Westbrook Christian (1-0) at Fyffe (1-0)
Last week: Westbrook 12, Glencoe 7; Fyffe 14, Geraldine 10
Last meeting: 2011 – Fyffe 34, Westbrook 7
Series record: Fyffe 4, Westbrook 2
By Gene Stanley/Messenger Sports Correspondent
In this year’s Region 7 of Class 2A, every week is going to be important, because of the balance – on paper, at least – among the teams.
With a trip to seventh-ranked Fyffe, Westbrook Christian’s road doesn’t start off easy.
“They’re a typical Fyffe team,” said Westbrook coach Tony Osborne. “They’re quick, strong and do the little things right. They’re a very good running team that can pass when needed to surprise you. You can’t cheat up too much on the run.”
Both teams notched impressive Week 1 victories over county rivals. The Red Devils took a last-minute win over Geraldine and Westbrook earned a hard-fought victory over Glencoe.
All summer, Red Devils coach Paul Benefield had Ka-naan Coppock and Randy Blackwell working at quarterback. He surprised Geraldine by putting Cameron Gipson under center.
Fyffe runs the Wing-T formation and rarely throws the football.
“Last week, they threw the ball a little more than we’re used to seeing,” Osborne said. “But they still prefer the run. If they can get yards on running plays, they’re going to run.”
Westbrook, on the other hand, likes to sometimes get yardage in bigger chunks, via the pass. Senior quarterback Jonathan Ford attempted 29 passes against Glencoe, completing 11 for 128 yards.
“We’ve got to correct some mistakes,” Osborne said. “We played well but missed assignments here and there. It was a typical early-season game where the guys are more prone to mistakes.
“But we gave a great effort. I liked the way we came back and held a good team down.”
Glencoe led 7-0 at the half but the Warriors had a 12-0 second half.