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Playoff push
By Will Smith
The Weekly Post
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Published October 2, 2008
Bears, Rams will be playing for a lot tomorrow
A week after playing one another, rivals Plainview and Sylvania find themselves preparing for key region contests tomorrow night. The Bears will host Guntersville in Class 4A, Region 7. Meanwhile, the Rams are travelling to Susan Moore in 3A, Region 6. Here’s a preview of both games, beginning with Guntersville/Plainview:
Guntersville at Plainview
RAINSVILLE—With the first half of the season behind them, Plainview presently sits atop the Class 4A, Region 7 standings entering Week 6. However, they aren't alone.
Plainview, which has pounded region teams so far this year, will be tested when region foe Guntersville (4-1, 3-0) travels to Rainsville tomorrow night for a showdown against the Bears. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Tomorrow's matchup is believed to be the first-ever meeting between the two schools, and the stakes are high. Four programs—including North Jackson and Fairview—currently have perfect 3-0 records in Region 7. A win for the Bears at home this week could give them a leg up heading into the home stretch of their region schedule.
Guntersville, which has a strong tradition in football that includes a state championship two years ago, boasts an experienced squad again this year that could cause some problems for Plainview tomorrow.
"They have been there and done that," said Plainview head coach Dale Pruitt. "They are used to winning, so they'll definitely be a tough opponent."
Similar to the Bears, Guntersville enters this week riding a four-game winning streak, including a 30-10 victory over Arab on Friday. The Wildcats, like Plainview, line up in the spread offense, but have a different style once the ball is snapped.
"They run the spread, but they run it differently than a lot of teams we see," said Pruitt. "Most of the time, they will rush out of the formation rather than passing."
Over 75 percent of Guntersville's offense has come along the ground this year, highlighted mainly by the performance of Corey Cahill, The senior is currently the team's leading rusher (885 yards), second leading passer and fourth leading receiver.
"We have to stop (Cahill)," said Pruitt. "(Against Arab last week), Guntersville scored 21 points on their first three possession without ever getting a first down because he broke long plays. We need to contain him."
Guntersville is equally as lethal on defense. They are holding opponents to just under 250 total yards and 10.4 points each contest while forcing a total of 12 turnovers through the same stretch.
"I think it will be tough every way. They aren't a team that plays defense any better than offense. They're solid on both sides of the ball," said Pruitt.
Plainview, which is coming off a 28-13 victory over their cross town rival Sylvania, has been very productive on offense this season. Running the spread, the Bears' Gabe Graham is 60-of-108 passing for 776 yards and seven touchdowns. His primary targets will include Keenan Hodges (18 catches), Josh Kidd (15 grabs) and J. T. Clark (six receptions). Plainview has also found success on the ground, led primarily by Jordan Fee who has almost 600 yards in five games this season.
On defense, Plainview's Ryan Rutledge and Hunter Wright have posted consistent tackling numbers throughout the year. Will Ingle and Tyler Rowell, who have combined for four interceptions, anchor the Bears' secondary.
Sylvania at Susan Moore
The Rams tore through the opening half of their 3A, Region 6 schedule, emerging with a perfect region record and sole possession of first place in the standings. Tomorrow night, Sylvania will put their 3-0 record on the line as they travel to Blountsville to take on Region 6-opponent Susan Moore (3-2, 2-1). The match-up is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
The Rams defense has been solid for most of the 2008 campaign, holding opposing teams to only 13 points per game. The stop unit, which gained some experience against Plainview's spread offense on Friday, will go up against a similar offense tomorrow at Susan Moore.
They're a good team," said Sylvania head coach Alan Clayton. "I think it helped us to see that offense last week against Plainview. We only had a few breakdowns, but we'll look to improve over the course of this week."
Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by sophomore quarterback Justin Hawkins, who is 68-of-117 passing for 836 yards and seven TDs through five games. Hawkins main targets will likely be seniors George Purpura and Trey Parsons, who have combined for over 40 catches and 600 yards receiving.
Defensively, Susan Moore, although small along the front, plays stingily, only allowing 15 points per game during their first four contests.
"They're defense is very good," said Clayton. "We had a rough time blocking last week (against Plainview). Susan Moore runs to the ball well on defense, but if we block well enough, I think we'll do fine."
Offensively, the Rams have amassed almost 1500 total yards, with over 1,000 of that coming along the ground. Senior running backs Heath Shankles and Logan Jones, who have combined for over 700 rushing yards, have carried a good portion of the load this season. Dakota Patterson, Sylvania's starting quarterback, is 17-of-36 passing for 383 yards and three TDs. The senior's main target will be Mark Patterson, who currently has six receptions through five games.
Defensively, Sylvania has allowed only 10 points against region opponents so far this year. The Rams' stop unit is led by Will Sparks, Preston Poe and Devin Davis, who combined for 38 tackles against the Bears during Week 5.
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