(Post sponsored by Tinsley Title and Holt Wrecker Service)
Talking on this week’s Athens Hornets Podcast, Coach Zac Harrell looked back at Athens’ 50-48 win over No. 4 Pine Tree and ahead to Friday’s Homecoming game against Kaufman.
The Hornets are 3-0 after rallying from a 21-7 first-quarter deficit and scoring 21 unanswered points after halftime at Pine Tree.
What Pine Tree Showed
The win at Pine Tree did more than move Athens to 3-0.
“I hope that it showed them what this team could be capable of and what we can achieve,” Harrell said.
That matters for a team that entered the season replacing 31 seniors from last year’s record-setting group.
“I think these guys do have a chip on their shoulder, and they’re playing that way,” he said.
The Hornets believe they have a chance to be good. Now they have a result that backs that up.
At the same time, Harrell does not want the win to hide the mistakes.
“There were a lot of big-time plays made, but it was far from perfect,” he said.
Remembering Kaufman
Kaufman handed Athens its only non-Carthage loss last season, beating the Hornets 14-13.
Harrell remembers Athens coming off a big win and not playing particularly well.
“I thought we were pretty flat that game,” he said.
Athens committed several costly mistakes, including bad snaps, dropped passes, turnovers and a pick-six.
Harrell said the Hornets cannot repeat that pattern after the emotional win at Pine Tree.
“After a big win like last week against Pine Tree, we can’t let the same thing happen like we did last year,” he said.
He also stressed that Kaufman earned last year’s win.
“They do a great job,” he said. “They’re really well coached, they play really hard, and they made the plays to win the game last year.”
Harrell said Athens will pay plenty of attention to Kaufman’s quarterback this week.
He described him as an experienced player who has spent time at linebacker before moving to quarterback.
“He’s an incredible football player,” Harrell said.
Athens wants to pressure him and make him uncomfortable at quarterback.
Keys to Victory
Word of the Week: Forward
Harrell said the message this week is about making decisions that keep Athens moving in the right direction.
“The word of the week this week, it’s forward,” he said.
Keys to the game:
* Move forward: Build on the Pine Tree win instead of settling for it.
* Limit self-inflicted wounds: Avoid the mistakes that hurt Athens against Kaufman last season.
* Get after the quarterback: Pressure Kaufman’s No. 12 and make him uncomfortable.
* Handle Homecoming: Stay focused despite everything surrounding the game this week.
* Play with a chip: Use last year’s loss and continued outside doubt as motivation.
This Week
Athens hosts Kaufman on Friday, Sept. 18, for Homecoming at Bruce Field.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
