Knights counting on defense against tough Newton County

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Sept. 24, 2003
Newton County will look to do something on Friday that no one has done since Sept. 5 score against West Lauderdale.
In a 7-6 loss to Philadelphia nearly three weeks ago, the Knights surrendered a rushing touchdown in the first quarter. Since then, they have held opponents scoreless for 11 consecutive quarters on their way to a 3-1 record.
"We've got some kids who are playing hard right now," said West Lauderdale head coach Stan McCain. "We're forcing a lot of turnovers right now. I don't know if that will last, because Newton County doesn't give the ball up too much."
Still, this year's Cougars look far less invincible than in recent years. Newton County, who advanced to the 3A state semi-finals last season, lost only two games over the past two seasons. This season, they are 1-3 after a 21-7 loss to Quitman on Friday.
"We've gone back to working on formations and technique," said Newton County head coach Jeff Breland. "Last week, we got down near their goal line four times, and if we score two of those times, we've got a tied ball game."
That will not prove easy against a West Lauderdale defense that has surrendered two touchdowns and no field goals in its first four games.
McCain said he is pleased with his team's performance so far, but he said the Knights cannot afford to relax against the Cougars .
"We've got to get better every week, especially when Newton County is coming in," McCain said. "We're not where we want to be yet, but we're trying to get there."
Breland said his team is not where he wants it to be either, and that the Cougars must return to the things that made them winners two weeks ago, when they took a 30-20 win over Northeast Lauderdale.
"I thought we pursued the ball real well," Breland said. "We just played more competitive against Northeast Lauderdale."
The Cougars' offense has played inconsistently in their first four games, putting up more points in their only win (21) than in the three losses combined (14).
McCain said he does not want his team to be the one against which the Cougars find their rhythm.
"Coach Breland has made a living off the counter play and trap," McCain said. "They're throwing the ball pretty well, too. Coach Breland will get into 85 different formations and run the same play over and over, and that's hard for a defense to adjust to."