FOOTBALL CAPSULES: Friday's games

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on September 8, 2016 9:57 AM

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Lejeune (0-3) at Rosewood (0-3)

Last week: Rosewood lost to Midway 46-13; Lejeune lost 50-0 to Lakewood

Last meeting: 2015, Rosewood won 47-0.

Notable: Monday's loss to Midway snapped the Eagles' five-game win streak at Branch Pope Field. RHS looks to end a five-game skid that started with a loss to Princeton in the regular-season finale for both teams last fall.

The Eagles' offense: First-year starter Tron Blue is toting the ball on nearly every down, but struggled on occasion to find the correct hole against Midway's defense on Monday. New receivers are searching for open space to receive the ball from senior quarterback Cameron Helt. Rosewood head coach Robert Britt said, "I think our offensive line is getting better and I think our backs are getting better. Part of it is running that play enough in game situations to be able to see the openings. We're slowly getting there. I was pleased with how we moved the football (against Midway). We've got to cut down on our penalties. We've got to be able to convert on fourth-down some (Eagles turned ball over on downs on three occasions)."

On the three-day break: One thing Britt feels he and his coaching staff does, whether it's after a win or loss, is not change their daily routine. The team spent Tuesday studying game film and hit the practice field to work on correctable mistakes. The staff has a priority list that it follows each day. "With a young group, it's a slow process," Britt said.

On Lejeune: "Looking at Lejeune, they're going to be like us. We're two teams that haven't broken the win column," Britt said. "Both teams, I'm sure, are thinking that they can win. They're predominantly a running team. We've got to get better at what we do than what they do."

On Blue: Britt is looking to get his top running back some assistance. Mike Reed is an integral part of the linebacking corps. His speed could prove beneficial on offense. The flip side is getting players to step up defensively in Reed's absence. Blue is also one of the team's top defensive players. "We need to give Mike some reps," Britt said. "Not that Tron is doing anything wrong. He's doing fine and I think he's getting better every game. It's a matter of giving a different (offensive) look to the other team."

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Pender (1-1) at North Duplin (0-3)

Last week: North Duplin lost 44-36 to South Lenoir in double overtime; Pender defeated South Brunswick 34-12.

Last meeting: 2015, Pender won 20-19

Notable: North Duplin looks to avoid an 0-4 start for the first time since 2010.

How do the Rebels recover from heartbreaking loss to SL? ND head coach Hugh Martin said it was up to the players to come back in with the attitude to go back to work. Monday, the Rebels did just that and Martin said it was great to see. "As coaches, we go through the same preparation process, break down game film and show it to them," Martin said. "They understand there are some things we've got to improve so we can develop some consistency on both sides of the ball."

Emphasis this week? Offensively, the Rebels have developed the tendency to miss a key block here or there at the worst possible time or have the right timing on a certain play based on execution. "We're moving it as consistently as we feel like we need to," Martin said. "We've done a lot of good things. And defensively, too, we've given up key plays. We can't have those four or five plays that are difference makers." Martin said there were specific plays in losses to Chocowinity Southside and South Lenoir that turned the tide.

Evolvement of Will Archer at quarterback: "Will has worked real hard, done a great job in the weight room developing himself," Martin said. "He just continues to get a little more comfortable each week and hopefully that's going to continue to happen for us. He's done a great job executing what we want to do. He's thrown the ball well at times." Martin cited Archer's strong running ability.

Thoughts on Pender? Martin describes the Patriots as huge up front. Key running back returns and does well with cutback moves, but can run with power. Pender has used a couple of offensive sets and switched to power-base scheme that suited it against South Brunswick. "We have to hold our ground up front defensively," Martin said. "Offensively, we've got to do what we've been doing. We've got to try to control the ball. Try to get them in the wrong place so we can get some chances to make some cuts and run."

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Wake Christian Academy (2-0)

at Spring Creek (1-2)

Last week: Spring Creek lost 35-14 to East Carteret; Wake Christian defeated Trinity Christian-Fayetteville 23-14

Last meeting: 2015, Wake Christian won 23-0

Notable: Wake Christian has won two of three meetings against the Gators. SC enters the game missing key pieces of its offense and defense -- Dominique Morse, Nick Strickland, Rayquan Lanier and Austin Reynolds. Each has suffered an injury that could be either short or long term depending on the healing time involved. "We'll get through it," Gators head coach Aaron Sanders said.

