No surprise last week as the West Orange-Stark Mustangs won their opening district game convincingly over Hamshire-Fannett, 57-7. A bit of bad news is starting strong safety Teshaun Teel bruised his MCL and will be out a couple of weeks for the Mustangs.
This Friday night the Mustangs play Hardin-Jefferson. Coach Cornel Thompson said the Hawks use a myriad of offensive formations. They are a Wing T, a Slot T, and then may shift to no backs in the backfield. Hardin-Jefferson will lineup with three backs, two backs, and other times an empty backfield. Sometimes the Hawks will have three wide receivers on the same side and other times they will have two on both sides. Thompson observes, “They’re using a number of offenses.”
Whatever formation the Hawks use, the personnel is the same. Brayden Pelt is their quarterback. He currently leads the district in passing yards and is the team leader in rushing the ball. Dillon Bryant and Blake Cruse are two other quality runners for Hardin-Jefferson.
The Hawks’ defense also uses multiple formations. Thompson analyzed Hardin-Jefferson on defense. Thompson pointed out the Hawks line up in even man fronts for a couple of downs and then will shift into an odd man front showing a 50 Defense like the Mustangs. Thompson believes they predominantly will base out of a 4-3 formation.
There are a number of two-way players starting for Hardin-Jefferson, but the Hawks are very good on defense. They are currently ranked third in the state in Class 4-A Division II for fewest points allowed per game. H-J is right behind West Orange-Stark in team defense in the district allowing just over 200 total yards a contest. Coach Thompson sees Mason Murray in the Hawks’ secondary as their most outstanding player on defense, but they are experienced on defense with seven or eight starters coming back from last year.
The Mustangs won by 50 points last week, but that does mean they played error free. Coach Thompson evaluated where West Orange-Stark needs to improve this week against the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks. First, on defense the breakdown late in the first half against Hamshire-Fannett when Tyrese White went 70 yards for a touchdown with just 30 seconds left before the half is not what top caliber teams should be allowing. Thompson admits the “Chain Gang” has not played a full 48-minute game yet.
On offense, Thompson was disappointed in several nagging little mental mistakes. The kicking game is showing improvement with Chad Dallas kicking a field goal for the second consecutive game and Deiondr’e Hawthorne returning a punt for a touchdown. There was still an errant snap on another field goal attempt and two missed point after kicks by the second team place kicker. “By no means have we peaked to this point, so we’ve got to improve all three phases of the game,” Thompson concluded.
The West Orange-Stark Mustangs play the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks Friday night at Dan R. Hooks Stadium. The kickoff is at 7:30 PM.
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