Week 1 Preview: Tigers begin with Warriors WATCH THE VIDEO
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
GREENFIELD — The time is now for the 2011 McClain Tiger football team. The preseason scrimmages are done, and the defending Scioto Valley Conference champion Adena Warriors are set to invade McClain Field for the first week of the high school football season.
Last season, the Tigers defeated their non-league foe in the Warriors, but that was last season, and for the '11 McClain squad to repeat the feat, they must stop the rushing attack of the Warriors.
In '10, the Tigers defeated the Warriors 20-15 in Frankfort in a game where both teams combined for 14 passing attempts. In the game last season, the Tigers didn't attempt a pass until the fourth quarter.
Last season, Adena finished 7-3, starting the first three games with losses and ending the season with seven straight SVC wins. McClain went 6-4 overall last season, as they were 3-3 in South Central Ohio League games. In non-league games, the Tigers were 3-1.
McClain has won the previous two meetings with the Warriors, winning 46-20 in '09.
The Warriors return nearly 18 lettermen from a year ago, including quarterback Kirk Yates and tailback Reid Hutchison, both seniors. In '10 against MHS, Hutchison rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries. Yates had 57 yards rushing and 78 passing yards (7-of-13).
"They are still a run-first team," McClain head coach Randy Closson said. "We traded scrimmage tapes with them, so we are both familiar with what the other has done this preseason."
McClain scrimmaged Wilmington and Logan Elm, and the Warriors played Clermont, Oak Hill and Hillsboro in their preseason games.
Yates is described as a dual threat by Closson, as the senior quarterback can make plays with his arm and his feet, returning to lead a team that scored 323 points in '10 (32.3 points per game).
"With their quarterback, they are able to roll out, stay in the pocket. They are able to do a variety of things with him," Closson said. "We must read our defensive keys and contain their skill kids."
Along with Hutchison (No. 2), the Warriors (who run the football roughly 75-80 percent of the time) will look to Yates (No. 4) for the majority of their rushing attack.
Defensively for the Warriors, they use a basic 5-3 look, but will change into a 5-2 and sometimes a 4-3 and 4-2 look depending on the formation by the offense.
"They have a good mixture of pressure with their backers," Closson said. "They do a good job with their backers going downhill, and their defensive linemen like to slant, loop and go at an angle."
The MHS went back to their linebacker core, saying they were impressive on film.
"Their linebacker play is solid," Closson said. "They blitz well and will hit the gaps hard."
For the Tigers, Closson said his team "weathered the storm," so to speak, in terms of getting through the preseason scrimmages healthy, unlike last season where they lost quarterback Camron Cooper for the first four games of the season. Cooper, like Hutchison, is a dual threat at quarterback.
"Our two scrimmages were very productive," Closson said. "They showed us what we needed to work on, and both games were challenges. We had the opportunity to play against teams who had size and speed, which made us get better."
He also spoke about more positives from the two scrimmages.
"I thought we moved the ball solid. We gave lots of guys carries, and defensively, we pressured the ball and made a lot of group tackles," Closson said. "It was good to see those type of things.
"There is a lot of excitement, and we are ready to roll. It's good to start the season with a positive vibe."
The Tigers and Warriors will kick off the 2011 season on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m, at McClain Field in Greenfield.[[In-content Ad]]
Last season, the Tigers defeated their non-league foe in the Warriors, but that was last season, and for the '11 McClain squad to repeat the feat, they must stop the rushing attack of the Warriors.
In '10, the Tigers defeated the Warriors 20-15 in Frankfort in a game where both teams combined for 14 passing attempts. In the game last season, the Tigers didn't attempt a pass until the fourth quarter.
Last season, Adena finished 7-3, starting the first three games with losses and ending the season with seven straight SVC wins. McClain went 6-4 overall last season, as they were 3-3 in South Central Ohio League games. In non-league games, the Tigers were 3-1.
McClain has won the previous two meetings with the Warriors, winning 46-20 in '09.
The Warriors return nearly 18 lettermen from a year ago, including quarterback Kirk Yates and tailback Reid Hutchison, both seniors. In '10 against MHS, Hutchison rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries. Yates had 57 yards rushing and 78 passing yards (7-of-13).
"They are still a run-first team," McClain head coach Randy Closson said. "We traded scrimmage tapes with them, so we are both familiar with what the other has done this preseason."
McClain scrimmaged Wilmington and Logan Elm, and the Warriors played Clermont, Oak Hill and Hillsboro in their preseason games.
Yates is described as a dual threat by Closson, as the senior quarterback can make plays with his arm and his feet, returning to lead a team that scored 323 points in '10 (32.3 points per game).
"With their quarterback, they are able to roll out, stay in the pocket. They are able to do a variety of things with him," Closson said. "We must read our defensive keys and contain their skill kids."
Along with Hutchison (No. 2), the Warriors (who run the football roughly 75-80 percent of the time) will look to Yates (No. 4) for the majority of their rushing attack.
Defensively for the Warriors, they use a basic 5-3 look, but will change into a 5-2 and sometimes a 4-3 and 4-2 look depending on the formation by the offense.
"They have a good mixture of pressure with their backers," Closson said. "They do a good job with their backers going downhill, and their defensive linemen like to slant, loop and go at an angle."
The MHS went back to their linebacker core, saying they were impressive on film.
"Their linebacker play is solid," Closson said. "They blitz well and will hit the gaps hard."
For the Tigers, Closson said his team "weathered the storm," so to speak, in terms of getting through the preseason scrimmages healthy, unlike last season where they lost quarterback Camron Cooper for the first four games of the season. Cooper, like Hutchison, is a dual threat at quarterback.
"Our two scrimmages were very productive," Closson said. "They showed us what we needed to work on, and both games were challenges. We had the opportunity to play against teams who had size and speed, which made us get better."
He also spoke about more positives from the two scrimmages.
"I thought we moved the ball solid. We gave lots of guys carries, and defensively, we pressured the ball and made a lot of group tackles," Closson said. "It was good to see those type of things.
"There is a lot of excitement, and we are ready to roll. It's good to start the season with a positive vibe."
The Tigers and Warriors will kick off the 2011 season on Friday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m, at McClain Field in Greenfield.[[In-content Ad]]