Like I said recently, things have changed for whatever reason. A game of this magnitude, with so much at stake, and the rivalry in itself, a thread would have been started Friday night before midnight.
Anyway, I like the Lions progression, despite playing in this weak conference, especially defensively. They fly to the football, and they will need that speed versus a very shifty running back in Norris, and a very fast Ben Mauney. I’m more concerned about Mauney hurting us more with his legs.
Shelby has to contain him, keep his scrambling yards to a minimum. Limit him ripping off tons of yardage with his speed, especially on 3rd down. That demoralizes a defense. He also uses his mobility to extend plays, and throw to a very capable group of receivers.
Offensively for Shelby, it begins with the quarterback. The kid has exceeded my expectations as a sophomore quarterback, big time. That’s a hard position to be in, a first year starter and a sophomore at that. That said, he has to manage the game, and realize this is not Highland Tech he will be throwing against. He has had a fantastic year, but to tell it like it is, he’s also had a lot of turnovers versus teams with a pulse Shelby has played. The yards and touchdowns were there, but so were the turnovers. He just needs to play a clean game.
Shelby’s running game has been really good. Tristan Tate has been stellar, period, as the lead back. The sophomore, Jaylen Tate, is really starting to emerge as a good back. Then, there’s Hollifield and Norris contributing with speed and power, respectively. I would like to Shelby feature the running game more vs a Burns defense that hasn’t been good versus the run. Their secondary has looked good, though. This will be a heckuva game. Let’s get those bold predictions!
