This year really will be a new season for Orangefield. The Bobcats have dropped in classification, and they are no longer the smallest school in Class 4A in Texas.
There were no major injuries for the Bobcats coming out of the scrimmages. Head Coach Josh Smalley believes the Bobcats have prepared well to get ready for the start of the football season. The goal was to get better each week and Orangefield played better in its scrimmage with Lumberton than it did in the first one with Little Cypress-Mauriceville. Smalley reflected, “Hopefully, we’ll continue that and just continue to get better each week.”
The opening opponent for Orangefield will be KIPP Generation Collegiate out of Houston. KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) is a charter school that has five different high schools in the Houston area. Smalley evaluates the Jaguars’ offense based on what he has seen on film of them. They use the Spread and the Pistol sometimes. Seldom does the KIPP quarterback get under center, most of the time the Jaguars are in the shotgun.
The quarterback Nathan Cortez is the leader on the KIPP offense. He reminds Smalley of the Houston Worthy quarterback a few seasons ago. Cortez is a good passer and can be a dangerous runner if he is flushed out of the pocket. The Jaguars are big up front in the offensive line. “Everything revolves around that quarterback right now,” Smalley stated.
The Jaguars will bring some big young men to the game on Friday. Coach Smalley analyzes KIPP’s defense. They base out of a 4-2-5 formation and run man coverage in the secondary. KIPP will show some cover-two looks though usually only if the opponent uses a Spread.
The strength of the Jaguars on defense is their middle. Defensive tackle Julien Rodriguez anchors the defensive line at 345 pounds. The linebackers Jonah Burton and William Garrett are both big and fast athletes. Smalley pointed out, “We’ll have to be really focused at our center, guard, and tackle positions in our offensive line this week.”
The Bobcats will be looking to get a win in this first game. The victory is the first priority, ugly or pretty according to the coach.
Smalley identified what he expects Orangefield to do in order to secure the win against KIPP. On offense he wants continued improvement up front in the offensive line which is still very young for the Bobcats.
Defensively Orangefield needs to tackle better. The Bobcats did not tackle well in the LC-M scrimmage, however, did tackle better against Lumberton and forced some turnovers. That needs to continue. The interior of the defensive line is also young, and Coach Todd Trawhon is getting them rounded into shape. “If our defense can continue to tackle well, improve each week, create turnovers we’ll be happy with that,” Smalley concluded.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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