Phoenix to be tested at Bremen
Fresh off of cruising to an impressive 49-21 victory against the Ringgold Tigers, the Sonoraville Phoenix will travel over 70 miles south to try to claim another victory over a resilient Bremen Blue Devils squad in Friday night’s 6-AAA South subregion clash.
The Phoenix (3-2) rushing attack was on full display in last week’s win over the Tigers, and will be key to topping the Blue Devils. Running back Tristan Key broke out for 189 rushing yards on 17 carries, and quarterback Patrick Moore sliced through the defense for 149 yards on just 12 attempts.
Sonoraville posted an astounding 497 yards of total offense and found the end zone early and often against Ringgold.
Moore led the team with three scores, Key added two touchdowns, wide receiver Camron Keith streaked past the secondary on a 64-yard catch to cross the goal line easily and Gavin Phillips knifed through the defense to add a 10-yard touchdown of his own.
“We got down early to a very explosive offense,” said Sonoraville head coach Jim Kremer. “I think we were able to keep our composure and play well on both sides of the ball.”
The win was the second in a row for Sonoraville, who have scored a combined 88 points in the past two games. While the past two victories help stuff the stat sheets, Kremer has encouraged his team to stay focused and grounded as subregion play begins against Bremen.
“When you win a couple, you have to make sure and not to get too complacent,” Kremer said.
Friday’s game will mark the first time the two schools will meet. Kremer acknowledges that the Blue Devils will present quite a bigger challenge for the Phoenix than they might appear on paper.
“Bremen has a very, very good team that has won a few games in a row,” Kremer said. “They are going to play with a lot of confidence, and they can do a lot of impressive things in all three phases of the game.”
Despite a 3-2 record, Bremen boasts a stifling defense that has held opponents to a mere 14.6 points per game this season, which is easily the lowest average in the subregion. The offense has also proved potent, averaging 26 points per game.
Against a solid allaround team, Kremer said he knows ball security and execution in all phases of the game are crucial, and that is what the team is primarily working on in practice in preparation for the Blue Devils.
“I think it’s important for us to continue practicing ball security and blocking for different schemes,” Kremer said. “We have to keep working on the little things, like our first steps with the ball.”
The importance of the game can be easily understood when glancing at the Region 6-AAA South standings. Whichever team wins Friday gains an early advantage as playoff seeding grows closer.
Kremer admits there are some kinks to work out overall as Friday approaches and the season continues, but a win against the Blue Devils would keep the Phoenix on the path of being strong contenders at the end of the season.
“We may not be exactly where we want to be right now as a team, but we have some goals in mind,” Kremer said. “The team is just focused on getting better each and every week.”
Prediction:
The Phoenix showed a great deal of progress during a road win against a balanced Ringgold team last week. Bremen presents one of the toughest tests to date, but I think the running lanes remain open for Key and company to move the ball.
I think Sonoraville endures road trip fatigue and pulls out an important win.
Sonoraville 34, Bremen 28
Score: