Appomattox’s football team knows how close it came to upsetting William Campbell last season on its home turf before surrendering a late scoring drive to the Generals in a 35-28 defeat.
Tonight, in the Dogwood District season opener for both squads, the Raiders invade Naruna looking to settle the score in what could be a pivotal early season showdown.
“In the back of their minds, they know they’re only one play away from winning,” William Campbell coach Brad Bradley said. “I’m sure they’ve circled this game on their schedule and are looking forward to it, as are we. We’re excited to get back home and play and we know they’re going to come in and give it everything they’ve got. I believe we will rise to the occasion and be ready to play.”
Appomattox again seeks to improve to 4-0, after failing to do so last fall. The Generals dealt the Raiders their first loss before Gretna gave them their only other two, routing them in the regular season and Region B playoffs.
“We made the plays we needed to,” said Bradley, who prefers not to look back at previous seasons’ results. “They’ve got a whole new coaching staff and whole new offense and defense. Although both teams have a lot of the same personnel, they’re totally different teams.”
While the Generals’ run-and-gun spread attack has remained the same from previous seasons, the Raiders’ offense has some new wrinkles. First-year coach Ben Martin shifted from the single wing run by Jeremy Haymore to a triple-option he picked up while at Amherst.
Though the two teams line up differently, with William Campbell quarterback Baron Adams working out of a shotgun and Appomattox’s Kenny Scott starting under center, they’re both designed to do the same thing.
“They predominantly want to be able to run the ball, which is what we need to be prepared for first — to stop the run and stop their quarterback,” Martin said of the Generals. “It is a very similar type of matchup. Both teams are very athletic teams and both teams rely on their speed. They’re probably bigger on the front lines that we are with two offensive linemen who are Division I prospects — Thomas Wright and Mike Barbour.”
Bradley is confident his team can win the battle in the trenches.
“It all begins up front on offense and defense,” he said. “Our O-lines and D-Lines are ready to meet the challenge and play at a high level right now.”
He is, however, guarded against the Raiders’ big-play potential.
“They’ve got some weapons,” he said. “They’ve got some good athletes and playmakers. They’ve got a good quarterback (Scott), the (Joe) Reed kid’s a good fullback and the (Rico) Rose kid can run the counter. We’ve got to play disciplined and play assignment football.”
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