Flashes can make their mark|St. Aloysius on 4-game winning streak with mighty Puckett next
Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 2, 2008
Like waypoints on a map, St. Aloysius’ biggest challenges this season are scattered across the schedule.
First, there was Bogue Chitto. The Flashes hung in, led for a while, and proved they can play with a top team. At the end of the season, Mount Olive will provide a brutal final exam. And here, in the middle, is the toughest of all, Puckett.
The Wolves come to Vicksburg on Friday night with two state championships this decade, back-to-back trips to the Class 1A title game, and a No. 2 state ranking. They will show St. Al just how far it has come during a four-game winning streak since a season-opening loss to Bogue Chitto.
“They’re the measuring stick,” St. Al coach B.J. Smithhart said. “It tells you if you’re up high, in the middle, or low. This’ll let you know where you stand.”
While Puckett (4-0, 4-0 Region 3-1A) has earned all of its accolades, Smithhart said it was important for the Flashes (4-1, 4-1) not to buy into all of the hype. Believing they can win is as important as playing well, he said.
“I’m not worried about Puckett. I’m worried about our attitude toward Puckett. If we believe we can win, we can play with them,” Smithhart said. “You usually see good teams will win ballgames on reputation more than anything. Look at South Panola. They’re up 21-0 before the other team realizes they can play with them. We’ve got to treat them like anybody else.”
If there’s one thing St. Al has mastered lately, it’s believing they can win.
The Flashes have pulled out wins in the final minute in each of their last two games. Last week, in a 16-13 win over Pelahatchie, they forced two fourth-quarter turnovers deep in their own end before driving 65 yards for the winning score. The previous week they beat Cathedral on a TD with 17 seconds left, after Cathedral had taken the lead with just over a minute to play.
Against Pelahatchie, St. Al won by holding a potent offense in check. Against Cathedral, the offense came up big when it was needed. It’s the kind of versatility winning teams have, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Puckett’s coaching staff.
“We were mighty impressed from watching them on film,” Puckett coach Jaris Patrick said. “They’ve been in some close games and found a way to win right at the end. That says a lot for their team.”
To beat Puckett, though, the Flashes will need to click in all phases of the game. The Wolves feature a running back, Jeremy Palmer, who has rushed for nearly 800 yards and 11 touchdowns. Another, Antwon Rawls, has five touchdowns of 35 yards or more — including four in one game.
Defensively, they allowed just 10 points in their first three games before beating Mount Olive — a top-10 team in Class 1A — by two touchdowns, 43-27.
“They’re big and they’re fast. One of the most physical and one of the fastest,” Smithhart said. “They’ve played in the last two state championship games and the reason is they’re well-coached and play hard every play. They’ve got it rolling over there.”