‘Tough’ matchup tonight

Straughn plays Cordova for semifinal round berth

By Andrew Garner (Contact) | Andalusia Star-News

Published Thursday, November 19, 2009

Photo by Justin Schuver

Straughn’s Josh Dewrell carries the ball past Bayside Academy’s Michael Daves last Friday night. The Tigers will face a tough Cordova tonight in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.

Straughn coach Trent Taylor said Thursday his players “know what it is going to take” to beat Cordova tonight in the fourth round of the Class 3A playoffs.

Cordova is no stranger to the playoffs. The Blue Devils claimed the state title in 2007 and finished second in 2008.

“Obviously, their kids know how to win and know what it takes to get there,” Taylor said. “They know what it’s like to be there.”

Taylor said Cordova (11-1) is a good team that has a well-balanced offense.

“They’re an option football team as well,” he said. “They probably, in the films we’ve seen, are not running as many options. I saw them play T.R. Miller in the semifinals (in 2008) and they ran option about every play — very similar to us this year.

“I think because of the size of the offensive line and backs, they’re playing two different kids at tailback and both are very talented,” he said. “They play two different kids at fullback and the quarterback is pretty good, too. They have four or five good guys. They are running a lot more power stuff — a lot of leads and bellies.”

Cordova quarterback Jake Howton and tailback Ryan Smith help key the Blue Devils’ offensive attack.

Howton is 44-of-68 for 613 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions this season, while Smith has rushed for 1,337 yards on 147 carries and 20 touchdowns. Smith is a senior and has already committed to the University of Kentucky.

Howton threw for 203 yards, including the game-winning touchdown to Smith, in Cordova’s 36-33 win over Dadeville.

On the defensive side of things, Cordova junior linebacker Malik Harris leads they way with 122 tackles this season.

“(Harris) has wreaked havoc on everybody,” Taylor said.

Cordova coach Reginald Bush said that despite his team’s success the last two years, he is not taking anything for “granted” tonight.

“If you get this far in the playoffs and play a good team like Straughn, you can’t make mistakes and you’ve got to take care of the football,” Bush said. “They’re a clock-oriented team and you can’t let the ball get away from you. If you do that, they’ll eat the clock just like we’ll do.

“They have great offensive and defensive schemes. They have two great defensive ends and a good quarterback and fullback. They are just a well-rounded football team.”

Straughn (9-3) is currently on a seven-game winning streak, with six of those games at home. Last week, the Tigers’ defense stepped up and shut out Bayside Academy, 14-0. Straughn also defeated Geneva, 35-19, in the first round of the playoffs.

In week four of the regular season, Straughn lost to Bayside, 27-0.

“Our defense had to keep going back on the field,” Taylor said about the first meeting with Bayside. “You just can’t say enough of about the way our defense played last Friday night. The defensive line played outstanding, the linebacker play was outstanding and the secondary play was outstanding.”

The weather forecast tonight calls for partly cloudy skies, with a 10 percent chance of rain and a low of 49 degrees.

Taylor said that he “feels good” to be at this point of the season.

“If you’re one of eight, you’ve got to feel pretty good,” Taylor said. “Our kids aren’t satisfied with that, though. If you get to this point, you say, ‘Hey, we’re two (wins) away from where we want to be.’

“At this point, you don’t have to worry about kids playing hard,” he said.

The last time Straughn made it this far in the playoffs was in 2000, where they lost to Greene County, 32-21.

On whether it has been hard to keep the players focused on the week, Taylor had a quick response.

“No, are you kidding? They know what they’re playing for,” he said. “We made the comment to them the Monday of the first round — ‘If I have to give you a motivational speech, then you need to turn your stuff in because you’re at the wrong place.’”

Bush said his team is anxious to get down to business tonight.

“I know it’s going to be a tough fought football game,” Bush said. “Straughn gets after it. I hope our guys will get after it, too.

“We’re just excited to be here — fortunate to be here after last week,” he said. “We’re not taking anything for granted and are trying to take it one game at a time.”

This week, Taylor said his players have handled the pressure of the playoffs well.

“I think the biggest thing from a coaching standpoint is to try to keep their patience,” he said. “I told our seniors before the season started that it would be the fastest 10 weeks of their life.

“I told our kids on Monday that this would be the slowest five days of their life,” he said. “Obviously they want it to hurry up and get here. We’re trying to keep them calm and learn the things we have got to do. They’ve done a good job with that.”