Sharing my football article with everyone

Part II of article

Defensive Line
Aledo Defensive Line
Tristan Stary-50 tackles, 5 sacks, 0 forced fumbles, 6 tackles for a loss
Corey Stitle-66 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 6 tackles for a loss
Ray Hart-58 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 6 tackles for a loss
Zach Hyles-72 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 9 tackles for a loss

Lake Travis Defensive Line
Ryan Erxleben-77 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 10 tackles for a loss
Todd Perry-100 tackles, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 9 tackles for a loss
Nick Whitehair-48 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 5 tackles for a loss
Jon Michael Paul-74 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 8 tackles for a loss

Aledo and Lake Travis both had outstanding defensive lines in their respective seasons. While one could make a case as to who’s better, Lake Travis gets a slight edge given that they were the more disruptive bunch. The Cavalier defensive line recorded more tackles for a loss, caused more fumbles, and had more sacks. While it can be said that Aledo’s starting defenders played fewer snaps, the Lake Travis defensive line were of higher quality given they played against much tougher competition.
Edge: Lake Travis





Linebackers
The linebacking corps for both teams were solid and well-rounded. The Aledo linebackers were Tyson Mauser, Jordan Mittie, and Matthew Hawkins, who were more of a speedy bunch. The Lake Travis linebackers were Quinton Crow, Harry Hatch, and Rover (Safety/Linebacker hybrid) Ian Lazarus. Unlike Aledo, the Lake Travis linebackers were a more hard-nosed, hit the gap style bunch. While Lake Travis’ Quinton Crow was probably the best linebacker between both teams, the Bearcat linebackers get the nod here as they were top to bottom a slightly better group, as they were not only a better run stop group, but just as good as a coverage unit as well.
Edge: Aledo

Defensive Backs
The defensive backs for both the Bearcats and Cavaliers were both excellent against the pass and run. Both teams shut down some very good passing attacks. One notable performance by the Cavaliers’ secondary was in the state semifinal game against future D1 and dual threat QB Jacob Karam, who despite missing 2 games in the 2008 season, still had 37 passing TD and well over 3,000 yards passing. The Cavaliers allowed just one passing touchdown to Karam. Aledo also put on an impressive showing against Highland Park QB Brooks Burgin in the 2013 season opener, limiting the passing game to a measly 140 yards passing. While both defensive back units here had shut down ability and were neck and neck in defending the pass, Aledo gets the edge as they were better at defending against the run and were a slightly faster unit.
Edge: Aledo




Conclusion of the defenses
Lake Travis and Aledo both had excellent defenses. The 2008 Lake Travis team will always be remembered as a high octane offensive team, however, theyactually fielded a very stout defense that was tested and did well against tough competition throughout the season. Lake Travis actually had the better pass rush of the two teams (recording 47 sacks to Aledo’s 30). While Aledo faced weaker competition, their defense was slightly better rounded than Lake Travis’, they were as good as Lake Travis at defending the pass and better against the run (allowing only 7 rushing touchdowns all year long having faced 3 future D1 running backs).


Special Teams
Aledo and Lake Travis both fielded very good special teams units. Aledo made 87% of field goals (13-15) and Lake Travis made 100% of field goals (3-3). Aledo’s longest field goal was 52 yards while Lake Travis’ longest was 47 yards. While Aledo made more field goals and Lake Travis kicked fewer, both field goal units are neck and neck. For punt returns, Aledo’s explosive Ryan Newsome brought back 7 of them for touchdowns, giving Aledo an advantage in punt returns. In PAT percentage, Aledo narrowly edges out Lake Travis again, having made 100% of PATs compared to 73 out of 76 made for Lake Travis. While Aledo has a better punt returner here and a better PAT percentage, Lake Travis had a far better punting game. Lake Travis’ punter (and defensive end) Ryan Erxleben averaged 44.3 yards per punt compared to Aledo’s average of 36.4 yards. Also, Lake Travis’ longest punt was 65 yards compared to Aledo’s longest of 45 yards. The Lake Travis special teams unit did not allow any kickoff returns for touchdowns in their entire season. While both special teams here have their strengths, Aledo has a narrow edge because they hit field goals from further out and were more consistent in kicking PATs.
Edge: Aledo


