Dragons, Bulldogs set for showdown
In winning their conference openers last week, Junction City and Hampton combined to complete exactly one pass.
Given that statistic, it’s no secret that the strength of their respective offenses lies with their potent ground games, but something may have to give when the rivals collide tonight in an 8-2A clash.
Game time is set for 7 p.m. from Junction City.
In their last two games, the Dragons have totaled 33 passing yards, and Junction City coach Steven Jones said his team must have some success throwing the ball to keep the Bulldogs’ defense honest.
“We just do what we do and not try to do anything special,” Jones said of trying to combat Hampton’s defense.
“We just try to make plays. When it’s time to throw the football, we’ve got to be able to catch it and be able to get the ball out there to keep Hampton from doing what everybody tries to do and that’s load the box up against us and stack every guy in there possible to stop the run, so we’ve got to establish a little bit of a pass game, and I think we’ll be ready to do that.”
Last week, the Bulldogs’ first-team defense held Parkers Chapel to just 21 yards of total offense in
a 46-7 win, and Jones said Hampton’s defense is a mix of what the Dragons saw against Smackover and Haynesville (La.).
“I told our kids that they’re kind of a mix of both of those defenses,” Jones said.
“I don’t think they’re as big up front as Haynesville, but they’re pretty physical. Then they’ve got a lot of athleticism in the back seven just like Smackover does, so it’s a couple of good pieces off of each of those teams combined.”
Senior Tre Murphy has already registered 3 1/2 sacks, while fellow senior Kade Pennington and junior Bryce Nutt have three sacks apiece for the Bulldogs, and Jones said their line will be a tough challenge for his offense.
“Their defensive line is very physical,” Jones said.
“They’re not huge in size, but they’re very physical and very strong. Coach (Wes) Ables does a good job of getting those guys ready for Friday night and running a great offseason program, so we know physically, it will be a challenge.
“At linebacker, they’re very aggressive at that spot. They have a couple of guys that can really run. Their quarterback plays outside linebacker. He’s a good athlete. Then they’ve got three guys in the secondary that can make plays on the ball.”
Offensively, senior quarterback Gauge Welch guides Hampton’s offense.
In their wins over Star City and Parkers Chapel, Welch has rushed for 97 and 93 yards respectively with four total touchdowns.
“They run a double slot offense,” Jones said of Hampton’s attack. “The triple option is kind of an offense with two slot backs that will go in motion a lot, and they’ll go in a lot of different motions.
“They’ll go flat motion, orbit motion and run what we call a rocket toss, just get out with the running back. They do a lot of different things. They are able to get the ball in the hands of a couple of playmakers, so we’ll have to have a good plan to stop that.”
Jones added the Dragons will have to be disciplined on defense.
“When you face a triple option team, you have to be very sound on the defensive side of the ball,” Jones said.
“You have to understand your assignment and carry that out and not bite on some motion or fake, because they’re going to do that. They’re trying to get your eyes to be wrong, so we have to be very disciplined and sound in that.”
Last week, Junction City snapped a two-game losing streak with a 57-0 win at Strong, scoring 50 points in the first half.
Senior Dhante Gibson scored four touchdowns while rushing for 103 yards on 11 carries in the win.
Junior Jakiron Cook also had a big game, racking up 85 yards and two scores on just five carries.
“You could see it our kids’ eyes Friday night that they were eager to get out there just to say, ‘Hey, we’re still a good football team, and we’re going to be right there in the mix in this conference season,’” Jones said.
“Just to come out and get a nice win Friday night was good. It just helps with confidence moving forward, and the mood of the team is just ready and excited to get back out there this week. The first day of practice, we had a very good sense of urgency. We had very good tempo, and when you have those things in practice, it really comes from focus.”
If the Dragons are to top the Bulldogs, Jones said his team must build off of their dominant win against Strong.
“We need to pick up where we left off last Friday,” Jones said. “We had a lot of things go good for us Friday night. We had a lot of guys make plays that hadn’t so far this season, just guys stepping up.
“I think we just have to continue to string four quarters together and make plays throughout the game and not turn the ball over. Our mood is if we go in and take care of business, we’ll come out with a victory.
“We’re finding the right recipe to get to where we want to go, so I think we just need to pick up where we left off to win.”