Vikes hoping to sting Hornets

Coach Johnnie Frost and the Vikings have another chance to prove themselves Friday night at Huntland. (T-G Photo by Jasen Richardson) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Friday night the Unionville gang hits the road to take on Huntland in its homecoming game. This District 9-A game does not have any implications for a possible playoff berth; the Vikings (0-5, 0-2) need to defeat Cascade and Chapel Hill to find a spot in the postseason.

The Hornets (3-2, 1-0) are coming off a 38-20 loss to ninth-ranked Whitwell last Friday. Both squads have a chance to step up to the challenge and show what they can do. To get their first 'W', it is vital for the Purple and Gold to find the momentum and follow through with it. The Vikes lost to Richland 29-7 last week, but saw some improvement in shifting momentum.

d"If we can allow big plays to happen, then once they happen, (hopefully) our kids will turn that into a situation where we get excited and punch it in," Community coach Johnnie Frost said. "We've had the ball in the red zone (or close to it) numerous times this year and not come away with any points. Once we've been into that area, we've had something, in some form or fashion, happen (to the drive)."

Because of an altercation in last week's game Community has lost six players for Friday, some of which were key players. This week in practice, it has been a central focus to make shifts in offense, defense and special teams.

In the Richland game, the Vikes were able to score their only touchdown with a fresh set of players who came in to fill the empty slots. The scoring drive was one of the best, if not the best, drives the Purple and Gold have seen this season. The combination of the ground and the air was executed with finesse and efficiency. This is a mode Frost and crew looked at in practice this week.

"I was proud of those kids last week," Frost said. "My mom has always said, 'Something good always comes out of something bad, if you look for it to.' It is a situation where the kids that have been put in the spots have been eager to learn. They may not be as efficient in this particular point in time but they are doing a good job. Believe it or not, all the negativity that has been thrown at the team by outside sources has actually thrown the team closer together."

This week in practice, the older kids have stepped up to the plate, and they have helped the younger groups in learning the plays and how to implement those strategies. Frost says he's enjoyed seeing this develop.

"Huntland is a big, physical team," Frost said. "They're gonna come right at you and they're gonna throw their big passes, once they get you drawn in on their run. They're gonna try hard to establish their fullback. We've gotta try to take some things away from them. Pick and choose your poison, so to speak. We've got some different schemes to use defensively.

"If the kids can do it and do it to the best of their ability, then we will have some success."

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.