Red Devils look to go 2-0

By Staff
Scot Beard
VINA – When the final seconds ticked off the clock last week, the Vina football team could not wait for the clock to hit 0:00.
When the last second was over the players celebrated the Red Devils first win over a ranked team in a long time.
Head coach Bill Smith was happy with his team's 22-13 victory over then ninth-ranked Shoals Christian, but he did not look at it as an upset.
"(Preseason polls) don't mean much," Smith said. "They were playing young kids like we have to. It was a big game for us regardless"
This week the Red Devils will travel to Mt. Hope hoping to improve to 2-0 in region play.
Vina has played well against Mt. Hope in the past, defeating the Yellow Jackets 35-6 last season.
But things have changed since last year. Mt. Hope – like Tharptown and Waterloo – is beginning its first season in region play.
That will give the Yellow Jackets a little bit of motivation as they try to carve out their own spot in Class 1A, Region 8.
Smith said Vina could have some problems matching up with the Mount Hope linemen.
"They bigger than we are," Smith said. "They have big linemen."
He said the key for the Red Devils to win is for the team to improve on the mistakes it has made during the last two weeks. He also said if Vina wants to improve on last year's 2-8 record, they will have to work hard each week.
"I am proud of what we did in the first game," Smith said. "But we don't have any give-me games."