The Monterey Wildcats are preparing for a road region showdown with the Clay County Bulldogs.
The 10th ranked Wildcats (5-1, 3-0) are coming off their bye week in advance of the matchup with the Bulldogs (5-3, 2-1).
MHS head coach Scott Hughes was not pleased with his team’s week of preparation to this point.
“We’re still on fall break in our mind as a team,” said Hughes. “We’ve not handled having two weeks off from school and having a week off from football very well. We’ve not been very good at all.”
The Wildcats will be looking to bounce back from a 20-14 loss against 2A squad Bledsoe County before the bye week.
The game against the Bulldogs has several postseason implications. A win would set up a likely region championship week 11 game with Gordonsville (5-3, 3-0), while a loss would complicate things at the top of the region.
Hughes said he started the week talking about the nature of the game, but they are now focused only on themselves.
“We talked about it early in the week, and then being as bad as we have been this week, the complete focus changed to just trying to be able to function as a team,” said Hughes. “It was no longer about our opponent. It was just trying to get back to being able to function and do what we do.”
The Bulldogs are coming off a 28-7 loss against White County, but have played good football in 2020. They boast a balanced offensive attack and a defense allowing 20 points per game. The Wildcats offense has scored 33 points per game and defense is allowing just over 10 points per game.
“It’s an exceptional football team,” said Hughes. “They’ve got some guys that’ve played a lot of football. You can tell they’re older bodies. They move exceptionally well. Offense, defense and special teams, it’s a well-rounded football team.”
Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Celina.