rusher with 326 yards and eight TDs.
While Colerain's schedule could portend another 10-0 regular season, Coombs said reigning state champion St. Xavier deserves its No. 1 area ranking.
"St. X is the team to beat until somebody beats them," Coombs said. "We'll just worry about ourselves for now."
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