Win would help cure what ails St. Aloysius|[09/14/07]
Published 12:00 am Friday, September 14, 2007
On paper, this should be one of the easier games on St. Aloysius’ schedule.
Salem comes to town riding a six-game losing streak, is 0-2 this year, and lost to a team that hadn’t won in two years. The Wildcats are traditionally one of the weaker teams in Class 1A.
The only problem is, St. Al is also looking like it might be on the weak side this season. The Flashes are also 0-2, and have been outscored 70-13. And, as St. Al coach Jim Taylor points out, there is one big difference between the teams.
“They’ve been in both games they lost, where we haven’t been in both games in the fourth quarter,” Taylor said.
A lack of depth and impact players has indeed contributed to St. Al’s early slide. The Flashes have been outscored 50-13 in the second half so far this season.
Three running backs have gained at least 80 yards, but none has over 100. Quarterback Chris Lewis has been solid, completing 13 of 23 passes for 147 yards, but the Flashes haven’t finished drives on offense nor stopped enough of them on defense to stay with their first two opponents — Bogue Chitto and Dexter, both of whom should finish in the top half of Region 4-1A.
“The defense has given up big plays and offensively we’re stopping ourselves with mistakes. In spurts, we’ve played well,” Taylor said. “The potential is there. We’ve just got to string a few things together.”
Salem, by contrast, has lost its two games as much with bad luck as bad play. In its opener, Salem couldn’t score in the second half and lost 28-23 to a Pelahatchie team that hadn’t won since 2004.
Last week, four turnovers negated a 410-272 advantage in yardage for Salem and led to a 33-30 loss to Cathedral. Cathedral won it on a 2-yard touchdown pass with 2 seconds left.
“It’s kind of hard to find something,” Salem coach Willie Brumfield said when asked what his team had done well so far. “Our kids have played hard. We’ve just come up short.”
Taylor is hoping to make it three in a row for the Wildcats, while giving his team a boost. With top-five teams Puckett and Mount Olive still on the schedule for both teams — and both of the juggernauts seemingly a lock for two of Region 4-1A’s playoff four playoff spots — tonight’s game is a must-win if either Salem or St. Al is to make a run at salvaging a playoff berth. An 0-3 hole would be tough to climb out of.
Neither coach is thinking long-term right now, though. They just know that 1-2 looks and sounds a lot better than 0-3.
“A win would cure what ails us,” Taylor said. “Improvement, we must have to win. But winning a game would do us more good than anything right now.”