Week 9 Football NOteBook: The Clock is Ticking

Plain and simple, it's do or die time for Battery Creek and Beaufort High.

For the Dolphins, the playoffs essentially start Friday, as a loss to Hilton Head High will eliminate their postseason chances -- barring some bizarre turn of events elsewhere in the unpredictable Region 8-AAA.
The Eagles face less of a challenge when they travel to a 2-6 Colleton County team, but a slip-up against a opponent who's shown itself competitive would jeopardize Beaufort's shot at the Region 8-AAAA title next week against Summerville.

So let's things break these matchups down.....

HILTON HEAD HIGH AT BATTERY CREEK
During our nearly 20-minute phone conversation on Thursday, I could hear it in Carlos Cave's voice.
The quiet frustration. The disappointment of a 2-6 record. The bewilderment over second-half leads that keep slipping away.
Yet through it all, I heard a Dolphins coach unwilling to give up on a once-promising season and his still-promising team.

"Man, we've been sitting around as coaches, trying to figure out what's been going wrong," Cave said of a team that some expected to be region champs. "We're wondering, 'Are we snakebitten, or are we not living right or something?
"We have the playmakers to make plays; several guys fall into that category. But we're just not making stops in crunch time like we need to and it's very frustrating for me, the coaches and these kids."

The remedies are quite simple and Cave knows it. Eliminate turnovers, improve the rush defense and establish the run game to open up the field. But while the potential is there for all of these factors to occur, it's the execution that has the Dolphins perplexed.

Cave said he will look to run the ball with more authority on Friday behind power running back Cecil Franklin and speedy tailback Joshua Franklin. The duo has combined for just 22 carries (11 each) in the last two games and neither has broken the 100-yard barrier since the season opener, when Fields had 118 yards on six carries.
Should they build a lead, these runners will be critical in helping the Dolphins eat up clock and take more pressure off quarterback Stedman James. The sophomore, while throwing for more than 1,100 yards, has shown his youth with poor reads and errant throws on the run of late, leading to costly turnovers.

On the defensive side, improved tackling and pursuit continue to be harping points. The Dolphins gave up 268 rushing yards to Bluffton last week and Hilton Head High is hitting its offensive stride at the right time with an average of 37 points during its current 4-1 run.

"The way that Hilton Head looked in a preseason scrimmage we saw them in against West Ashley and the way they look now is like night and day," Cave said. "Their kids fly around and are playing with a swagger now that shows their confidence in what they do."

It's a swagger that the Dolphins could easily regain with a win on Friday. Wright has the size and speed to match up with Seahawks wideout Victor Frazier and an efficient pass rush could throw off quarterback Jeff Homad, who is starting just his fourth game this season.

The Dolphins must win their last two games, and either hope for Bluffton or Lake Marion to lose out or depend on a coin toss to go in their favor for one of the region's four playoff spots.

"These next two games are obviously critical for us. The kids know they they are better than their record shows -- you can see it in their eyes," Cave said. "The way we lose has dumbfounded us, but we still believe we can turn this thing around."

MY PICK: HILTON HEAD HIGH BY 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEAUFORT HIGH AT COLLETON COUNTY
A week after giving up 51 points (a record in the Mark Clifford era) to one of the state's top teams in Berkeley, the Eagles travel to play the region's worst team (record-wise) in Colleton County.

The matchup lies almost like trap, sandwiched thinly between a helping of Berkeley, Summerville and Goose Creek. But Clifford and his Eagles are determined not to let any mental miscue create a replay of last season, when they lost their last three games after a 9-0 start.

"Winning this game would be big for us because we'd be able to go into two tough games and into the playoffs with an upbeat spirit," Clifford said. "Finishing strong; that's always huge."

When it comes to Friday, starting strong will be important as well for Beaufort, which has had its struggles on the road.
Against James Island and Wando, late touchdowns almost squandered 14- and 12-point leads, and only once (against Fort Dorchester) has Beaufort erased a halftime deficit this season.

Fortunately for the Eagles, quarterback Beau Brown seems to be finding his comfort zone under center.
Clifford said that he's grown confident enough in his first-year starter to give him two plays going into the huddle and allow him to check down (or decide the play) at the line based on the defensive look. And with the Cougars' strong secondary and affinity for blitzing, Brown's evolving wisdom will be critical.

It's still uncertain whether leading rusher Josh McPherson will return Friday after not practicing and missing last week's game with an ankle injury. My guess is that he gets a few carries, at most, in order to get reacquainted with game-time speed before next week's showdown at Summerville -- but that's just me.

Either way, Alex Simmons and Demeo Holmes will once again shoulder the load. The Eagle ground game found more success along the edges last week, forcing them to abandon several counter and trap formations and holding Simmons to just 12 yards in the second half.
Much of this had to do with Berkeley's strong rush up the middle, but the offensive line will need to open up more in order to maintain the balance of Beaufort's run-heavy offense.

On the defensive side, tackling and a better understanding of assignments will prove key for this young unit. Of course, last week, the speed and shiftiness of Bruce Ellington would have left many defenders of all ages helpless. But a return to the basics and cutting down on the nearly 33-point average it's surrendered in its last four games will prove key for Beaufort's defense.

It's not a gimme game, but the Eagles have won the last two of their meetings with the Cougars and all indications point to another Beaufort High victory.

MY PICK: BEAUFORT HIGH BY 8

Comments (0) |

---

By submitting your comment, you are agreeing to islandpacket.com's user agreement.

Views: