Outside the Huddle is breaking down every area semistate matchup scheduled for this Friday as teams vie for a spot in the state championship games over Thanksgiving weekend.
We continue by looking at the Class 4A showdown between South Bend St. Joseph (11-2) at Bishop Dwenger (12-1) scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday at Shields Field.
TWO STORYLINES
1. DEFENSIVE STALWARTS
Both of these teams have been propelled by incredibly stingy defenses. Bishop Dwenger is third in the state allowing just 8.2 points per game, while St. Joseph is fifth at 8.4 points a contest.
The defense has loomed large for St. Joseph in particular in recent weeks. The last three wins for the Huskies have all come by seven points or less – 14-7 over Northridge, 13-7 over Mishawaka and 10-7 over Hobart last week for the program’s first regional title in 10 years.
Neither team is used to giving up many points.
2. AN EYE TOWARDS A REMATCH
No one at Bishop Dwenger is overlooking St. Joseph, but Blitz has the luxury to look ahead a week.
If the Saints can knock off the Huskies, and if Roncalli can find a way to beat Heritage Hills in the Class 4A South semistate game, we will get a rematch of Week 1 when Roncalli beat Bishop Dwenger, 3-0 with a state championship on the line a week from Saturday.
It would also be repeat of the 2002 Class 4A state championship game when Roncalli beat the Saints 24-21.
FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
WR DALLAS DOWNEY, SENIOR, ST. JOSEPH
Downey can hurt you in a variety of ways. Just ask Hobart.
A former quarterback, Downey is St. Joseph’s leading receiver, having hauled in 40 catches for 520 yards and six touchdowns this season. But last Friday, he showed off the arm as he threw a 23-yard touchdown to teammate James Criniti for the first and only touchdown of the game in a 10-7 win.
Downey has nearly double the catches of the next highest receiver on the Huskies, and at 6-foot-2 is a big target downfield. And, in a pinch, he can also sling it like he did last week.
WR BECKHAM RUSSELL, SENIOR, BISHOP DWENGER
In a game where points could be at a premium, a few plays in the passing game could make all the difference.
Just as we mentioned Downey for St. Joseph, Russell is in the spotlight as well for the Saints.
The senior Russell has dominated touches for Bishop Dwenger in the passing game. His 52 receptions are 40 more than the next highest pass catcher. He enters Friday with 511 yards receiving a pair of touchdowns.
Russell isn’t prone to take the top off of a defense, but he is an excellent possession receiver who can move the chains. If the Huskies are able to limit Bishop Dwenger’s run game on early downs, converting third and mediums into firsts will be huge, and Russell will surely be heavily involved.
LB MASON KAZMIERZAK, SENIOR, ST. JOSEPH
This is actually a pretty young roster, with the Huskies relying on a bevy of underclassmen on both sides of the ball.
One of the senior veterans is Kazmierzak, a linebacker that does it all, including the verbal leader of the impressive defensive unit.
Kazmierzak leads the team in tackles with 97 to go with 14 tackles for loss and five sacks. His impact is felt with his play, but also his leadership pre-snap and in the huddle.
With so much on the line on Friday, Kazmierzak will be looked upon to be a calming influence on the field for a team seeking its first state berth in 14 years.
OLB/RB DOUGIE HENRY, SENIOR, BISHOP DWENGER
Henry is just your typical Bishop Dwenger linebacker. He isn’t very physically imposing, even with his 6-2, 205-pound frame, but he has football smarts, reacts and reads well and finishes tackles.
In a game where St. Joseph is going to need to eek out points against a very stingy Saints defensive unit, Henry is expected to be plenty busy when the Huskies try to establish the line of scrimmage and attempt run the ball. The senior leads the team in tackles (123) and is second in tackles for loss (16), so expect him to be plenty active.
KEY TO VICTORY – ST. JOSEPH
KEEP THE GAME LOW SCORING
Blitz has a hard time finding a way in which the Huskies when this game if Bishop Dwenger gets close or surpasses 20 points. That means there is little margin for error for the St. Joseph defense.
Good news is, this is a very solid defensive unit. There are guys at all three levels that are adept at playing downhill and wrapping up ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage. For the season, St. Joseph has 85 tackles for loss and an incredible 38(!) sacks.
The defense must play out of its mind on Friday.
KEY TO VICTORY – BISHOP DWENGER
DICTATE THE GAME IN THE TRENCHES
The Saints did a good job last week in being equally adept at running and passing the ball against Lebanon. It would be advantageous if that offensive balance could be similar this week.
That will come down to execution, but also how the offensive line is able to instill its will. St. Joseph has a very good defense, but the Saints up front have looked more and more dominant with each passing week in the postseason. This is definitely a big challenge as the Huskies defense has been so good, but this is where playing teams in the SAC along with Roncalli and East Noble pays off.
PREDICTION
Coming Friday when Blitz makes his regional picks.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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