Gate City prepares for battle with Gretna

Darren Reed watched a chiller of a film Monday afternoon.

The plot centered around an explosive football team which crushed all opponents with a not-so-secret weapon. An hour later, the Gate City defensive coordinator switched back to a success story based on a classic formula.

Welcome to today’s Group A, Division 2 title game at Salem Stadium. It features a new school approach versus old school. Both styles have drawn rave reviews.

The Gretna Hawks (13-0) average 45 points per game behind a speed-based spread offense. Meanwhile, Gate City (10-3) averages 25 ppg. behind the traditional and power-based T-formation.

"Gretna relies on its skill kids,’’ Reed said. "They’re not going to do a whole lot of things. They just attack you with their athletic ability and speed.’’

Players to watch for Grenta include 5-foot-8 freshman quarterback Nick Miller (3,301 total yards, 50 touchdowns), 6-0 running back Tyon Bennett (1,113 yards rushing), senior wide receiver Stephon Jennings (33 receptions, 624 yards) and 5-9, 175-pound senior linebacker Devonne Keen (150 tackles, 11 sacks).

Senior receiver Theo Miller, who specializes in big plays, is slowed by an ankle injury suffered against defending Division 2 state champion Goochland.

"There’s a reason why Gretna is 13-0,’’ Gate City head coach Nick Colobro said. "They have some really nice looking athletes, along with some size.’"

Colobro is familiar with Gretna head coach Chris Thurman, who served as defensive coordinator when the Hawks won the 2003 and 2004 Division 3 state titles. "Coach Thurman is used to being successful ... and he just knows what it takes to win big games,’’ Colobro said.

Current University of Virginia defensive back Vic Hall compiled a Virginia High School League record by passing for 8,731 yards and 105 touchdowns from 2002-2004 out of Gretna’s spread offense.

"About every team has some form of the spread now,’’ Colobro said. "In fact, we went against some pretty good spread offenses this season when you take our two games with Powell Valley, plus Richlands, John Battle and Lee. And George Wythe used a spread type formation in the second half of our game last week.’’

Hours of film study only help to a certain point, said Colobro.

"Knowing what’s coming from an offense and preparing for it is one thing ... actually stopping it is another,’’ Colobro said. "Maybe we haven’t seen exactly the way [Gretna] runs their offense, especially with the athleticism that they have.’’

That’s where Reed, a former Blue Devil star linebacker, comes in. Hitting has never been a problem at Gate City, but Reed realized the Hawks have a big speed advantage on the Salem Stadium turf,

"Our kids know the offense and understand how to attack it, so we have we cover our weaknesses as much as we can,’’ Reed said. "Gretna has more speed, but its offense is not as multi-faced as the one we see from Richlands.’’

The 2007 Blue Devils have already overcome several hurdles. After posting their first losing record since 1998 last year and starting this season with a 2-2 record, Gate City has flourished since mid-season with a back-to-basics running game.

"We’ve eliminated a lot of things on our offense,’’ Colobro said. "We think we’ve found a package that we like and that the kids understand. The more repetitions they get, the more they improve.’’

Gate City features relentless 5-7 senior tailback Tyler Parks, who scored 19 touchdowns in the regular season and has churned for nearly 1,800 total yards.

According to Colobro, the nine seniors on his squad engineered the turnaround from a 4-6 season to a possible state title.

"It’s really been a fun process to watch,’’ Colobro said. "All our kids have worked really hard for this, and we’ve had great leadership from our seniors every step of the way.’’

The Gate City defensive coordinator hopes the film of today’s game has a classic feel.

"The T-formation is becoming a rarity,’’ Reed said. "We’ve actually played more spread teams than we have T-[formation] teams. Maybe the fact that we come straight at Gretna will be an advantage."

Today’s game will be doubly emotional for Colobro, whose 54-year-old brother Frank died Wednesday morning at Bluefield Regional Medical Center.

What: Group A, Division 2 state championship

Where: Salem Stadium, Salem Va.

Time: 4:30 p.m.

Fast Facts: Gate City won state football championships in 1970, 1974, 1997 and 2003, while Gretna won in 2003 and 2004.

Radio: WAXM 93.5 FM in Norton; WGAT 1050 AM in Gate City

The Overview

Group A, Division 2

Judging by the stats, Gretna is the big favorite here. The Hawks have speed at every position along with decent size. Few programs in Virginia can match the tradition of Gate City, however. The Blue Devils have often found a way to overcome the odds, including this season. The keys are clear. Gretna will look to create big plays from its spread offense, while Gate City will attack the center of the defense with its power-running game. Somehow, Tyler Parks and company find a way to win once more.

Prediction: Gate City 28, Gretna 27