Lions earn ultimate test in semifinals

It's a classic matchup. High-powered offense against stingy defense.

Two unbeaten, highly-ranked teams who have dominated every foe this season colliding for the right to play for a sectional championship.

"This is the kind of game you dream about at the beginning of the season,'' said General Brown senior Rob Thomas. "For us, and mainly these 16 seniors, it means us giving coach (Steve) Fisher another shot at a sectional title before he steps down.''

Thomas and the Lions (8-0) will likely be the underdogs for the first time all season as they tangle with fellow unbeaten Bishop Ludden (8-0) in the Section 3 Class C semifinals at 8 p.m. today at Central Square High School. And if anybody is taking a Ludden victory for granted, Thomas said they are in for a surprise.

"We truly believe we are as good as any team in the section,'' said the General Brown quarterback and defensive back. "Coach Fisher has prepared us so well all season, and he's going to do the same thing this week. It's going to be our toughest game of the season, but we feel like we're ready.''

It's hard to believe that a club that outscored its opponents 371-32 will not be the favorite. But Ludden, a sectional champion as recently as 2007 and last year's runner-up, leads all of Section 3 in scoring (387) and features two of the most explosive players in all of Central New York.

Senior tailback Omar Osbourne and senior quarterback John Rooney have combined for 30 rushing touchdowns, almost 2,000 yards on the ground and Rooney has thrown for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 more scores.

"They are tremendous athletes who can beat you on every play,'' said General Brown coach Fisher, who guided the Lions to three consecutive Class C titles from 2003-2005, but has been absent from the finals since. "Our main goal is to fence them in and not let them break the long play. That means tackling well in the open field, beating them consistently off the ball and just playing tough.''

Last week in a 35-32 win over Adirondack, Osbourne rushed for 239 yards, including touchdown runs of 62 and a game-winning 55-yarder with 4 minutes left. Rooney contributed TD runs of 25 and 21 yards.

"I don't think they've seen a defense like ours,'' said Thomas, who has returned three interceptions for touchdowns this season. "We've been able to keep good backs from running outside all season because we have such great athletes.''

Fisher hopes to disguise his defensive looks a bit more, and confuse Rooney as to what he's seeing on the other side of the ball.

"If they score, we want it to be little by little,'' said the veteran coach who is finishing his 43rd season at the Lions' helm.

The key to the General Brown defense may be its offense. If the Lions can control the ball, as they have most of the season, that will keep Osbourne, Rooney and company off the field.

"I'm sure they are going to come at us with a 6-2 and try to stop the run,'' said Thomas, who has accounted for 16 touchdowns this season. "Because we haven' t had to throw that much, they probably figure we can't. But we think we can go downfield if they are playing that many people in the box.''

Said Fisher: "Adirondack ran the ball very effectively, but hurt themselves by missing extra points. In a game like this, special teams often make the difference and we've been very good this season.''

General Brown blasted Adirondack 53-12 earlier this season.

"I'm actually glad we're playing Ludden because it gives us a new challenge,'' said Fisher. "These kids have worked very hard for this kind of opportunity. Now we've got to just go out and execute like we have been all season.''