Bison and Bucs get down to business
It won't have the glitz and glamour of last year's nationally-televised showdown, but when Beech High and Station Camp High tangle to open the season on Friday, the importance of a week 0 victory will still resonate.
The two football squads will continue their rivalry with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Shackle Island Stadium, after the Bison hosted last year's version on the season's first Sunday in front of an ESPN-television audience.
Now, with the game back on Friday night, both teams will have their sights set on getting off to a good start in the District 9-AAA race.
Both head coaches – Station Camp's Shaun Hollinsworth and Beech's Anthony Crabtree – know how important winning this game is for the district race, but both leaders are also focused on their respective teams.
"It's huge, having a big district game to start the season," Crabtree said. "If you lose, you're kind of behind the eight-ball as far as making the playoffs, so it's important that we play well and give ourselves a chance to win."
Hollinsworth added, "Even though we're playing Beech, and it was a high-magnitude game last year, there's more concern about our team this year than what (Beech) has. As coaches, we've got to fix the things that need to be fixed no matter who we play."
For the Bison, that means getting key players healthy and back in action. Senior quarterback Kyle Anderton and senior tailback Tre Malone have both been dealing with shoulder injuries over the final two weeks of the preseason. Both have practiced this week and are expected to start on Friday.
"It's about getting some players back on the field," Hollinsworth said. "It's about Kyle knocking the rust off. When you're absent your two senior leaders, when you don't have those two guys in the huddle, sometimes, things are not what they need to be."
Having Anderton back at his best will be a key for the Bison.
"Kyle's looking better and better every day," Hollinsworth said. "He looks much more crisp in his throws. Even just being on the field and moving around, that helps a great deal. He seems to be getting that feel back pretty quickly."
Anderton practiced at the end of last week, but Malone didn't return to workouts until Monday. However, Hollinsworth isn't concerned about his starting tailback and linebacker.
"He went through tackling (drills) and things like that," Hollinsworth said. "He looks pretty good."
Beech got through the preseason relatively injury-free, but senior wide receiver Justis Marlin will miss the contest due to a knee injury.
"We're pretty healthy, just some typical bumps and bruises," Crabtree said. "But other than that, we're in pretty good shape."
The Bucs will start junior Ian Hafner at quarterback, with senior Nathaniel Brown serving as the backup to begin the season.
Junior tailbacks Auston Vanzant and Rodrick Napper, along with senior Donnell Hathaway, will be ready to handle the workload. The steady stream of running back Beech has utilized in recent years has impressed Hollinsworth.
"They're still more than capable at tailback," Hollinsworth said. "They still have better-than-average running backs. I remember seeing them in a JV (junior varsity) game last year and seeing the line of tailbacks that just keep coming up like they have. They have the speed, and they have the guys who can get the ball and make things happen."
The other side of the ball is where Crabtree's concern lies.
"Defensively, we've just got to get better at the fundamentals," Crabtree said. "We've got to do a better job of taking on blockers and making tackles. We had some blown assignments (in Saturday night's Tobacco Bowl Jamboree against Trousdale County), so mentally we had some mistakes. We're trying to get those worked out this week and simplify our game plan. Hopefully, we can get our game plan to where our kids can just play fast."
Crabtree is expecting a physical game from the Bison.
"They have pretty good size on offense and defense," Crabtree said. "They looked aggressive on film, and I think they have a really good football team. It appears to be a typical Station Camp football team, except without Josh Malone, so it's going to be a hard-fought game on both sides."
Hendersonville at Wilson Central, 7 p.m.
Hendersonville High will open its season on the road on Friday, traveling to Wilson Central to face the Wildcats as the first game in WUXP-30's Friday Night Rivals television package.
The two teams opened the 2013 season at Hendersonville, with the Commandos coming away with a 28-14 victory.
Commando head coach Bruce Hatfield knows his team will have to play a strong game on the road to come away with a victory.
"(Wilson Central's) going to be physical," Hatfield said. "We have to be mentally ready to play that team. They have some kids there who can make plays, and we have to be aware of where they are."
Senior quarterback Cody Ray is a first-year starter for the Wildcats' offense, which is Wing-T based but also spreads the field at times.
The Commandos will have to focus on stopping a backfield that has seniors Weston Roundtree, Hunter Wilson, Dakivian Moore and D'Sean Osborne.
The Wildcats are coming off last year's 6-5 campaign, which ended with a 41-0 loss at Oakland in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Stratford at Pope John Paul II, 7 p.m.
Friday's opener for the Pope John Paul II High squad offers a chance to repeat last season's week 0 success.
The Knights will entertain Stratford at home for the second year in a row to begin the season, and PJP II wants to duplicate last year's 24-20 victory.
"It's a big game for us, to come out and get some good momentum," Knights' head coach Jerry Joslin said. "A win would be a good start for us with our schedule."
In last year's game, Stratford jumped out to a 20-10, halftime lead before the Knights rallied to claim the victory.
The Knights wrapped up preseason action last Saturday in Trousdale County High's Tobacco Bowl Jamboree, where they led Wilson Central 14-10 after two quarters of action.
Sophomore quarterback Ben Brooks threw a touchdown pass and ran for another in the jamboree.
Brooks will likely start Friday's game at quarterback, but sophomore C.J. Laws – who transferred from Goodpasture Christian School in the spring – is also expected to see time at both quarterback and wide receiver.
Contact Chris Brooks at 575-7118 and on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
Beech-Station Camp Series
2007 Station Camp 17-10
2008 Beech 14-13
2009 Beech 34-10
2010 Beech 31-11
2011 Beech 25-17
* 2011 Beech 22-13
2012 Beech 41-7
2013 Beech 42-39
*TSSAA playoff game
Beech leads series 7-1.