Familiar foes are preparing to square off as the Upperman Bees and DeKalb County Tigers are set face each other for the second time in 2021 in the second round of the high school football postseason.
The Bees (10-1) earned a 24-14 win over the Tigers (7-4) in the first meeting on October 15, but both teams know the type of game the rematch could be.
“They’re a very good defensive football team,” said UHS head coach Adam Caine. “They are well coached. They know how to defend what you want to do. We came out of (the first meeting) feeling fortunate to come out on top. They outplayed us for three and a half quarters. We’re going to have to play really well.”
“I’ve played against coach Caine since 2015, but they do have some wrinkles in there,” said DCHS head coach Steve Trapp. “They’ve got good players everywhere. They play well and they’re disciplined. You have to be on your toes and ready for anything.”
The Bees are coming off a 46-7 win over Soddy Daisy while the Tigers earned a 35-21 win over East Hamilton in the first round.
For Upperman, a focus has been put on slowing down DCHS star Isaac Knowles. Knowles rushed for 45 yards, caught four passes for 81 yards and a touchdown and threw for 47 yards in the first meeting.
“He’s a dynamic player,” said Caine. “He’s very aggressively and decisively trying to get the ball in the end zone every time he touches it. He does a lot of good things on defense too.”
Trapp said his confidence in his senior athlete is high.
“We’ve come up with (new things) to put him in different areas,” said Trapp. “He’s just a guy that makes plays for us. He’s football savvy. He’s a special player, and it’s about players not plays.”
For the Tigers, they’ll need to formulate a game plan to slow down Jaxson Rollins. Rollins rushed for 191 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 carries in the UHS win over Soddy Daisy, but the Tigers held him to 19 yards in their first meeting.
“We’ve seen all those plays that he’s made and the capability that he has,” said Trapp. “It comes down to being disciplined as a defense. Run fits are critical and always pursuing the ball… I think that’s one thing we did really well against them, running to the football.”
“When he’s on he’s about as good as they come,” said Caine on Rollins. “They held him to 19 yards at their place. I think the neat thing about this football team is it’s not just him. He’s got to do well for us to be the best thing we can be, but others are can make plays.”
The game between schools 24 miles apart promises to boast a loud crowd. Both coaches said they are looking forward to the atmosphere while staying focused on the task at hand.
“It’ll be huge,” said Caine. “Win, lose or draw these are the kind of games you want to play in. The reason I run the program the way I do is for moments like Friday night. There’s going to be nowhere to hide and run to. I am glad it’s here. I hope our fans are like what they usually are.”
“At the core of all this is it’s a football game,” said Trapp. “We’re going to focus on what we need to do for a football game. When you get those second-round games (the atmosphere) is different. I think this has the potential to be one of those nights. I think the Hive will be packed and we’re excited for it.”
Kickoff is set to begin at 7 p.m. The game will be livestreamed on the UCR Facebook page with Noah McKay and Justin Matheney on the call with Rusty Ellis reporting from the sideline. Pregame coverage will start at 6:30.