WS Chronicle

Opening up the season with a win is the wish of all football coaches, as it sets a positive tone to begin the year.  Unfortunately for the Carver Yellowjackets, they lost a nail-biter to Oak Grove on opening night, Aug. 23, at Lash Stadium by the score of 3-2.

There was not much scoring in the game, but the Yellowjackets had their opportunities throughout but did not capitalize on them.  Yellowjacket head coach Herman Moye said he felt his team “let one get away” because of the sloppy play and self inflicted mistakes made by his team.

“I think we did fairly well and like some of the success we had but we stalled a bit on offense,” said Moye.  “The defense looked pretty good but we made simple mistakes and we shot ourselves in the foot today.”

Carver opened the game up with a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, setting up a short field for the Grizzlies.  Using the run game, Oak Grove drove down for a field goal on their opening possession.  The 3-0 lead would prove to be all the Grizzlies needed in the end.

In the first half, the Yellowjackets lived by the old saying, “One step forward and two steps back.”  For every positive move, they followed it up with two bad ones, such as a high snap, penalty or a turnover.

Late in the second half, the Yellowjackets did get some momentum in the running game with quarterback Jaquez Sims.  Penalties derailed any chance of a score before the half, and they trailed 3-0 going into intermission.

“You saw in the first series of the game we ran the ball right down the field and got points right out of the gate,” said Oak Grove head coach Mark Holcomb.  “I don’t know if we got to feeling happy and they started bringing linebackers, so we had problems blocking those guys up front.”

It was slow sledding for both teams to begin the third quarter.  Carver got on track late in the third when Sims connected with Teiandre Cleveland on a long pass down the sideline.  That drive was ended once again with a turnover, stripping away any momentum gained by the drive.

Backed up deep in their own territory, the Grizzlies mishandled a punt and Carver got on the board in the fourth quarter.  That miscue gave the Yellowjackets new life.  The Oak Grove defense held strong down the stretch to preserve the 3-2 win.

“We are a team made up mostly of ninth-graders, and that’s not an excuse, it’s a fact,” Holcomb said.  “To get out of here against these guys at 1 and 0 is a pretty good feeling for our guys and our program.”

“If you ask my team, they will tell you that they made a lot of mistakes tonight and they have to understand that every time you fail, it’s a chance for you to get better,” he continued. “We have to do a better job as coaches and get these guys better prepared.  Leaving here with the victory was the main goal, and we achieved that.”

Moye stated his team will address the mistakes going into next week’s practice.  He says a few tweeks here and there will turn a game like this from a defeat into a victory.

“I told the guys that we have to make sure we aren’t feeling sorry for ourselves or blaming the referees for anything,” he said.  “If you cut out the personal mistakes, then the refs don’t have a lot to do with the outcome of the game.”

Moye raved about the play of Sims and Cleveland during the game.  He says the coaching staff expects a lot out of those players during the season.  He feels the defense will continue to carry the team and as he says “they are the heart and soul of this team.”

JV football  scoreboard  from last Thursday

Atkins (0-1)          0

    vs

Reynolds (2-0)     33

Carver (0-1)          2

    vs

Oak Grove (1-0)   3

Glenn (0-1)          16

    vs

Parkland (1-1)      22

N. Forsyth (0-1)    7

    vs

Reagan (1-0)        47

Walkertown (1-0) 22

    vs

N. Stokes (0-1)     8

W. Forsyth (1-0)   30

    vs

N. Davidson (0-1) 7