Lake Travis Offense vs Aledo Defense

The Lake Travis offense was very prolific, but the Aledo defense was good enough to slow them down. The Lake Travis offensive line facing off against the Aledo defensive line is an intriguing match. The defensive line of Aledo was definitely good enough to put some pressure on Gilbert. Aledo was also quick off the edges, which would be a challenge to the Lake Travis tackles. While Aledo had excellent defensive backs, Lake Travis’ wide receivers were very good at improvising even when covered. The Lake Travis receivers were also fast enough to get separation from the Aledo defensive backs. Since Lake Travis had a quarterback who can beat you on the ground or through the air, and an offensive line that could neutralize the Aledo front 7, the Lake Travis offense wins this match up. Aledo did have a superb run defense, but Lake Travis set up the run with the pass. With Chad Morris at the helm calling the plays, his offense had success against anything defenses tried to do in 2008. Furthermore, QB Garrett Gilbert performed great even when being run down by a defender. The Bearcats would be able to slow down the Cavaliers, but the balanced Lake Travis offense would still move the ball.
Edge: Lake Travis


Aledo Offense vs Lake Travis Defense
Aledo’s offense was also a faced paced unit that scored a lot and quickly. In match up in the trenches, between the Aledo offensive line and the Lake Travis defensive line, it would be a real fight. The Lake Travis defensive line was very strong, especially in the middle. While the Cavalier defensive line was tough, Aledo would be able to break into the next level still with their run game. As for the Aledo wide receivers against Lake Travis’ defensive backs, the Aledo wide receivers would have success early in the game. The Lake Travis secondary might get beat deep once or twice, but they would be able to slow down the Aledo receivers substantially. One area that could cause problems for the Bearcat’s offense is the Cavalier pass rush, which was extremely good. Like Lake Travis, Aledo’s offense found ways to move the ball even when opposing defenses had great schemes. Aledo’s offense also featured a dual threat QB in Luke Bishop. While Lake Travis would limit the Aledo offense, Aledo gets the edge in this match up because of the strength of their running game and the overall balance of their offense.
Edge: Aledo

Conclusion
A match-up between these two teams would be fun to watch. Since it is a clash of different styles and philosophies, it makes this match up even more exciting. Each team also had special teams units that were neck and neck, which is another factor that keeps this game close. In a neutral site match, Lake Travis comes away with the victory. While Aledo had more team speed and better overall statistics, Lake Travis was far more tested year around, playing a much tougher schedule top to bottom and dominating virtually all opponents. Additionally, Lake Travis had a coaching advantage with Chad Morris, which would be a tipping point in this game. The score of this game would be in the neighborhood of 35-31, Lake Travis.
Overall: Lake Travis

You're killing your father, Larry.

Very in depth analysis you have provided

I did laugh but Larrys article would have been about 1/1000th of the length and the subject matter on the aledo cheerleader who dates the rival team's QB.

I upvoted. Not because I read the article. But for the fact you admitted writing it, rather than link a blog post that you "found"

Way to be on the up and up

tl;dr.

Seriously, it looks like a pretty good example of the genre.
I don't know if the facts were actually researched or made up for this instance, but the structure looks good.

One suggestion -- "who's" as a contraction for "who was" sort of broke the flow and made me want to say, "that's wrong" for a second before I realized it was technically correct (the best kind of correct). I'd think about just using "who was" there.

Very thorough.

DR though.

Yes I think LT was definitely better. Not as good margin of victory as Aledo, but was more talented and played better teams

Thanks for reading!

I'm used to writing long academic papers, and the reason for this article being so long is so I no one can say I left anything out, and so it's more in depth. The article needed to be in depth according to some to be able to fairly say LT was better