Story and Photo by Rusty Ellis
The Livingston Academy Wildcats suffered their sixth consecutive defeat to start the season, this one of the 21-0 variety to Jackson County.
The Wildcats had opportunities to get on the board and maybe even take control of the game, but red zone struggles and a couple lapses on defense proved to ultimately be their downfall.
“We let a few big plays happen, and that killed us,” said LA head coach Dale Flatt. “I thought we played solid defense, and I thought we moved the ball offensively. We just couldn’t get into the end zone.”
Since putting up a season-high 18 points against York Institute on Sept. 9, the Wildcats have been shut out in their two games since. It’s a similar issue that plagued the team early in the year, as they’ve just struggled once they reached the red zone.
“I really believe it’s just the team trying to put everything together,” Flatt said. “We make the mistakes that young teams make. Of course trying to eliminate those mistakes is our biggest obstacle. It just seems like we’ve had that struggle all year long. I think we were in the red zone five or six times (against Jackson County), and never scored…being young and just trying to finish drives, we’re just not getting into the end zone.”
The defense has made some impressive strides since the start of the season, and they gave the Wildcats a chance to win against Jackson County. It’s a positive that Flatt is pleased to see.
“They’re trying to cover their assignments and execute the gameplan,” Flatt said as far as what they’re doing better. “When you’re going against the Wing-T like we did Friday night, you have to play disciplined football. You have to have your keys and read them and react to that. I think we’re getting better each week as far as that is concerned.”
This week brings a matchup with DeKalb County, as both teams make their return to region play. The Tigers come into this game with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in region play, making for another tough test for the young Wildcats.
“They have an equal attack as far as running and throwing the ball,” Flatt said. “I watched them against one team, and they threw the ball well. In another game I watched, they ran the ball well…there’s a lot of things happening on offense for them, so we’ve got our work cut out for us for sure.”
The game will be played on Thursday at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium at 7 P.M. and will be live-streamed on the Upper Cumberland Reporter’s Facebook page.