Published: August 28, 2008 01:58 am            

Coaches look to downplay subplots

Cayuga hosts Frankston in H-P Game of the Week

By SCOTT TYLER

H-P Sports Editor



BETHEL — The subplots for Friday’s Frankston-Cayuga game runs deep.

It will be the first game for Frankston’s first-year head coach Sam Wells, who is going to Cayuga, his high school alma mater.

Also, Wells will be across the field from Cayuga head coach Tommy Allison. The two coaches spent a year on the same coaching staff in 2004 when Palestine reached the state semifinal game.

But despite all the extra attention, both head coaches are trying to get their teams to realize it is just another football game.

“I don’t think our players are going to get caught up in all the outside factors,” Allison said. “But being the first game and against another Anderson County school, it adds a little to the game Friday night.

“It is going to be a fun environment and a great place to watch football.”

Wells echoed the same sentiments as Allison but also knows it will be a little more emotional for him.

“It comes down to a regular football game and we can’t let the pregame hype consume us,” Wells said. “But it adds a lot of excitement and emotions to the game for me, but I can’t let that show.

“We have to play the whole 48 minutes and get after it.”

On the field, there will be two top running backs with Cayuga’s Traylon Shead and Frankston’s Ketrich Harmon.

“As a spectator, it has got to be a lot of fun to watch two of the better running backs in the area going against each other,” Allison said.

Shead, a junior, returns after rushing for 2,810 yards and 33 touchdowns last season.

“Shead is a great running back,” Wells said. “It is going to be a big deal for us to slow him down.”

The Indians will counter with Harmon, who rushed for 1,667 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.

“Ketrich is going to be a chore for us,” Allison said. “He is an outstanding running back that deserves all the attention he is receiving.

“One person is not going to bring him down so it is important to get everyone to the football.”

Cayuga may have a disadvantage coming into Friday because the Wildcats did not have their second scrimmage last week because of the weather.

“We may have a little rush early on but that is one of the adverse effects of not being able to scrimmage,” Allison said. “The speed of the game will be a little faster than what we have seen in practice but hopefully we can adjust quickly.”

Frankston has been busy during the first weeks of practice learning a new offensive and defensive schemes after Wells became the head coach.

“We have progressed like I have wanted to and have gotten better each week,” Wells said. “We have executed better from the first scrimmage to the second and the effort has been there the whole time.”

The offensive game plans for both teams are on opposite sides of the spectrum.

The Wildcats will use the spread offense and try to get their players out in space.

“We have to tackle well in open space,” Wells said. “They have good athletes who can make big plays if we can’t make a tackle.”

Frankston will run the split veer, a triple-option offense which Wells said he hopes will be able to control the clock and keep Cayuga’s offense off the field.

For the Wildcats, defending the veer means needing to be disciplined.

“Each defender is going to have to be responsible for his assignment,” Allison said. “The veer takes a very disciplined defense to stop it.”

        

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