Click to enlarge
© 2010 McKinneyNews.net
Credit: Elise Anderson
Staff Photographer
© 2010 McKinneyNews.net
Credit: Elise Anderson
Staff Photographer
North Football Insider
Bulldogs Know They Can Handle Blitz ... And Change
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Posted by Natalie Merrill at 4:52 PM in Sports
The McKinney North football team enters District 9-4A competition with confidence, considering how this season has started.
After a week of rest that followed back-to-back-to-back pre-district wins, the Bulldogs (3-0) are geared up and ready to bang helmets with The Colony. The Cougars are coming off a 26-0 win over Carrollton R.L. Turner, but that is no cause for fear for the Bulldogs.
North This Week
Who: McKinney North (3-0) vs. The Colony (1-2)
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: The Colony
About the Opponent: The Cougars are coming off a 26-0 victory over Carrollton R.L. Turner last week…In their first two games, the Cougars lost to Richland, 26-7, and to Richardson Pearce, 31-23…Tony Peoples leads The Colony’s offense with 497 rushing yards and four TDs to go with an 8.9-yard average per carry. QB Bryce Perkins had five touchdown passes and two interceptions while throwing for 571 yards…The Cougars didn’t manage a point in last year’s game against North. The Bulldogs won it, 42-0, at Ron Poe Stadium.
Tickets: Available at the North Athletic Office on Thursday (8 a.m.-2 p.m.). Available at the MISD Athletic Office Thursday (8-noon, 1-4) and Friday (8-noon). Cost is $6 for adult general admission and $4 for student general admission. Cost at the gate is $7 for all general admission tickets.
North coach Shawn Pratt said that, while this is an away game, and The Colony is a good team, he knows his team will be fine.
“They’ve got a good team, but our kids have played well on the road,” Pratt said, “so I’m not too worried about that.”
The Need to Recognize
Pratt also said that the Cougars have a very versatile offense, creating different formations and causing the defense to have to adapt more. The Bulldogs have great talent defensively, but they need to be able to read The Colony’s offense to be able to shut it down more efficiently.
“The key is recognizing those formations and staying in position,” he said. “We’ve tackled well, so I’m not worried about that aspect. But sometimes the trouble can come in getting lined up right, so we need to see what formation they are using and make sure we line up right for it.”
Senior defensive back Mike Scott said to be better against such an offense, the players need to zone in on the right mindset and continue to work hard.
“You’ve just got to pay attention in practice and do all the reps you can,” he said. “You’ve got to stay focused. That main thing is focus.”
Handling the Blitz
The Cougars defense loves to attack the quarterback.
“Their defense can be scary because they blitz quite a bit,” Pratt said.
But he is confident that his man at the helm, junior quarterback Vince Stanko, will be able to handle the pressure, and that his offensive line will also step up to the challenge.
“He’ll be fine,” Pratt said. “He’s ready to go, and we’ll try to keep him in good situations and making good play calls. The offensive line is going to do a good job at keeping the pressure off Vince.”
Stanko said he doesn’t get intimidated by the possibility of the blitz because he has full confidence in his offensive linemen.
“Our linemen will be able to pick them up, so I really don’t have to worry about that,” Stanko said. “I trust our linemen.”
Still Plans For Williams At QB, Too
North used the dual quarterback rotation in the first two pre-district games, and Pratt said he plans on giving senior quarterback Kris Williams some time under center. Williams did not play in the Homecoming game against Forney two weeks ago, but Pratt said it was because of the way the game played out.
“Our defense was doing well, and I didn’t want to mess anything up,” Pratt said. “Plus, once he hadn’t played for most of the game, I didn’t want to put him in a bad situation.”
Stanko said that, while he would like to play the whole game, the quarterback rotation is helpful in that it allows some variety in the North offense because Stanko and Williams have two different styles of play.
“It changes the speed of the game, so that’s always good,” he said. “Kris is really speedy, so he’ll run some options for us. I mainly just throw, and I will run it or hand it off some.”
Click to enlarge
© 2010 McKinneyNews.net
Credit: Elise Anderson
Staff Photographer
© 2010 McKinneyNews.net
Credit: Elise Anderson
Staff Photographer
When North defeated Forney 14-2, the Bulldogs capped off an undefeated pre-district season. In its first two games, North crushed Carrollton R.L Turner, 49-0, and Denton, 43-13. But Pratt said it’s not putting an enormous amount of points on the board that matters most.
“I don’t care if we win 2-0,” he said. “It’s about getting the win. Forney was a good win for us, because they are a good football team, and our score wasn’t that high. The end result is what we’re worried about.”
Preparation Time
The Bulldogs are coming off a bye week, but Pratt and Stanko said it won’t be a detriment to the team. In fact, it gave them more time to prepare for The Colony.
“It gives me the chance to study their defense more and know what to run against them,” Stanko said.
Scott, however, said he is not a fan of the bye week because it’s one less time he gets to play football.
“I don’t really like it because I want to play,” Scott said. “I want something to do on a Friday night besides going out. I’d rather be playing football.”
Notebook
Pratt said his team is motivated and ready to secure the first victory of the “second season.” “We are focused more on the whole team aspect of the game, as well as staying more consistent offensively,” Pratt said. “We’re just looking to get that first district win.”...Scott said he fully believes his team is bound for glory by the end of the season. “I see us getting nothing short of the state championship,” Scott said.
Staff Writer Natalie Merrill covers McKinney North football for McKinneyNews.net.
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