With those injuries, who will step up and fill the voids? "One of the positives of a team that has a lot of upperclassmen, you're going to have some guys that are going to be willing to step up," Sanders said.

Review of East Carteret film? Sanders said the team must do a better job of tackling at the point of attack. Offensively, the Gators -- at times -- looked sharp, but struggled with consistency. Sanders attributed it to players learning their roles and working to mesh as a unit.

Scouting report on Wake Christian? "I feel like you're looking at two programs that have improved over the last four years and Wake Christian is a lot better than they were four years ago," Sanders said. "Last year, we went to them and didn't play a really bad ballgame, but offensively we were really out of synch." Sanders added the Bulldogs are well-coached, play disciplined and go hard to the football. SC also has to play disciplined, win blocks and beat blocks at the point of attack. Wake Christian runs a spread offense and 3-5 stack on defense, which means the Gators will see at least six to eight players in the box.

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Southern Wayne (1-1)

at North Lenoir (0-3)

Last week: Southern Wayne defeated Goldsboro 71-24; North Lenoir lost 44-36 to Charles B. Aycock

Last meeting: 2015, North Lenoir won 26-21

Notable: The Saints' last win against the Hawks was a 52-33 shootout at the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex in 2013. The Saints last won back-to-back games in 2011 when they started the season 4-0. North Lenoir has lost three games by a total of 22 points.

Avoiding a letdown after beating a county rival? "We told them last night (Tuesday) to celebrate this one because it was a good one, but there is a quick turnaround because we have to get ready for a good team in North Lenoir," first-year SW head coach Ronnie McClary Jr. said. "We just want to keep that momentum going to prepare us for upcoming games. Having that good game will help us do better against North Lenoir."

What stood out the most about your team against Goldsboro? "The one thing that stood out is the fact it's a county rivalry and we knew that both teams would be kind of pysched for it," McClary Jr. said. "The guys were mentally prepared for the game. Usually we have to get them revved up for the game and we said a few things, but they were mentally ready. Having a good game against James Kenan (a 28-20 loss) helped us out with that."

What is your impression of North Lenoir? "They're a real good team, even though the record doesn't suggest it," McClary Jr. said. "They've got real good athletes, a nice-sized offensive line and they're one of those teams that you can't sleep on them. They're hungry for a win, too, just like we were (against Goldsboro). They're probably looking at us as that first win, so we've got to limit our mistakes. They've got a real good running back and the quarterback is athletic. Defensively, they've got some good athletes."

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Wayne Christian (0-1)

at St. David's School (3-0)

Last week: Lightning suspended Wayne Christian's non-conference game against 2-A Parrott Academy; St. David's defeated Bethel Christian 40-20

Last meeting: First-ever meeting between the two schools

Notable: Austin Kornegay returned a kickoff 70 yards to the house. Quarterback DJ Waters hooked up with Jamari Waters on a 25-yard TD strike before Mother Nature intervened in the Parrott game. DJ added 84 yards rushing and a TD on 11 carries. St. David's was the 2-A 8-man state runner-up to Parrott Academy a year ago.

Head coach Scott Pender's impressions on St. David's: "They're probably going to be a little bit tougher than what we had last Thursday. They have a wide variance of plays and formations that makes it hard to cover on defense. It's nothing tricky. It's going to be on our linebackers and corners. If we work hard, we can make it happen."

Good preparation? Pender said the game will be good for his team, but at the same time, adjustments throughout the contest will be paramount. The Eagles have stressed covering the corners and ends to protect against the pass. But he may call upon his linebackers to help defend the short pass, and surrender the running yards. "It's going to be a great learning game for us," Pender said.

Pender's thoughts on his team so far? "I really like our offense. It's coming along strong. We've got some speed, some head-strong players, a quarterback that knows the game which is a plus. The downside is that we're having to put forth those same players on defense. It would be lovely to have a different offense and defense when the ball switches hands. But, the up side is that Ihave those smart offensive players on defense," Pender said. The Eagles are adding more schemes to their playbooks. However, Pender contends that the defense must improve as the season progresses.