November 6, 2009

Dirk Knudsen
OregonPreps.com Editor

We took a look at the year so far just to see who has the toughest defenses as we head off into the Playoffs next week.
The Answers might surprise you and maybe they won't.

We also then decided to take a look at what leagues are toughest on defense on Average. Defense wins Championships. When you look closely at the Facts you see that. Check out our 6A Summary below.

Top Defenses by League/Level based on Fewest Points Allowed

League-Level	Team Name	Games Played	Points Allowed	Avg. Per Game	Rank in League	League Average
Metro 6A	Westview	8	108	13.5	#3	161 PA
SWC: 6A	Sheldon	8	117	14.62	#1	177.5 PA
TRL: 6A	Lake Oswego	8	108	13.5	#1	198 PA
Pacific: 6A	Canby	8	160	20	#1	207.5 PA
Pacific: 6A	Newberg	8	160	20	#3	207.5 PA
PIL 6A	Grant	9	131	14.5	#1	216 PA
CVC: 6A	McKay	8	187	23.4	#4	247.8 PA
Mt Hood: 6A	Gresham	8	154	19.25	#3	250 PA

An interesting fact to note is that 7 of the last 10 years the Championship in the 6A, formerly 4A, were won by teams from the Metro League or the SWC. Five of the seven were won by Metro League Teams.

What does this tell us? Well it is wet, cold, and inhospitable this time of year. Defense is not as mistake prone as offense. Having a solid Defense coming into the playoffs simply increases a teams chances of advancing.

Now let's see if there is any truth to this theory of ours. And why is the Metro League so much better defensively?
It can't be their offenses as they all put up big point in out of league games.

Maybe there is a depth issue at work here. Having 10-15 top athletes versus 7-8 might separate this part of the game without a doubt. Who knows.

Next week we compare offensive stats in a similar manner and see what we can learn when comparing the two. Best of luck to everyone out there tonight.