FOOTBALL CAPSULES: Friday night's games

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 15, 2016 10:07 AM

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SOUTHERN WAYNE (1-3)

at KINSTON (2-2)

Last week: Southern Wayne lost 63-57 to North Lenoir; Kinston defeated Jacksonville White Oak 48-18

Last meeting: 2015, Kinston won 47-0

Notable: The Vikings have won the last four meetings against the Saints and lead the all-time series 13-8. Southern Wayne won three straight from 2005-07.

What are you going to face when you see Kinston on Friday night? "They're a pretty good team, an experienced team that went to the playoffs (last year) and they have real good athletes,"SW head coach Ronnie McClary Jr. said. "They run a good offense and a pretty stout defense. They've got a new running back and quarterback. They like to pass the ball more than run, at least that's what it looks like on film. Defensively, they are strong up front with nice-sized linemen and linebackers. I think their strength is their defensive backs in their pass coverage."

Are the DBs quick or just good at reading what the other team's offense is doing? "They like to react what teams are doing offensive. They're pretty big and strong."

The last two weeks, Southern Wayne has scored 134 points in the last eight quarters. Why has the offense exploded so quickly? "A lot of it is predicated to the offseason workouts. This year more upperclassmen came. They're just buying in what we're trying to do."

What's going to be the keys to success against Kinston? "We've got limit our mistakes. We can't make mistakes against Kinston because they're so good. If we can start off strong on offense or defense, we've got a chance. The past couple of games, the first couple of offensive series we've been slow, but the defense has been stopping (the other team). Then we try to pick it up."

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PRINCETON (1-3)

at UNION (3-0)

Last week: Princeton lost 48-20 to North Johnston; Union defeated Hobbton 43-0

Last meeting: 2015, Union won 33-0

Notable: The Spartans lead the all-time series 15-7. Princeton's last win occurred in 2014 -- a 48-14 decision when current N.C. State running back Johnny Frasier toted the pigskin.

What's been the emphasis in practice this week? "Tackling, definitely. We need to work on our focus, really concentrate on having the correct sets and pulling the trigger when it comes time to making the tackle," PHS head coach Travis Gaster said. "That's we've focused hard on (this week)."

Have you been refining your offense and shoring up your defense? "We give equal time to both and that hasn't changed," Gaster said. "We make as many mistakes on offense as we have on defense, but when you make mistakes on defense, you give up six points. On offense, when you make a mistake, you huddle back up and call another play. We're learning from our mistakes and that's going to make us better down the road. We're playing better football now, we've just got make plays on defense. We have to limit explosive plays from the other team."

You guys are still young in the Wing-T scheme, which is about assignment and repetition. How is that going for the team? "It's going well," Gaster said. "I said all along that our offensive line has made this transition much easier just because they have played so well together as an entire unit. We don't have to rely on one or two guys to run behind every play. We're comfortable behind our entire line. With all the pulling and trapping, it takes all of them working together to create those holes because everybody is going to crowd the box against us."

What's your scouting report on Union? "They are extremely athletic," Gaster said. "Offensively, they try to hit your everywhere. They're much like us, run the ball unless they have to throw it. They're going to run sweeps, get into two tight ends and use about a 350-pound fullback and hand him the ball in the gap, and try to gain about three yards a clip. They have three different offenses. They're going to try each one and see which one they can gain the most yards on, and stick with that until you stop it. Then they'll try something different. They have a lot of athletes and a lot of guys touch the ball. They've got a lot of talent over there and the coaches do a good job of putting them in position to be successful."

What does Princeton have to do to come out with a win Friday night? "It sounds very redundant. We just have to tackle. If we'll tackle and sit correctly, we'll have a chance to do some good things against them. We just have to play as one and not take plays off on defense, gang tackle and rally, fly around and match their speed. We can harness their speed by using correct angles. (We) make a few plays and get excited, then you're not as tired as you think you are."

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ROSEWOOD (1-3)

at SOUTH LENOIR (3-1)

Last week: Rosewood defeated Lejeune 48-6; South Lenoir defeated Richlands 20-14

Last meeting: 2015, Rosewood won 55-6.

Notable: The Eagles lead the all-time series 3-0. The Blue Devils have a new coach, Jeremy Joyner, who spent three seasons at Princeton and is familiar with Rosewood's offensive scheme.

What did the win over Lejeune do for your team? "Winning is always better than losing," RHS head coach Robert Britt said. "It makes the next week better, gives your kids confidence, justifies the work they're putting in and they can see progress. It was a very big step forward. Our kids now know that if we continue to just get better every Friday night, we're going to have the chance to win a ballgame."

What has the coaching tried to clean up this week? "It's small things," Britt said. "The defensive line, we have to continue to do a good job of fighting pressure and working down the line. Sometimes we come off the ball and play just one area. We have to get the defensive line moving better. Tackling is always an issue with us every week. We're getting a little bit better as we face teams that are explosive and quick. Offensively, we're trying to figure out what we can do to maybe be a little bit more explosive. Put some guys in different positions, add a couple of wrinkles to try and produce more big plays."

