2012 result: Collinsville 38, Coosa Christian 13
Series record: Collinsville 8, Coosa Christian 1
By Gene Stanley/Correspondent
If facing Collinsville wasn’t enough of a test for his first game as a football head coach, now Coosa Christian’s Scott Clifton has another concern.
His top two quarterbacks were injured in last week’s jamboree.
In the first half, against Winterboro, starting quarterback Johnny Manning was hurt as the Conquerors were trying to score. Coosa eventually lost, 14-0.
In the second half, against Gaston, backup Jace Mills duplicated the feat. Coosa lost, 20-8.
“Both of them are still questionable,”Clifton said. “They’re day-to-day, but hopefully one or both of them will be available by Friday.”
As for the team, Clifton said that there was a 120-percent improvement since the spring jamboree.
As an example, the Conquerors rushed for 290 yards against Winterboro and Gaston.
“Other than the rushing, the biggest improvement is tackling,” Clifton said. “They were getting in position and actually tackling instead of just slowing the other guys down. We only missed four or five tackles overall.”
Collinsville’s depth is another concern for Clifton, who said that the Panthers will have 20 or more players who can come in without a dropoff, while Coosa will have maybe 15.
“(Collinsville) quarterback (Tanner Nelson) is a good, mobile quarterback who can get out and make the play,” Clifton said. “And (Jalyn Martin) is an outstanding running back.
“The other one I’m concerned about is lineman (Kevin) McElrath, who can dominate on both sides of the ball.”
Since Coosa is in a nine-team region, the opener is against a Class 1A, Region 7 foe.
