The Cookeville Cavaliers are looking to bounce back as they prepare to take on Livingston Academy in week two of the high school football season.
The Cavs are coming off a 28-6 loss against Upperman, and are looking to knock off the Wildcats in a battle between teams looking for their first win.
“I went through the film pretty thoroughly and I thought our defense played pretty well and gave us a chance,” said CHS head coach Jimmy Maynord on week one. “We just did not help them out offensively at all. We didn’t have a single clean series. 13 penalties, two interceptions, a fumble. We went through all that as a team, if there’s a bright spot it’s that everything can be corrected. We’ll get it corrected and we’ll be better because of it.”
The Cavs are facing a LA team coming off a 40-0 loss against White County, but Maynord said he knows the game could have been closer than that.
“They’re, kind of, like we are,” said Maynord. “They’ve got an inexperienced team to. If they could’ve talked Malaki (Dowell), that game was closer than it appeared. They blitz a lot. When that happens, sometimes you break some big plays or they’re going to make a big play defensively. They’ve got some good skill players. It’s a game between two inexperienced teams.”
The Cav defense will be facing off against sophomore LA quarterback Brodey Coffee and an offense that moved the ball in week one, despite being held scoreless. Maynord said he saw Coffey do some good things on tape.
“He’s got some speed and he’s a pretty savvy kid,” said Maynord. “We’ve got to keep him contained.”
For Maynord, playing “smart” is one of the biggest keys for his team.
“We didn’t play smart (last week),” said Maynord. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, I don’t know if I’ve ever gone through a game and had that many mistakes. It’s something that we can correct. I’m going to have to be patient. I’m not a real patient guy, but I understand there is no substitute for experience.”
Kickoff between the Cavs and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. Friday night in Cookeville. The game will be livestreamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter 2 Facebook page.