Dyersburg welcomes Bolivar for Homecoming 2025

 

Jason Peevyhouse

Editor, JP Productions Sports

After two long road trips which saw the Trojans go 2-0 and put a lot of miles on the bus, Dyersburg’s football team returns home on Friday as the black and gold host Bolivar Central for Homecoming 2025 which will also be a Region 7-3A contest.

Trojan Head Coach Bart Stowe said he wants to keep the momentum going and learn from the mistakes the team made even in their big win down in Selmer.

“We’ve got to go down there and take care of business because it is all about us,” Stowe explained. “Our offense, our defense and our special teams. Taking care of our business.

“We’re glad to be coming home and this week, of course, is a big region game.”

The Tigers (3-1) enter the game with an identical record to the Trojans, both overall and in Region 7-3A action, which began last week.

Bolivar has been averaging 17.2 points per game through four games this season. Dyersburg has averaged more than double that amount through the first four games.

Still, there are some concerns.

“They’re very athletic and are very explosive,” Stowe explained. “Their quarterback is a runner and also really throws it well.

“They have a couple of receivers that have some size on them with good hands. We’ve got to do a really good job defensively of stopping their run and covering their pass.”

Tackling, both in the box and in space, will be big for the Trojan defense.

“Defensively, everything is going to start up front for us,” Stowe pointed out. “But, we’ve got to have good team defense and good team tackling.

“Team pursuit – good coverage by our linebackers on the back end and with our linemen – will be important.”

On the other side of the ball, the Tiger defense have good size and speed.

“They play multiple fronts,” the Trojan head coach said. “Last year, when they played us, they played us in several different fronts.

“We’ve got to do a good job with our offensive line and our pad level and our rules. If they change their defense, we’ve got to go back and follow our rules.”

Protecting the football is also a big thing which the Trojan offense needs to do – something Dyersburg learned first-hand earlier in the year.

“We’ve got to stay away from the turnovers and throw and complete the ball well,” Stowe added. “We’ve got to play good team ball.”

The offensive line will again be a key for the Trojans.

“They’ve been stepping up every week and getting better,” Stowe pointed out. “We expect them to do the same this week.

“Our backs have got to run hard and protect the football. Our quarterback has got to do a good job executing the offense and throwing the ball and completing passes. We’ve got to make good throws and good catches. And take what they give us.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday night at J.C. Sawyers Stadium.

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