Atlantic focused on limiting its own turnovers and valuing the football to allow offense to go to work
By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Fri. Sept. 13, 2013
ATLANTIC – Last week’s loss marked a number of bad statistics for the Trojans. The offense, the defense, and special teams all broke down at some point of the game, and things snowballed en route to a 47-0 Carroll Tigers’ victory.
On Monday afternoon, the Trojans returned to practice and put that defeat behind them, committed to putting a completely different product on the field Friday night at Creston.
Trojans head coach Nick Ross said this week that he did not expect any residual effects from last week’s game to carry into this week.
That Carroll game has been flushed, and now the task at hand lays in Creston for the District (3A – 1) opener against the 2-0 Panthers.
“The response has been good,” coach Ross says. “That was obviously a very disappointing game for everyone involved, but the guys have come back to work with a great deal of effort. We’re working on being a little more physical and a little more intense.”
Three turnovers, two on bad snaps, surrendered a swell of momentum early on last week for Carroll. So much so, that the Tigers held a 21-0 lead a little more than three minutes removed from the opening kick and before darkness fell over the Trojan Bowl.
Such simple missteps ought to be easily and extensively repairable.
“When you look at the mistakes, these are very basic things that need to be cleaned up,” coach Ross says. “Things that you learn when you first begin playing football…snapping the ball, handling the ball and not fumbling it. These mistakes are very correctable, but last week we let a couple of them turn into a landslide. It was disappointing, but I know it’s something the guys are working very hard to fix.”
Creston hosts Atlantic with a perfect 2-0 mark through non-District play, having defeated Chariton 50-20 in the opener before knocking off Clarinda 42-10 last week in Creston.
Graduated and left to play college ball is Lucas Neitzel, a QB and defensive back from last year’s team that played a large role in the Panthers’ 33-19 win last September at the Trojan Bowl.
That said, Creston brings its traditionally physical and run oriented offense into this season, led by junior running back Adam Baker and his 271 yards on 32 attempts (8.0 yard-per-carry).
Stopping Baker (34) is going to present its challenges for the Trojans’ defense.
“Up front with their offensive line, they do a great job of executing their schemes and opening up running lanes,” coach Ross says of Creston. “And Baker, he runs hard and he runs straight downhill.”
Of course, the Trojans are looking to build together their own offensive consistency. Limiting turnovers and taking care of the football could go a long way towards achieving that.
“The first thing is we need to value that ball, that’s what has gotten us into trouble,” coach Ross says of the offense. “After that, we need to hit the field ready to roll and not make silly mistakes that can kill a drive.”
To defeat Creston, preparation is the same as it always is, as both teams want to start the District season 1-0.
“We want to take care of the ball, run it, and then stop their run,” coach Ross says. “It’s the same game plan as any other. That’s the bottom line, and I know Creston wants to do the same thing. We just need to be able to do it better than them.”
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