Story and Photo by Rusty Ellis
The Livingston Academy Wildcats got off to a slow start in their 45-15 loss at the hands of DeKalb County in week seven, dropping their record to 0-7 on the season.
Giving up 45 points, head coach Dale Flatt says the first negative that stuck out to him was how the defense played as a whole. They struggled to get stops early against the Tigers, though Flatt does say there was improvement in the second half.
“It seems like we didn’t stop them very well,” Flatt said. “I was more displeased with our defense against them, but they had a really good team…I think we did a little better in the second half, and that’s kind of our thing.”
The offense built some momentum in the second half with two scores from Nathan Cowgill and Brodey Coffee, though it wasn’t quite enough to win. Flatt says he did see improvement in multiple phases on that side of the ball as the game wore on.
“We saw some open areas that we could run some plays and they worked a little better,” Flatt said. “I think our kids picked it up a little more, and things opened up a little more in the second half.”
No team plans on going 0-7, and surely no team enjoys it. Despite the rough stretch of football in all of these kids’ careers, Flatt says he’s still seeing a motivated team that wants to get better every time they take the field.
“They don’t quit, they come to practice every day and they work hard,” Flatt said. “We’ve got a lot of injuries and we’re dealing with that. A lot of people are stepping up that haven’t even seen the field yet. I feel pleased with the way we’re handling things. I told them after the game on Thursday, ‘guys, on Monday whenever we go to practice, I’m ready to go to work again.’ They looked at me and they were all nodding their heads yes.”
This week, the Livingston Academy Wildcats head to Crossville to take on a much-improved Cumberland County Jets. They come into this game with a 3-4 overall record, but an 0-3 mark in region play. This is a big game for two teams looking to scratch the region win column.
“They play a lot of power football,” Flatt said. “They always have an up-back, and a lot of times they’ll have a wing and the quarterback will run in behind them…they either overload one side or they throw the ball.”
For the Wildcats to come away with a win, Flatt has emphasized defensive discipline against a team that will give them many different looks.
“We have to read good, and our tacklers have to read their blocks,” Flatt said. “Our linebackers have to read their backs and whichever way they are going…they have to make good angles on tackles. That’s something we’ve been working on all year. It’s so different from any team we’ve played, but it’s pretty much the same plays. We just have to get our kids in positions to make plays.”
The two teams will battle on the gridiron on Friday at 7 P.M. The game will be live-streamed on Upper Cumberland Reporter 2 on Facebook.