By Rick Patrick
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Madison County Carrier
When asked about this week’s playoff game against the Bears of Dixie County at Boot Hill Stadium, Madison County High School (MCHS) Head Coach Mike Coe didn’t mince words.
“We’ll have to play dang near perfect to have a shot,” he said.
By the time the first round rout of the Tigers of Union County had ended, the Cowboys knew who their next opponent would be in the Region Three final game on Friday, Nov. 17. The Bears had just defeated the Hornets of Lafayette County by a score of 49-7.
Coe knew the task ahead would be tough.
“You’re about to find out the importance of the strength of schedule,” said Coe as he talked to the team after the round one game.
Coe has not backed away from facing strong competition this season; a move that has helped earn home field during the playoffs. Facing such strong competition during the season has no doubt been good preparation for games such as this week’s contest.
In their 1A-Region 3 Semifinal, the Bears racked up over 500 yards of offense while holding the Hornets to 64 yards of total offense, including negative 21 yards on the ground.
During the season, the Bears’ defensive unit has only given up an average of 9.72 points per game.
Offensively, the Bears depend on a strong running attack, led by junior quarterback Carlos Williams, Jr. (5′ 10, 173). He averages 105 yards rushing per game for the Bears.
“Dixie County is a really good football team,” added Coe. “They have several really good athletes, but what stands out is how hard they
play and the physicality with which they play. They play ball the right way, the way it’s supposed to be played. This will be our biggest challenge to date.”
Keys to the game for the Cowboys, aside from playing “dang near perfect” football, will be to:
- Win the turnover battle
- Don’t give up any easy scores
- Shut down the run – Jonathon“Bulldog” Alexander and the rest of the Cowboy defensive unit will have to play disciplined football to shut down running lanes and force the Bears to throw the ball. If they can do that, look for Cowboy defensive backs Travis Jay and company to have another big game.
- Get off to a fast start – The Cowboys will need to get off to a fast start and force the Bears to attempt to play “catch-up.”
The Region Three final game between MCHS and Dixie County High School will be played on Friday, Nov. 17, at Boot Hill Stadium, on the MCHS campus. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. Admission is $8 per person.
The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the Pahokee vs Frostproof game in the State Semi-final game on Friday, Nov. 24.
