David Laughlin
The Duncan Banner
EMPIRE —
The Maysville Warriors will march into Ric Johnson Memorial Field Friday evening with hopes to upend the Empire Bulldogs. The Warriors are coming off a thumping courtesy of the Crusaders of Christian Heritage Academy. The Warriors were drummed to the beat of 33-0. The Bulldogs are fresh off a thumping too, but from the other side of the spectrum.
The Bulldogs, led by head coach Tony Roberts, stand undefeated after one week of play after knocking off the Walters Blue Devils 34-16. The Bulldogs traveled to Walters last Friday and easily upended the 2A school. “We scored more against Walters than we did all of last year,” Roberts said. Special teams and solid efforts on both sides of the ball propelled the Bulldogs to their first victory.
“Our kids played as good as they could,” Roberts said. “We started the game by running a couple kickoffs back. We had some good things happen early in that game. That really helped us set the tempo of the game.”
A lot is riding on the first home game for the Bulldogs.
One of the team’s goals is to be undefeated in non-district play. Although district play won’t begin for another three weeks, Roberts knows the importance of momentum. He knows that winning breeds confidence and confidence is important for a team that hasn’t had much success in the previous decade.
Defending the wing-t is the objective for Roberts, and the Bulldogs, defensively. He was only expecting to see it once, maybe twice, during the season. This will be, Roberts said, the third time his squad has lined up against the formation this season already, including preseason srimmages. Familiarity could be key to stopping the wing-t attack of the Warriors.
Offensively, everything starts with the line. With an offensive line that has only one returning starter, Roberts said he was impressed with the play of his young group. “I think the line played exceptionally well,” he said.
The skill players showed plenty of promise Friday evening against Walters. Geoff Jones, senior tailback, rumbled for two touchdowns and nearly 100 yards and Tanner Shorter, sophomore quarterback, completing all but one of his passes for more than 40 yards. Michael McKinley, junior tailback, scampered across the century mark on 19 carries.
“We still have to improve,” Roberts said. “We played good, there weren’t very many negatives. We made mistakes, by no means are we perfect, but we played pretty good.”
The Bulldogs will host the Warriors for their home opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Ric Johnson Memorial Field.
— David Laughlin is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 144, or via e-mail at david.laughlin@duncanbanner.com.
