Offensive woes plague Pioneers

Gentry coach Paul Ernest said his team’s offensive production must improve as the Pioneers struggled to move the ball in their first two games.

“It was a hot bus ride to Dardanelle during our first game, and that’s the reason some of our players struggled with cramps,” Ernest said. “Our offense failed to get things done in the first half, but we made some changes and started moving the ball better in the second half.

“Against Huntsville, our offense was even worse. We only had 36 yards rushing, and our touchdown came on a kickoff by a sophomore that you will hear a lot about in the future. That kind of production is unacceptable. We run a two-back spread offense, but we like to run the ball first. We failed on that aspect, and that’s on me.”

Gentry (0-2) will play its first home game of the season Friday against Greenland — a team that used a late touchdown to claim a wild 76-71 victory last year over the Pioneers — and Ernest said his team made some personnel changes during last week’s open date.

“We knew we had some week spots on the offensive line, and we’ve been working on trying to find the right mix up there,” Ernest said. “We’ve looked at moving some kids around and also looking at the possibility of moving around some kids and having them play both ways.

“We also need to identify who our weapons are and find a way to get the ball in their hands. I’ve seen good things out of our skill positions. I like the way our receivers have run their routes, and we haven’t had many dropped balls.”