Dyersburg looks to bounce back against Brighton

 

Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

Coming out of a Game of the Year candidate from Week 1 with a heartbreaking loss to rival Dyer County last Friday night at home, Dyersburg will look to bounce back and break into the win column as the Trojans host Brighton this Friday night.

Heading into the clash with the Cardinals, Dyersburg Head Coach Bart Stowe talked about what he wants his team to learn from last week’s season opener.

“We’ve just got to learn that we can’t make the mistakes we made last week,” Stowe said. “We’ve got to learn from them and move on.

“We’ve got to keep them competitive juices going and let’s play again.”

Offensively, the Cardinals are strong with athletes at the skill positions. The Cardinals are also coming in off a setback as Brighton lost last week to Pure Academy, 24-7.

Quarterback Cayden Young is a key piece of the Cardinal attack.

“They’re very explosive,” Stowe said of the Brighton offense. “They’ve got a quarterback that can run and pass.

“He’s fleet of foot and he can throw it. They’ve got quite a few skill kids there who can catch it and run it.”

Stowe said the Cardinals run a really good offense which will mean the Trojans will need to defend the whole field. In addition to the defensive line, Stowe said the linebackers and secondary will also need to have a good game.

“We have to defend the field,” the Trojan head coach said. “They’re going to be a spread offense which means you’ve got to defend the width of the field.

“We’ve got to tackle well, pursue well and play good Trojan defense.”

On the other side of the ball, the Cardinal defense have some really good size.

“They’re front is strong and their linebackers are really active,” Stowe explained. “They seem like they bring a lot of pressure with their blitzing.

“We’ve got to have our eyes up and be ready to go.”

Offensive line play will be important and Stowe was proud of how his front line played on both sides of the ball in Week 1.

“We’re a young team and there’s no doubt about it,” the Trojan head coach pointed out. “Our offensive line is young.

“With the offensive line, we’re really proud of how they settled in and did a good job last week. We just made some other mistakes that hurt us but our line did a good job. They settled in – both offensive and defensive lines – and played well, we thought. We just can’t turn the ball over.”

Cleaning up that last part is crucial for the success of the Trojan offense.

“Every week,” Stowe said. “You’ve got to play good in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams.

“Special teams, we’ve got to learn from last week’s mistakes and in offense and defense.”

Stowe added his team is looking forward to playing better in all three phases of the game.

Kickoff is set of 7 p.m. on Friday.

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