You're playing a South Lenoir that has found some confidence. Your thoughts? "Yeah, they look good on film. Jeremy Joyner has taken over that program and done a really good job. They're not same South Lenoir team we played last year and that's what we are telling our kids. It's going to be a game that I think is going to be really competitive. I think it's going to come down to who is the better tackling team and runs their offense better than the other team. They're run happy. We have to make sure our tackling is solid and we're hoping to find some explosive plays on offense. We've been doing pretty good moving the ball."

Is ball possession the key to winning the game? "Definitely," Britt said. "With their offense, they want to control the clock. The perfect scenario is for them to have 10-, 12- or 14-play drives that end in a score. When we can, we've got to get off the field (defensively). That's one thing we did better the other night."

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EASTERN WAYNE (2-1)

at WEST CARTERET (2-2)

Last week: Eastern Wayne lost 48-14 to Greene Central; West Carteret lost 45-32 to D.H. Conley

Last meeting: 2015, Eastern Wayne won 39-36 on Brennan Dove's game-winning field goal

Notable: WC is coached by Rosewood alum Daniel Barrow Jr.

After the game against Greene Central last week, what did you learn about your football team? "One thing we have to learn is to finish the job," EW head coach Leander Oates said. "When we jumped out (ahead 14-0), everything was going according to our gameplan. It was early. Playing against a team like Greene Central, our guys have got to learn that it's always a ballgame with three more quarters left. We have to finish the day off, not finish up slow."

What are some things you saw in that game that you felt you needed to refine in practice this week? "We've got to touch up on our line, understand that we have to keep our hands attached to the defender or whether it's on the opposite side of the ball. We pretty much played a touch and go, instead of drive. We have to make sure we have backups ready in case of injuries."

How is the offense looking? "We've still got some work to do," Oates said. "We've got to find a way to get Zeke (Best) to see the whole field. He can be so special with the arm strength that he's got. The team pretty much feeds off him. If they see him going, they'll put in the work. Getting Matt (Askew-Betts) back 100 percent is going to help a lot. Like I tell Malyk (Williams), having that kind of counterpart opens things up especially when you are on the field together. They are dynamic."

How are you preparing for West Carteret? "Offensively, they've got some guys that will attack you. They come up hard, they've got corners that come up hard and great linebackers. We've just got to make sure if we do our job and keep our heads up, then maybe we can stay in the ballgame and hopefully come out with a win. Offensive-wise, it's pretty much the new-century offense where everybody spreads it out. We've seen it so many times, but personnel makes a difference. They've got a great running back and a smart quarterback. We've just got to play sound football."

What's the intangible that EW needs this week? "My biggest assignment has been leadership this week," Oates said. "I need that guy to step up and say we lost one. OK, how are we going to bounce back? How can we let that one game not affect our entire season? That's one of the things that's got to be put in place. We've told the guys it's only you on that field. Us as coaches, we have to make sure we prepare you. Go out there and play for one another, work together."

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SPRING CREEK (1-3)

at CHOCOWINITY SOUTHSIDE (2-2)

Last week: Spring Creek lost 30-19 to Wake Christian; Southside lost 26-20 at Martin Riverside

Last meeting: 2015, Southside won 50-14

Notable: The Gators have linebacker Nick Strickland available for Friday's game. Dominique Morse remains doubtful. SC is playing its first road game of the season.

What has the preparation been for Southside? "We've been getting ready for the Wing-T and we've been getting ready for a defense that plays very hard and aggressive," SC head coach Aaron Sanders said. "We've got a couple of different (defensive) looks weve got to prepare for offensively. But we'll be OK."

What kind of challenge does that present? "The kids are going to have to communicate up front, making sure that we're getting the right blocking schemes down for the right stuff. I think the kids will be all right with it. We've talked about it as a coaching staff, talked with the players about it, so we'll see how that translates over into Friday night."

Are some key players getting healthy? "We will have Nick (Strickland) back on Friday. That's a plus. Dominique, we're still trying to get him healthy, so that's where we're at with that (issue)."

The Gators are 1-3, what's going to be the goal for Friday? "I think in both of those games we hit a little bit of a lull in the second half," Sanders said of the East Carteret and Wake Christian games. "Last week, we had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and let that get away. So those are focal points and making sure that we leave everything we've got out on the field. We're going to make sure that we do a good job early in the game of getting kids subbed in and out."

Where have you seen the biggest improvement in your team? "Compared to last year, our defense is really playing a lot better. Offensively, we're throwing the ball well right now. We're struggling with our run game, which has to improve for us to be successful."

How do you match up with Southside? "I think the two teams are fairly similar. I know Southside lost a lot from last year. In the skill positions, both teams have some athletes. We're going to have match their aggressiveness. We're going to have to stop their run game and we're going to have to get a run game started. It will be an interesting game Friday night."