SHS boys host Oxford in playoffs
Starkville High School boys soccer coach Evinn Watson wants his team to take Oxford, tonight’s first round opponent in the Class 6A playoffs, seriously.
Even though the Yellow Jackets went on the road and defeated the Chargers 3-0 earlier this season, time has a way of evening the playing field and Watson has been warning his players of that.
Watson wants his team to understand that it will be a completely different team that comes to Starkville tonight for a 6 p.m. match.
“They have really good tactics and good players all around,” Watson said. “When we played them early in the year, I could tell they weren’t on their A game. I think that 3-0 score was, not necessarily a fluke or anything, but they definitely weren’t playing to the best of their ability, so that’s what I’ve been trying to get into the kids heads the last couple of weeks. It’s not going to be an easy game, but a hard fought match and we need to come in prepared like we come prepared against anybody else.”
The Jackets (10-3) won Region 3 with a 5-1 mark. They have not played in over a week after losing to Germantown on January 15.
Although Watson believes his players needed rest to heal up their bodies, he has tried to keep them locked in on the task at hand.
“We kind of planned for a week off so we could have some time to get together, rest a little bit, but also go over some of our tactics and go over a few films,” Watson said. “We watched against Oxford and tried to get prepared for them. Overall, I definitely think it’s going to help us, but it does hurt not being able to play for about a week or so.”
The weather has also been an issue for SHS as it has had to practice in the rain several days over the last week.
Even though no rain is expected today, Watson said the soccer ball could get a little slick at times if the turf is still wet in spots.