2022 District XI Class 2A Semi-Final Preview & Video Reel: Executive Education Academy Charter at Williams Valley

Tagged under: District 11, News, Playoffs

Daniel Reed | November 2, 2022

2022 District XI Class 2A Playoff Semi-Final Preview: Executive Education Academy Charter Raptors(5-3) at Williams Valley Vikings(8-2)

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The 2022 District XI Playoffs begin this week, all the games will be very competitive with the exception of a few games as I will discuss them all but first, I will talk about this game in Class 2A, the Raptors at the Vikings in the semi-final round of the District XI playoffs. This is the first ever meeting between the two schools so we should be in for some great football as neither team knows much about each other, other than how the Raptors gave Tri-Valley all they could handle, almost pulling off the upset of the Bulldogs, losing just 19 to 18 mid-season. Williams Valley defeated the Bulldogs last week 21 to 14 in a game that could’ve been much different had the Vikings been able to control their emotions, turnovers and penalties as Head Coach Tim Savage would state after the game.

Coming into the game, the home team Williams Valley will be looking to continue their streak of reaching the DXI finals, which currently stands at 6 straight seasons in the final and a total of 10 dating back to 2008 when they finished the season 11-1, winning the DXI championship that year. Since that 2008, the Vikings have posted a very good 101-21 overall record. The Vikings have won the last three Class 1A district championships, in 2020, with the season and playoffs cut short, the Vikings were co-champions with Tri-Valley. This year however, the Vikings will be shooting for their first ever Class 2A Championship as they were moved up to Class 2A by just 1 boy, and will now have to compete with different schools if they want to take home the district trophy. Williams Valley definitely has the talent to win a 4th straight DXI Title and first in Class 2A. The Vikings offense is averaging around 34 points a game, giving up 20. During their 5 game win streak to end the regular season, the Vikes have put up 34 a game, giving up 15.

Leading the charge for the Vikings are… Senior QB-Isaac Whiteash who has amassed over 1300 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, but does have 9 ints in 10 games. The running game is led by Junior RB-Alex Achenbach, Alex has rushed for over 1600 yards on 193 carries, scoring 21 times. Senior Brady Evans leads the receiving core with 891 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Defensively, the Vikings are led by Logan Williard, a Senior OLB/WR, who has 77 total tackles on the season, 9 of which were for a loss to go along with his 2 sacks. Senior Bryant Hoover is closely behind with 58 tackles, 7 for loss. Ezi Hite with 3 sacks in 7 games. Whiteash and Achenbach combine for 5 interceptions.

For the visiting Raptors, this is just their second season, compiling an overall record of 11-8. Last year the Raptors played in the Class 1a/2a Eastern Conference Championship against Holy Cross and defeated the Crusaders 34 to 8. This year, they reach the District XI Playoffs and will travel to Williams Valley to take on the Vikings. Leading the charge for the Raptors is Senior-QB, Darmel Lopez, Lopez has thrown for over 1650 yards on the season(8 games) with 18 touchdowns, but a whopping 12 ints. The running game is led by Senior RB, Zamier Perkins who has rushed for 303 yards on 61 carries, scoring just 3 touchdowns. As far as the receiving core goes, Wow… they are too many to mention but the Raptors are led by Senior Jyhmiek Roman, Junior Damon Young, and Senior Emery Plummer, who racked up almost 1200 yards receiving, scoring 11 times between the three. Senior Matthew Martinez leads the way defensively with 67 tackles, 27 of which were for loss. Senior Cavin King follows behind with 50 tackles, 13 for loss. Martinez also leads the team in sacks with 8. Executive has recorded a total of 20 sacks on the season in just 8 games. Plummer, Roman, and Sophomore Cazhiere Richardson lead the team with 3 interceptions each. The Raptors enter the game on a two-game win streak, defeating Belmont Charter 28 to 0, and Lower Moreland 44 to 7. Coming into the game, the Raptors are averaging 23 points a game, giving up 20.

Coaches View:

Larry Ford(EEAC) – “We needed this for our program. These kids, these seniors wanted it. Started off 3-0. Hit a rough patch going 0-3. A lot of turmoil and frustration, but we bounced back. We never quit, and now it’s time to make some noise in districts. We aren’t done yet.”

Tim Savage(Williams Valley) – “We expect to be in a very athletic battle with the Raptors. They have nice speed and quickness in their skill set. We have to execute our blocking schemes in both the run and the pass. As well as keep their talented skilled guys in front of us and make their quarterback uncomfortable with pressure. We are in good health with a extra day to heal up this week playing Saturday. We are beyond excited to play new opponents this playoff run due to being AA. The weather looks great for Friday, we have a big challenge coming to town so we’re hoping for another packed house. Both squads deserve to play in front of a large crowd in district playoffs. Congrats to all 4 teams in our bracket.”

Common Opponent(s):
EEAC vs Tri-Valley – TV won 19 to 18
Williams Valley vs Tri-Valley – WV won 21 to 14

Stat Comparison:

EEACS		Williams Valley
104.4	Rushing Yards Per Game	208.1
222.5	Passing Yards Per Game	149.5
326.9	Total Yards Per Game	357.6
51.8	Tackles Per Game	69.2
2.5	Sacks Per Game	1.2
23.3	Points Per Game	34.8
–	Pancake Blocks	41

Team Leaders:

EEACS		Williams Valley	National Avg.
#5 Zamier Perkins 37.9	Rushing Yards Per Game	#5 Alex Achenbach 160.7	21.8
#1 Darmel Lopez 211.9	Passing Yards Per Game	#11 Isaac Whiteash 134.5	54.7
#1 Darmel Lopez 234.8	Total Yards Per Game	#5 Alex Achenbach 184.8	38.2
#52 Matthew Martinez 8.4	Tackles Per Game	#2 Logan Williard 7.7	2.8
#13 DeShawn Shaw 1.5	Sacks Per Game	#27 Ian Zilinski 1.0	0.2
#3 Jyhmiek Roman 5.3	Points Per Game	#5 Alex Achenbach 14.8	2.3
–	Pancake Blocks	#54 Ezi Hite 17	6

My Outlook:

Being this is only the Raptors second year under it’s belt, Williams Valley has the edge given that they have been battle tested throughout the years and have consistently done very well in districts, that said, that was in 1a, now they’re in 2a. On paper, these two programs look somewhat equal, just swapping passing and rushing stats around. Shown above are some stats and averages from the season thus far. Williams Valley will rely on their defense to slow down the Raptors quarterback. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes like all other games. “That’s why they play the game” as its said.