Young Cougars hungry for respect

They have a couple of games under their belts in Taylorsville and already it's been something of a rollercoaster ride for the Cougars.

Coach Tom Harper and his team hope that tonight's game with the Red Tornadoes will decide which path Alexander Central will take in 2008. Will it be the way of Week 1, when they crushed a seriously-depleted North Gaston squad, 56-3? Or will it be the way of Week 2, when they stumbled in a 10-7 loss at St. Stephens?

The win over North Gaston was so over-the-top ridiculous that I think it seriously skews the statistics for Alexander Central. Call me crazy but I really don't think that Central is the type of team that can routinely crank out 387-yard rushing performances. Not to take anything away from Central's two primary running backs, Logan Chapman (5'9, 180, Jr.) and Kyle Bradshaw (5'9, 185, Jr.), but they are not quite as good as their performance against North Gaston would seem to indicate. Chapman racked up 151 yards on 15 carries. Bradshaw was even more impressive, totaling 186 yards on 19 carries.

Last week's 10-7 loss to St. Stephens provides a much more accurate snapshot of where the Cougars are in their progression as a team. Against the Indians, Chapman gained only 66 yards on 12 carries while Bradshaw's production fell to a mere 26 yards on six carries. In fact, the team's leading rusher last week was the youngster playing quarterback: sophomore Kyle Kinnaird (18 carries for 67 yards).

Kinnaird was not particularly successful as a passer. He completed only 22% of his pass attempts for 77 yards. He also threw an interception. Kinnaird does have a favorite go-to guy in senior Billy Fisher (6'1, 165, Sr.) who has four receptions for 84 yards so far.

Other potential receiving threats for the Cougars are Kori Kinnaird (5'11, 165, Sr.) and Heath Pennell (5'11, 160, Sr.), as well as both Logan and Chapman coming out of the backfield.

The Cougars will need the defense to stay strong and play fast in order to contain the Red Tornadoes. The defensive unit, led by linebackers J.D. Latham (5'10, 165, Sr.) and Justin Honeycutt (5'10, 195, Sr.), has only allowed 13 points in two games. Against the run they have been impressive, holding North Gaston to a mere 31 yards and limiting St. Stephens to 141 yards. (It's interesting to note that in last week's game between the Cougars and Indians it was the quarterbacks who led their teams in rushing.) But it's also true that neither North Gaston nor St. Stephens have the kind of top-shelf ground attack that Hickory possesses. The Cougar run defense simply has not been properly tested. It will be tonight.

Central's secondary has been solid so far. After surrendering 157 yards to North Gaston (but no touchdowns) the Cougar defensive backs only gave up 33 yards to St. Stephens. The Coogs have also snagged five interceptions, three of which were at the expense of Indian quarterback Matt Fussell. Jonathan Dockery (6'0, 170, Sr.), Dylan Tedder (5'11, 160, Sr.) and Jacob Frye (5'7, 160, Sr.) are the leaders of the secondary.

Coach Tom Harper has always been a proponent of two-platooning. He did it at East Burke and he is doing it now at Alexander Central. Hickory has always utilized its best players to the max, playing them both ways when necessary. Hickory also substitutes liberally, something that can create some hairy moments from time to time (especially early in the season) but does tend to create a more experienced team with better stamina. I don't think that Central will wear Hickory down by any means. If Hickory gets off to a fast start tonight things could get unpleasant for the Coogs.

Hickory leads the series with Alexander Central, 16-5. The Red Tornadoes have won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Cougars.

Here's hoping for a Tornado touchdown on the opening kickoff!