Ider (2-0, 0-0) at Gaston (0-2, 0-1)
Last week’s scores: Section 35, Gaston 15;
Ider 29, Gaylesville 0
Last meeting: Gaston 42, Ider 7 (2013)
Series record: Gaston leads 7-3
By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Three yards and a cloud of dust.
That’s the system that Gaston is looking at this week as Class 2A, Region 7 rival Ider visits Shinbone Ridge.
The Hornets run the Double Wing formation – a system that relies on hiding the ball as much as possible while running up the middle.
“They go toe-to-toe with you and slam you,” Gaston coach Swane Morris said. “They go down the field like that, then suddenly throw it over your heads.”
Morris said that Ider has the perfect athletes for the Double Wing – big linemen and small, tough running backs that can hide in the shadows of the linemen.
“We’ve got to be ready for them,” Morris said. “It’s a formation you don’t see often. It’ll be a battle in the tren-ches.”
Morris said there are two keys to beating Ider – take the ball away from them early in a drive and do not – repeat – do not turn the ball over.
“They keep the ball enough,” he said. “If you turn it over and give it to them even more, you’re killing yourself.”
Last week against Section, Mitchell Smith rushed 11 times for 66 yards, while Taylor Hawkins gained 37 yards on five carries.