Three Reasons VC Will Advance to the State Championship

The Vermillion Catholic Eagles are 12-0 and are looking to capture their third state title in program history. The Eagles Captured their last state title in 2013 with a dominant win over St. Fredericks. This second-ever state title with the first coming ten years earlier in 2003. Now, the Eagles are nearly ten years removed from the second title and are looking to bring home a third but they will have to get past St. Martin's Episcopal first. Here are three reasons why the Vermillion Catholic Eagles will advance to the state championship game.

1. Pure Domination

The Eagles have been absolutely dominant the entire season with none of their regular season games being tight. The closest game the Eagles have had this year was a 48-24 victory over Ascension Episcopal. That may be their closest game, but the Eagles still won that by 24 points. Their second-closest game came in the quarter-finals against Southern Lab where they won by a score of 17-7. You can call it a weak schedule or playing lesser competition, but I see consistency. This is a team that doesn't play down to their conception, they keep their foot on the gas and play four-quarters of dominant football every time they step out on the field. This mindset has benefited and will continue to benefit VC in the playoffs.

2. Stifling Defense

The Eagles play tremendous defense. In the twelve games they have played so far, VC has shut out their opponents seven times this year. Two of those shutouts come against good offensive teams such as Loreauviile and Erath. Furthermore, the Eagles have only allowed their opponent to score over 20 points just one time this season and have allowed an opponent to score more than 7 points just twice this season. That is about as dominant a defensive performance as you can get. In their two playoff games, VC gave up less than 250 yards of total offense. They held Cedar Creek to just 231 total yards and Southern Lab to just 227 total yards. They forced three turnovers in the quarterfinal matchup against Southern Lab. A great offense will win you games, but a great defense will win you championships.

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3. Dual Threat Quarterback Play

VC's Johnathan Dartez is the true definition of a dual-threat QB. In the passing game, Dartez has complete 88 of his 126 attempts for a 70% completion percentage. He has racked up 1,222 passing yards this season with 16 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions. The run game is where Dartez has given defenses problems. Dartez's legs have been a problem for opponents this season as he has accumulated 1,304 rushing yards this season. He has rushed for 100 yards or more seven times this season and has three games with three touchdowns on the ground. He averages about 13 attempts per game and is averaging 8.2 yards per carry this season. Having a dominant run game only adds pressure to an opposing offense. The Eagles overpower their opponents in time of possession with help from their run game. Against a defense that is already hard to move the ball on, having less time with the ball than your opponent certainly doesn't help.

The Eagles have one of the most complete teams in all of class 1-A and they look to put that on display in the semifinals. The Eagles are scheduled to take on St. Martin Episcopal this Friday at 7 PM with a chance to play for a state championship on the line.