Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young Discusses Wakeland Win and Lovejoy Defense
Wildcats Offensive Coordinator Matt Young found a lot to like from the Wildcats’ offense last Friday (August 31) night in the win over Frisco Wakeland but he still spotted areas that need improvement. He said the Wildcats need to take better care of the ball. The Wildcats had three turnovers last Friday. Coach Young said if the Wildcats had eliminated those, they would have scored 50 points, everyone would have gotten to play and the game would not have ended as a nail biter.
Still he said the Wildcats offense was very productive and efficient, even if they still have a way to go. Coach Young said the Wildcats are back at work stressing details. He was very pleased with the play of the offensive line, which got contributions from a lot of players. Coach Young said they handled the Wolverines’ blitzes. He was quarterback D’Corian Young did a good job distributing the ball and making plays happen when things broke down. Coach Young said Young did miss on several slant passes last Friday and he said the Wildcats are working on that. The Wildcats did get two TD passes from Young to Austin Dodd and Landry Tyson. Coach Young said sophomore Caden Davis ran the ball well as did senior Colton Allen.
This Friday (September 7) the Wildcats face Lovejoy at Prim Stadium. The Leopards thrive on offense but Coach Young said that doesn’t mean that the Lovejoy defense is not strong. He noted last November during the bi-district match up between Wildcats and Leopards, the Lovejoy defense gave the Wildcats’ offense fits and made it tough for Sulphur Springs to win the third down battles. Coach Young said the faces may be different on the Lovejoy defense but he said they still play the same way: aggressive and despite being undersized, fast and violent. He said the Wildcats’ offense must be ready. Coach Young said Lovejoy tries to pressure offensive lines by using different defensive fronts and movement. He said the Leopards have some long defensive ends, a good middle linebacker, some players with speed on the outside and a wide receiver cornerback guy who is really fast.
Wildcats DC Alex Guerra Comments on Wildcats Wakeland Win and Lovejoy’s Potent Offense
Wildcats Defensive Coordinator Alex Guerra said he enjoyed the Wildcats win over Frisco Wakeland last Friday night (August 31). He said the Wildcats’ defense played fast. Coach Guerra said the Wildcats did have two break downs on defense that resulted in long TD passes. He said one was a gamble on an interception that was unsuccessful.
Coach Guerra said the Wildcats’ linebackers played well. He said the Wolverines worked to neutralize the Wildcats’ outside linebacker Kylan Wade so Coach Guerra said the Wildcats had to make some adjustments. The Wildcats leader for tackles and assists against Wakeland was inside linebacker Daniel Moreno. Coach Guerra said the Wildcats only allowed 37 yards rushing. He noted the Wildcats’ defense only had to face thirty-something plays since the Wildcats offense controlled the ball so much. Coach Guerra said outside linebacker D.Q. Pitts was impressive in breaking up a two point pass attempt after touchdown that would have tied the score in the fourth quarter.
The new defensive coordinator had a moment that is bound to raise his reputation among defensive players. He told the defense to watch for a long pass on Wakeland’s first play. That’s exactly what the Wolverines did and safety Austin Dodd was able to intercept the pass.
The Wildcats face Lovejoy Friday (September 7) at Prim Stadium and Coach Guerra said the Leopards are explosive. He said he attended the Wildcats and Lovejoy bi-district game at Prim Stadium last November and he said he was impressed with the Leopards’ quarterback, running back, receivers and center and he said they are all back. Coach Guerra called the Lovejoy offense well coached and disciplined. He said the Wildcats would have to gang tackle running back Jahi Rainey. Coach Guerra added that Lovejoy quarterback Carson Collins is a great quarterback.
