The Redskins will get a chance to find out if they are as good as they looked Friday in a 56-0 rout of Fleming-Neon.
The Trojans hope to prove they aren't as bad as Harlan made them appear in a 35-6 season-opening loss.
"We've got to correct mistakes. We made so many the other night and our kids know that," Cawood coach Frank Smith said. "They watched the film, and they are really disgusted with their performance.
"I think they realize we do have something to prove, that we're a better football team than what we demonstrated out here Friday. I think we're more aggressive than what we demonstrated Friday."
Cumberland, picked last by coaches in District 7 of Class A, looked more like a playoff team in the blowout win over the Pirates.
"Any time you win, it's going to build your confidence," said first-year Cumberland coach Jon Reynolds. "You've just got to keep the momentum going, and that's what I'm trying to teach them."
Reynolds was quick to point out, however, that Cawood's opponent last Friday was tougher than Neon.
Cumberland rolled up 237 yards on the ground against Neon as Reynolds unveiled a new Wing-T offense that he promised in the preseason would give the Skins more balance after depending almost exclusively on an air attack in recent years.
"If we can average 5.9 yards per rush like we did, I don't see us throwing the ball any," Reynolds said with a chuckle. "But if we get to where we're not getting enough yardage, I'm sure we'll have to throw some."
Junior running back Robert Constant led the Skins with 75 yards on 15 carries. Senior wingback Marty Doyle added a 70-yard touchdown reception and an 82-yard kickoff return. Senior quarterback Drew Allison completed all four of his passes for 115 yards with three touchdowns.
"They're athletic. They have some people at skilled positions who are dangerous," Smith said. "Constant is at tailback, and Marty is a double threat at receiver and running back. You've also got the (Michael) Washington kid in the mix, and Drew does a good job leading them. They are playing pretty well right now."
Both coaches expect aggressiveness to be a key on Friday.
"We'll have to match their physicalness on the front line," Reynolds said. "I think the team on the front line that is more physical will win."
While Cawood may have been the favorite in the preseason, the Skins' impressive opener appears to have changed the look of this week's game.
"They have the confidence advantage," Smith admitted. "They are coming off a huge win. They have a new system and new coach, and that was a big confidence boost for them.
"Right now, we're probably questioning ourselves a little bit. We've got to find a way to generate some confidence in our kids this week. I hope they'll see that they are a better football team than what was on the field Friday night. We've just got to take the field and play like it."
Evarts at Letcher
Football officially arrives at Letcher High School on Saturday at 2 p.m. as the Wildcats visit for the first high school football game played at the school in what is expected to be its last year of existence before a merger with Whitesburg and Fleming-Neon high schools to form Letcher County Central High School.
Letcher had never fielded a varsity football team until this year and didn't get off to the best of starts with a 66-0 loss at Clay County on Saturday in the Appalachian Bowl. The Eagles fell behind 47-0 in the first quarter as Clay rolled to the blowout win.
"It's basically inexperience," said Letcher coach Charles Hall of his team's problems in the season opener. "We're starting from scratch. I think we'll be a stronger team in the last four or five games as we get more experience.
"We didn't get beat up or pushed around on the field. It was just simple mistakes, misreads and things like that."
Junior quarterback Steven Caudill led the Letcher offense against Clay, completing nine of 18 passes for 111 yards. Junior tailback Montana Gibson had four receptions for 40 yards while senior wingback Stephen Breeding had 48 yards rushing. Junior fullback John Walters rounds out the backfield.
Sophomore linebacker Teddy Back and junior end Travis Dixon lead the Letcher defense.
Evarts is also coming off a loss and coach Ovie Canady said the Cats must work on eliminating some of the mistakes that hurt them in a 24-6 loss to visiting Knox Central. The Wildcats had seven fumbles, losing four.
"We have to cut down on turnovers and get a better effort out of people," he said. "We blew a couple of touchdowns by not blocking.
"Defensively, we have to do a better job of getting our linebackers attacking."
The Wildcats were dealt a blow in the opener as senior halfback Frank Middleton, the Cats' leading rusher last year with 751 yards, suffered a back injury that Canady said would keep him out for the remainder of the season. Junior center J.D. Middleton is expected to miss the Letcher game as he recovers from a knee injury suffered against Knox Central.
Canady plans to alternate Benji Thomas, Dustin Mefford and Michael Lunsford at the two halfback slots with Bryan Freeman starting at fullback. Mefford had 36 yards and Lunsford had 30 to lead the Wildcats against Knox Central.
Post a Comment
