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Wayne Co. Cards will open district play at Russell Co. The Wayne County Cardinals, 3-2 on the season and coming off an open date on the schedule, open district play this Friday night at Russell County. The Lakers are 2-4 on the season and coming off an impressive 7-0 home win over Metcalfe County. The matchup marks the 28th meeting between the two rivals with Wayne County winning the last two in the series, including a 34-19 decision last October at Jewell Field. Russell County is Wayne County’s most common opponent in school history, with the Lakers claiming a 17-10 all-time advantage. The 2004 Lakers have already doubled last season’s effort in the win column, under the direction of second year head coach Vic Clark. “Russell County has a young team, but one that is very dangerous. They have around a 60-man roster, so their kids are buying into coach Clark’s system and that’s obvious just looking at their numbers. Russell County is a very scary opponent that certainly has our respect and focus,” said Cards head coach Shawn Thompson. Russell County opened the 2004 season with three straight losses, before exploding to a 54-32 win at Class 3A Taylor County. The Lakers only loss in the last three games occurred at home to Mercer County (31-16). The squad enters the district season off another high, knocking off Metcalfe County 7-0. “Russell County is playing with a real confidence level and that showed in their win last week,” said Thompson. The Laker’s offense is based out of the Triple-Option and relys on a strong running game. The unit averages 15.0 points per game and faces a Wayne County defense that allows 20.2 points per game. “They like to run the Triple-Option and are very effective, so defensively we must be sound and play our responsibilities. We must swarm the football, try to force some turnovers and play with a high level of intensity,” said Thompson. Wayne County’s offense enters the contest netting 266 rushing yards per game and totaling 349 yards overall per game, through five games. The Cards, coming off a 56 point effort against Knox Central, are led by the 984 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns of senior runningback Matt Goff. “Offensively we have to continue to build each week, on the positions. Matt is off to a great start, but we talk a lot about team effort and unity,” said Thompson. The Cards average 30.2 points per game and face a Russell County defense that plays the 4-4 and allows 24.1 per game. “Russell County likes to stop the run and last week they certainly were up to the job. Defensively they swarm the football well and are very aggressive,” said Thompson. The game marks the district opener for both teams. “We played our first five games to prepare and get better for district. We’ve had some success so far, but starting this Friday everyone is 0-0 and once again fighting for the playoffs. We must continue to work hard and focus, if we do that I believe good things will happen,” said Thompson. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. Friday night at Russell County’s Laker Field. “We’re certainly thankful for the crowds we’ve had at home and on the road. Hopefully we’ll have another big group to make the drive over. I know our kids and staff certainly appreciate the support,” said Thompson. Complete details on the game will be in next week’s Outlook. Add a comment |
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