A football team is composed of three phases; offense, defense and special teams. To be a pretty good team, they need to play well in two out of three of those. To be a special team, they need to play well all three phases. Based on how the Manassas Tigers have played recently, they have a chance to be a special team. And on Thursday night the Tigers didn’t waste much time to put all three phases in action on their way to a 41-12 win over Douglass in Soul Bowl 2009.
After the defense did their job and forced a punt by Douglass, Dexter Alexander continued his remarkable special teams play. For the fourth game in a row, Dexter blocked a kick. The Tigers recovered deep in Douglass territory. A few plays later, quarterback Will Redmond went 9 yards for a touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers surprised Douglass with an onsides kick. After initially catching the kickoff, the Douglass player was rudely greeted by Chavis Daniels. A vicious hit that had the fans in stands going nuts separated the ball from the player. Manassas recovered the fumble in Douglass territory. Next thing you know, Omar Williams goes off tackle and races 46 yards for a score to put Manassas up 14-0 and the rout was on.
The defense continued their dominance the rest of the half and held Douglass scoreless. A 40 yard run by quarterback Will Redmond would finish off the scoring and after another successful kick by Josh Sills, the Tigers went to the locker room with a 21-0 lead.
When asked about his secret to blocking kicks, Dexter Alexander said it comes down to two things. Watching the ball to ensure he gets a good jump and then “going all out” when he gets close to the kicker. And going all out is exactly what he does. Dex lays out on every kick in hopes of helping to turn things in favor of his Tigers.
As the second half got underway, the Tigers kept their foot on the gas. On the first possessions of the half, Omar would score his second of three touchdowns of the night on a 2 yard run. On the very next possession, Will Redmond would find speed burner and last weeks Uncommon Man of the week Terrance Oliver on a 45 yard pass play to put Manassas up 33-0.
Omar Williams would finish off the scoring in the 4th quarter on a 53 yard run. Douglass would get two second half touchdowns on the tough Manassas defense. Most of the Douglass offense in the second half came on the arm of quarterback Samario Bankston. Samario and his team showed a lot of heart in not giving up despite the outcome of the game. He was 16 of 32 for almost 200 yards.
So back to what it takes to be a special team. One of the aspects to good special teams play is the kicking game. After having lost the past two years in the state playoffs by one point, the Tigers knew they needed to establish a kicking game. Well as they march towards another playoff appearance, the Tigers may have found their secret weapon in kicker Josh Sills. His ability to kick extra points may prove to be the difference in a close game.
The Manassas Tigers are now 7-1 with two important games left on the regular season schedule. This Thursday night, October 22, the Tigers will take on Northside High at 7:00 at Crump Stadium. Come on out and support the Tigers as they continue their march towards the postseason. Buy your tickets in advance at the school to benefit Manassas.