During this strange time we currently live in, it is nice to have some normal aspects to life. Going back to school, seeing friends again and of course, football. Football came back this season like it never even left; with drumline, the roaring student section, joy, and at times heartbreak. As the season draws to a close, comes the most important and hyped up part of the season, state playoffs.
After the crushing senior night loss to East Forsyth 35-14 the Titans are out seeking redemption. The team is faced with an away game at 8-2 South Mecklenburg in the first round of playoffs. South Meck poses a significant challenge, especially with home field advantage. The week of Nov. 1 leading up to the game was filled with practice drills, walkthroughs, and film reviews, to help fill any gaps or fix any issues in the Titan’s game plan, as well as helping coaches and players alike get in the right mindset for the game.
“I feel good about the match up. We got a good week of practice in , got our minds right, so we can go out there and get it done,” head coach Adrian Snow said.
While losses are often something that coaches and players would rather forget, they can also serve as valuable learning opportunities which can lead to improvement. Varsity football was plagued with penalties on both sides of the ball against East; many of those penalties kept the defense on the field longer than they reasonably should have been.
“We need to reduce the penalties. We need to keep our heads and limit the self-inflicted wounds,” Snow said
The coaching staff aren’t the only ones who saw those issues either. Many players also took note of the adjustments that needed to be made against South Meck.
“100% we can bounce back, but we have to reduce the penalties, keep the offense on the field, and get the defense off the field,” sophomore quarterback Bert Rice said.
Rice will start for only the second time this season after previous starting quarterback Chris Van Kleeck broke his hand in the game against Reynolds. The loss of Van Kleeck is not the end of football’s injury woes as center Jacob Wolf and left guard Ethan Krebs are both struggling with ankle injuries.
While there may be a few rough edges to smooth over and some uncertainty about the strength and depth of the Titan’s football roster, the team’s overall outlook toward their clash against South Meck is positive.
“We’re all excited about the opportunity. Any chance to play in the playoffs is good,” Snow said.
The effect of varsity football’s week of preparations will be seen tonight in Charlotte.
“ I sure hope we can come back. If we don’t we’ll go home sad, but if we can we got a solid shot at getting far in the playoffs,” senior running back Jevante “Tay” Long said.