(Photo: Coach Zac Harrell.)
Note: This interview was recorded in the Athens ISD Fieldhouse Wednesday, Sept. 2.
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The Athens Hornets (1-0) will be on the road Friday to take on the Waxahachie Life Mustangs (0-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The game is a chance for the Hornets to avenge last year’s loss to the Mustangs.
“For our kids, we’re excited to get another opportunity to play them,” said Coach Zac Harrell.
In this week’s podcast, the coach breaks down the Mustangs on offense and defense and talks about what the Hornets expect to face.
Remember, tickets will NOT be available at the gate Friday night. You must purchase your tickets ahead of time at the Athens ISD Athletic Office.
If you can’t make the game, it is scheduled to be livestreamed on YouTube below.
The Breakdown (Quotes by Coach Zac Harrell)
-- Coach Harrell reviews last week’s win over Brownsboro. (1:00)
Coach talks about last week’s win including Ty Arroyo’s night, Connor Clay’s big effort on defense, John Hayes and the offensive line, and the role of the special teams.
“I was extremely pleased with our kids’ effort. They played really, really hard and I couldn’t be more proud of the way the effort they showed, how hard they played, the way they played together and the way we responded to adversity.”
-- About the Waxahachie Life Mustangs. (17:28)
Coach said the Mustangs are only returning eight lettermen from last year.
“It is a different team than it was last year. They are similar to us, they lost a lot of key players from last year.”
-- About the Waxahachie Life offense. (18:01)
Coach said in their first game, Waxahachie Life passed 70 percent of the time in a loss to Godly.
“They’ve changed schemes offensively. Last year, they were a Slot T, Air Force-type offense and this year they are a true spread.”
-- This could be a big week for the Athens secondary. (19:30)
Coach highlights Cedric Lowe and Caleb Bennett as leaders of the secondary. The Hornets are rolling several players through the secondary and many of them double as receivers on offense.
“This will be a different test for them.” … “We are looking forward to seeing our secondary against the pass and seeing how they respond to a team that wants to throw the ball.”
-- About the Waxahachie Life defense. (22:30)
The Mustangs’ base defense is a nickle with a safety/linebacker hybrid playing in the slot. They also bring that player into the box for a traditional 4-3 look at times.
“It will be interesting how they defend us this year and what their philosophy is. I think we’ll see a little bit of both looks.”
-- Ticket information. (25:35)
Tickets are being sold at the Athletic Office only. There are no online sales and there will be no tickets on sale at the gate. Cost is $6. Athens has a limit of 500 tickets, so once they are gone there will be no more.
“This year we’re just going to have to be flexible because it is going to be different.”
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