CAP-7 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL
If the skill-position players shine in Friday night's Millbrook/Leesville Road football game, the boys upfront will undoubtedly be playing well. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Millbrook.
Pride, Wildcats square off Friday
In rivalry games, like Friday night's Leesville Road at Millbrook football match-up, records and previous performances can usually be thrown out.
(After scoring just 12 points against Broughton Oct. 9, did anyone see Wake Forest-Rolesville hanging 47 points on crosstown foe Wakefield. Me, neither.)
So, anything can happen when rivalries — i.e. emotions — are involved. And Friday will be no different.
For that reason, let's focus on these four facts leading into the contest.
Berrios in at QB
The Pride will be starting its third different quarterback in three weeks as Austin Berrios steps back into the lineup, according head coach David Green.
While Logan Bible's solid performance — 58 total rushing yards — in leading last week's 59-14 win over Sanderson can't be overlooked, Berrios is starter Josh Stanley's first back-up, and has downright scary athleticism.
And the sophomore has already displayed a knack for getting the job done in big spots.
In the Leesville opener against Panther Creek, and with Stanley sidelined in the fourth quarter, Berrios came in and led a game-winning, 70-yard drive. He completed 2 of two passes for 39 yards on the drive, setting up a Dylan Edwards touchdown run.
So it's a good bet you can expect that same scenario Friday, with Berrios making plays and Edwards finishing off drives, busting into the end zone.
(After the Pride rushed for 377 yards against Sanderson last week, it's not exactly going out on a limb to say Leesville might concentrate on the run. More on that in a moment.)
Millbrook no longer on the mend
How about this for a second fact — there is no reason for Millbrook not to play its best game.
"Everybody is healthy, so we have no excuses," said Wildcat coach Clarence Inscore Thursday night.
Starting QB Trey McFarland was forced to the sidelines late in the Wildcats' last game, a 42-24 come-from-behind win against Sanderson Oct. 9. But the junior will be under center Friday, allowing back-up Michael Thornton to return to wideout. With Thornton, fellow senior WR Scott Gray and sophomore running back Keith Marshall all available — a somewhat rare occurrence this fall — the pieces are in place for success.
And Green knows what the Wildcats are capable of.
"Those are some pretty good football players. They are explosive," the Leesville coach said, singling the four Wildcat standouts by name. "Millbrook can be very dangerous, so you got to play well against them."
Wildcats to concentrate on eliminating self-inflicted wounds
Expect Millbrook to focus on ball control.
If the Wildcats could cut down on mistakes, it's easy to see them with a record much better than 4-4. How good? Maybe 6-2 or even 7-1.
With two weeks to prepare, thanks to its open week last Friday night, Inscore surely pointed out the similarities in the Wildcats' first two conference losses — untimely turnovers. Not that any turnover is celebrated, but the Wildcats coach explained his squad's miscues against Broughton and Wakefield were especially hurtful.
"We have had different types of mistakes," Inscore said. "When we were 3-1 to start the year, we were committing turnovers, but it was inside their territory as we were going into score. But if you look at the loses to Wakefield and Broughton, we were killing ourselves, turning the ball over inside our own 30 and 35 yard line. Giving the teams short fields. You can't do that against good teams and win."
The short fields have given the Wildcats' defense a bad rap, so disregard the 59 points they yielded to the Wolverines.
Umm, this is obvious ... but the Pride will run the ball
As I mentioned earlier, with Berrios in, expect Leesville Road to continue to pound the rock on the ground.
The Pride didn't "accidently" run the ball on its first 27 offensive plays against the Spartans.
This is a trend that will continue. Why? Because it worked. The Pride have been banged up with injury (Ryan Mangum, Stanley and many others) all year, and illness will likely keep out Bible and Gerroid Doughty this week, according to Green.
The one area of the Leesville squad not riddled with injuries this season has been the Pride's offensive line, led by Carson Moss, Kirk Lincoln, Joey Buccola, Nate Wooten and Jake Joyner.
The group upfront was supposed to be a team strength entering the season, and the unit's play has lived up to the predictions.
"We emphasized all week [leading up to Sanderson] that the offensive line had to really dominate, to give us a chance to run the football and get the quarterbacks comfortable," Green said. "And that's what they did."
Last week's leading rusher, Andres Lluch, who ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns, will continue to get carries this week.
The junior, listed at 5-foot-11, 168 pounds, might not have the size or brawn of Edwards (6-foot-1, 231 pounds), but he's an effective runner, who know how to pick his spots, Green explained.
"Last week was the first time he ran behind the first-team line, and he took advantage of the opportunity," the coach said.
Regardless of how the Leesville Road offense plays, back-up QB Andrew Wolfe will also see some snaps, Green predicted.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.
