Prep football: Sanders sees positives, wants consistency

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on September 12, 2013 1:47 PM

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Spring Creek head coach Aaron Sanders has seen the light bulb flicker at times for his team this season.

The Gators are working on keeping the lights on for four quarters.

Spring Creek (0-3 overall) has shown flashes of promise through the first three weeks, but inconsistencies have led to three losses. Sanders has seen players making solid individual contributions that are often overshadowed by glaring lapses at critical times.

The Gators have been haunted on special teams, untimely turnovers and early deficits that have been difficult to overcome. The inability to score in the red zone has also been a concern.

"We have to develop consistency in our play," Sanders said. "I've seen a lot of positives, but we're not as consistent as we need to be to compete in ballgames. When you watch the film you see kids making good blocks, great reads and great solo tackles.

"We've got to get our athletes to understand that we've got to make those plays more consistently and just not at times."

Spring Creek seeks its first win of the season Friday at Wake Christian. The Gators should have the edge athletically and moving sophomore Tre Hammonds to quarterback has given the offense an added wrinkle.

The junior's ability to make plays with both his feet and his arm keeps opposing defenses honest. He has accounted for 326 of the Gators' 871 yards of offense.

"We're trying to move personnel to the positions that best fit them as athletes and that's our job as coaches to put the best 11 on the field," Sanders said. "(Putting Hammonds at quarterback) definitely adds some different facets to the offense. It allows us to stretch the field."

Wake Christian allows 32 points a game and has been outscored 86-12 in its last two contests. A win over the Bulldogs could provide some critical momentum for the Gators, who open conference play in two weeks.

"We need to go out and play well Friday night," Sanders said. "We're going to emphasize to our athletes that they need to perform well. We need to get some details ironed out. This is a game that is coming at a time that it needs to come."