UNDER THE FRIDAY LIGHTS: Andy Bulldogs prepare to battle with Trinity

Published 12:05 am Friday, August 30, 2019

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The No. 7-ranked Andalusia Bulldogs (0-1) look to get things going in the right direction tonight as they travel to Montgomery to take on the Trinity Wildcats (0-1).

“I want to see four quarters,” Andalusia head coach Trent Taylor said of what he wanted to see from his players tonight. “Four quarters will be the biggest thing. We haven’t played four yet. Maybe tomorrow night we can play four.”

Taylor said that he knows Trinity is going to come in ready to play.

“Trinity is in their second year under their coach,” Taylor said. “The one thing that is very apparent when you watch them on film is they are playing a whole lot harder right now than they were a year ago. I think that certainly extends to reason. You’ve got a guy in there who had an opportunity to be there an entire season, offseason and summer to establish what he wants from. Every offense and defensive system is good. It just comes down to how hard your kids play. His guys played American Christian last week and American Christian is a top-10 team (No. 3) in 4A football and they had some weather issues which is not conducive to what Trinity likes to do. They like to throw the ball all over the place. They didn’t come out ahead like they wanted to, but the thing that jumps out of the screen at you is how hard they play. We have to match their intensity.”

Last week against Saraland, Taylor said the team didn’t have that intensity the whole game.

“What I eluded to earlier, we had the intensity in the first half last week,” Taylor said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play very well in the third and fourth quarter. Consequently, it was not even a close game in the second half for us. Trinity is going to come out and hit us in the mouth and they are going to do exactly what a good football team is supposed to do. How will we react and what will be our response will be the key.”

Taylor said the Bulldogs had good week of practice.

“We had a good week of practice,” Taylor said. “Monday was a shell day trying to get in our game plan. Tuesday was full pads, but we are still learning. The hardest thing now for people to learn is how to deal with adversity. Not just young people, but it’s hard for old people too. Bad things are going to happen and you have to able to adjust to them. We want to think everything is easy and everybody is a winner. That ain’t reality. I don’t think we’ve showed up any day this week pitching a pity party, but we kind of had to remind them what the intensity is supposed to be like.”

Taylor said he doesn’t want the team to be satisfied with just having potential.

“Potential, heck we’ve all got potential,” Taylor said. “We played good for the first half and everybody in the county has told them that, and we did. The last time I checked there are four 12-minute quarters and they don’t stop the game at halftime and say, ‘Oh you did good.’ That’s what park league does. You know good job son you played hard here is your trophy, but that’s not the way athletics are. We have to kind of get out of the park league mentality and get into the big boy world and play a little harder for four quarters.”

Andalusia holds a 6-1 record against the Wildcats and has won six-straight meetings between the two schools.

The Bulldogs won last year’s game 23-7.

Andalusia and Trinity will kick off tonight at 7 p.m., in Montgomery.