Tigers want to ‘advance’
Published 12:31 am Thursday, September 3, 2009
It’s “déj vu all over again” for the Red Level Tigers heading into the second week of the 2009 season.
The Tigers will travel to face Flomaton in their first Class 2A, Region 1 game.
Last week, Red Level defeated Kinston, 19-3, allowing only 91 yards on defense. In their jamboree game, the Tigers (1-0) defeated Pleasant Home 20-13 in a sloppy game, both due to the weather and a large number of penalties.
In 2008, the Tigers also won both their jamboree game and first game against Kinston, but scuffled the rest of the year and finished with a 3-7 record.
Red Level coach Tony Ingram said there is one thing his team wants to do this week — advance.
“I hate to put too much emphasis on one game, but right now we’re sitting right where we were last year,” he said. “We’re right where we were and we want to advance. It’s a region opponent and they have handled us pretty good the last few years.”
Ingram said the team has been focusing on ways to apply pressure on the quarterback, especially against a Flomaton offensive line he described as “small and quick.”
“They have prototype wing-T guards,” he said. “In the wing-T formation, you don’t necessarily look for huge guys. They have to be smaller and quicker. They’re kind of like a fullback without the ball.”
In order to be successful, Red Level must play “assignment” football, Ingram said.
“We’ve got to play assignment football and know what to do out of each set,” Ingram said. “We’ve seen so many wing-T teams. If you can throw off their timing and throw off their guards and get them out of sync, then you have a chance.”
Ingram said as of Wednesday morning, his team has been plagued with either illnesses or injuries, noting how sophomore Troy Grissett broke his arm in last week’s season opener.
“We never know which kids will be here or who is going to show up (Wednesday),” he said. “(Tyler) Paulk is out with the flu and Trevor Howell has an illness. Raheem Bullock got back yesterday and I had my starting guard at practice Tuesday, but he was not dressed.
“I’m hoping he doesn’t have (the flu),” he said.
Ingram did say his players’ illnesses or flu have not been diagnosed as the “swine flu.”
Ingram said the team has to cut down on mistakes against Flomaton this week.
“We’ve still got to cut down on the penalties,” Ingram said. “I don’t know if we turned the ball over one time Friday night. We’ve got to take care of the football and quit making silly mistakes.
“We can’t get to the point to where we make too many mistakes that we can’t get over it,” he said.
“We just want our fans to come to Flomaton. It’d mean a lot to have a big crowd.”