Some thoughts from the Division I regional semifinals at Paul Brown Stadium:
Not the most exciting atmosphere I've ever been in. The stadium is just so big, it seems to swallow up the teams and fans.
But...it's got to be cool for the kids to get the chance to play in an NFL stadium. That's "tell the kids & grandkids" kind of stuff 20-30-40 years down the road. Not many people can say they did that.
The press box at PBS is hands down top-notch. But I still like to cover games on the sidelines (and freeze to death). You're just too far removed from the action, spirit and atmosphere of the game. That's with any press box, though, to a certain degree.
St. Xavier put on one of the most impressive halves of football I've seen in quite some time. The Centerville players and coaches were absolutley dazed and confused walking off the field at halftime. By looks alone, you knew there was no chance at a comeback attempt.
I've seen Colerain back-up QB Quentin Sims two weeks in a row and he reminds me a lot of Dominique Goodman (now at UC) from a couple of years ago. I'd like to see what kind of numbers he could put up over the course of an entire season.
How good is St. X and Colerain for both to be playing with back-up QB's and still not missing a beat? The short answer: Extremely good.
Was there really any doubt all season long that it would be St. Xavier and Colerain teeing it up for a regional title for the third straight time? They are clearly the two best teams in Cincinnati and I think the state.
