WS Chronicle

Turnovers are the one thing that every coach hates to see on the stat sheet.  Last Thursday night the Glenn Bobcats were bit by the turnover bug as three costly turnovers led to 21 points for their opponents. Combined with offensive inefficiency those turnovers contributed mightily to their 35-13 loss to Davie County at home.

In the opening quarter it was a battle of field position as neither offense could get on track.  Both defenses were clicking on all cylinders.  It was still a 0-0 game at the end of one.
The second quarter is where things started to go wrong for the Bobcats.  With 7:18 left in the quarter Davie County blocks a punt that was scooped up and ran back for a touchdown.  The War Eagles added another score when Ben Crenshaw scored on a draw play to make the score 14-0.

As the half was coming to a close, the War Eagles looked to expand their lead.  As their quarterback Nate Hampton dropped back to pass he was sacked and stripped of the ball.  Jahvaree Ritzie of Glenn picked it up and returned it 80 yards to put them on the board.  Glenn still trailed 14-7 at the half but had the momentum.

“Field position was key early on and we were just trying not to make a mistake,” said Davie County head coach Blaine Nicholson.  “Glenn’s defense was awesome early on and it was giving us a fit so we were really trying not to mess up.”

“Special teams got that blocked punt in the second quarter and it juiced up the sideline and it got the momentum rolling,” he continued.

Glenn head coach Stephen Herring says his defense could not have played any better in the first quarter.  He felt the special teams miscue in the second quarter changed everything.
“The block punt that was returned for a touchdown was a game changer,” Herring said.  “It was there for us and we had opportunities but those self inflicted wounds hurt us.  Right now we have trouble overcoming that.

The beginning of the third quarter was disastrous for Glenn.  They threw back-to-back interceptions on two possessions that were both returned for touchdowns which blew the game wide open.  By the time the third quarter ended, the Bobcats were trailing 35-13.
During the fourth quarter the War Eagles kept to the running game to run time off the clock.  Their defense continued to hold up as Glenn was unable to close the gap but fought all the way until the final whistle.

“Coming out of halftime we told the defense to not be complacent and we got those two pick sixes,” Nicholson said.  “The ball seemed to bounce our way because we were flying around and good things happen when you fly around and be physical.”
“At 14-7 I just told our guys to weather the storm and that it’s a four quarter ball game,” Nicholson went on to say.  “I said the ball is going to bounce our way and it did two times and it was huge for us.”

Herring felt if they did not have those costly turnovers and the blocked punt the game possibly could have ended differently.  He says his defense played well enough for them to win but it was too much to overcome offensively.

“We spotted them, so to speak, 21 points and the final score was 35-13 so if you take those 21 points the offense gave up off the board and that’s a 14-13 game,” Herring said.  “Our defense played a heck of a game and they have had a heck of a year really.”

Herring thought the defensive score by his team at the end of the half gave his team some life.  He felt as though things might start going their way moving forward.  He said it was their struggles on offense that halted any momentum their defense gave them.

“The scoreboard says 35 but our defense only gave up 14, the rest of that belongs on the offense,” he said.  “Our defense has played their butt off all year long and the most impressive thing is that there is no finger pointing going on.  Everybody is keeping one another up and staying positive.”

Even in a loss Herring praised the efforts of wide receiver/linebacker Daniel Napper.  He says Napper is their “go to guy” on offense and their stopper on defense.  He says Napper is a great all around athlete and is probably the best player on the team.
Nicholson says his team relies on their defense because he knows they don’t have as many athletes as their opponents most often.  He says they preach hustle, physicality and being fundamentally sound.  He also felt Hampton played very well as this is his first season as a quarterback.

The Bobcats now sit at 4-4 on the season and 0-3 in the conference.  Herring says they have to continue to improve and fix the mistakes that have held them back this season.  He says they haven’t been beaten physically all year but due to self inflicted mistakes on offense they have lost a few games.  He says “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so it will take some time to get everything fixed.