At Carmichaels, football starts with defense
In the football world, most people love to talk about offensive statistics and how many yards a running back or quarterback tally during a game.
It’s cliché to say that defense wins championships, but defense certainly does help and improves a team’s chances for success.
That is the case in Carmichaels the last 11 years, as the Mikes have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in that time frame mostly due to its tenacious defense.
“Our defensive philosophy throughout the years is to be aggressive and run to the ball,” Carmichaels coach John Menhart said. “We pride ourselves on contact and playing a hard-nosed style on defense. I believe that 85 percent of this game is played from your Adam’s apple up. The mental part of the game, what your assignment is and where to line-up, is critical.”
Last year, the Mikes started the season with a 1-3 record, but Carmichaels rallied with the help of its defensive play to win five straight games to end the 2010 campaign.
Throughout the 2010 season, Carmichaels’ defense was one of the stingiest in all of Class A. The Mikes defense allowed an average of 16.8 points per game, third in the Tri-County South Conference behind Monessen and Beth-Center, and was the 11th best scoring defense in all of Class A.
“It’s about having that willingness to lift weights in the summer and having that competitiveness to fight on every play,” Menhart said. “I give a lot of credit to Fred Morecraft and the rest of our defensive staff on preparing the kids and teaching them. I honestly believe we should be better defensively this year than last year.”
One of the overriding components of the Carmichael’s defensive scheme is being aggressive and constantly dictating the flow of the game. The Mikes run a base four-three defense, but are not afraid to run multiple sets against offenses.
“We try not to over think on defense,” Menhart said. “You’ve got to look at the offense and make the proper adjustments against a two-tight end formation or a three-back formation. It all comes down to technique and knowing what you are supposed to do and where you are supposed to be on the field.”
Some of the defensive playmakers in 2011 for the Mikes will be junior Josh Mundell, junior Luke Moskal, senior Nick Clarke, senior Michael Mays, sophomore Joel Pekar and senior Sheldon Chun.
“We are very deep at the linebacker position,” Menhart said. “We will not be afraid to rotate guys in and give them a blow every now and then. A lot of these kids are playing both ways and we want to keep them fresh. It’s important to keep your best 11 on the field and we feel like we can do that with our strong depth on the defensive side of things.”