South vows to beat trap

By Jake Miller
The Dispatch


Published: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 11:34 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 11:34 p.m.

In the second half of South Davidson’s game against Central Davidson last Friday, the Wildcats were unable to stop the complex Spartan set of counters, traps and misdirection plays. What does South Davidson have to deal with this Friday?

Counters, traps and misdirection plays.

South (1-2) travels to Kernersville to take on Bishop McGuiness (2-0), a private school that plays among 1-A public schools in the Northwest Conference. The Villains don’t play the Wing-T that Central plays, but instead run a single-wing formation that still employs many of the same aspects.

“The second half last week, (Central) came out and ran those traps really well,” South coach Mike Crowell said. “We’ll need to stop those better this week. ... It’s a little different set, like a hybrid single-wing or Notre Dame box, with usually two or three fake handoffs on every play.”

A cursory look at Bishop McGuiness’ results in 2009 shows that they ought to be taken seriously. The Villains opened with a 41-0 rout of Highland Tech, a magnet school in Gastonia, and after a bye week, followed with a 42-0 waxing of Union Academy in Monroe.

“They score a lot of points,” Crowell said. “It’ll test our defense.”

The Wildcats will make a few changes on offense heading into the contest. Quarterback Josh McClure will see time at wingback and wide receiver, where his speed and athleticism will be better utilized.

“He’s our best deep threat, he’s got great hands,” Crowell said. “We need to use that speed, and he’ll be a positive with his ability in one-on-ones.”

Zac Strother will take the snaps when McClure is sent out wide.

Crowell said the defense has been more focused this week, having a whole week to prepare this time around. South had one less day to prepare against Central after playing West Davidson the previous Monday. Moreover, Crowell feels blessed to have a healthier roster.

“We just want one more win before our conference season starts up,” Crowell said.

East Davidson at Southwestern Randolph

Bryan Lingerfelt said he expects a physical opponent this Friday, but if there’s anything his East Davidson teams have been, it’s physical.

The Eagles (1-2) travel to Southwestern Randolph (2-1) to take on a Cougar team coming off an exciting win at North Moore last Friday. East Davidson is looking to avenge last season’s 13-6 overtime loss.

Southwestern Randolph is led by quarterback Butch Dunn, who threw for 178 yards and ran for 61 while adding touchdowns through the air and on the ground against North Moore.

“They’re good up front on offense and defense,” Lingerfelt said. “Their quarterback is really good, good running back, pretty good receivers.”

Southwestern Randolph plays in the Mid-Piedmont 3A and is only two seasons removed from a 31-game losing streak. But the 2008 edition was 4-7, and the 2009 team is already halfway to that win total.

East will turn to Dylan Gallimore and Malcolm Wimmer, its horses in the running game, as well as defensive back Dustin Sipes and lineman Nick Gibson, who Lingerfelt said has been “very consistent” in practice lately.

As for putting last week’s 35-3 defeat at the hands of North Davidson behind them, Lingerfelt is a little philosophical.

“I told the guys, ‘Ain’t never as bad as it seems. Ain’t never as good as it seems. The reality is somewhere in the middle,’ ” Lingerfelt said. “North is a really good football team, and it showed us what we need to work on. ... Losing to a team like North Davidson exposed our weaknesses.”

As for a game plan, East will stick to its bread and butter: running the football and keeping the other team’s offense off the field.

“We have to out-execute them,” Lingerfelt said. “We can’t make mistakes.”

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