Takeaways: Week 2

By Chad Barnett
For East Alabama Sports Today

Saks Looks Strong Early for Deep Run

Well, we thought Saks was going to be stout this season. Now we know it is one of the toughest teams to handle in the Class 4A northern bracket.

Taking on Class 3A’s fifth-ranked Wellborn Panthers, the Wildcats jumped out to a 34-0 halftime lead en route to a 41-20 victory over their cross-town rivals. The Wildcats were simply too fast, too strong and too deep for a talented group from Wellborn.

The big question for Saks entering the game was how it would fare without quarterback Tre Smith, now on the sidelines for Central Arkansas.

Devin Harris filled in nicely on the team’s opening night with more than 170 yards rushing and a touchdown. In fact, he was one of three Wildcats with more than 100 rushing yards on the night — and all three reached that plateau in the first half.

Demetrius Powell, playing the role Harris did last year upon Harris assuming the Smith role this year, ran for four touchdowns and 127 yards. Meanwhile, Calvin Figueroa led all rushers with 241 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown.

Looking at the Class 4A rankings, most of the projected contenders are in the southern side of the bracket; only Saks, Fayette County, Deshler and Hamilton are in the north. This leaves the Wildcats, who fell just short of the 2013 state title game, one of the clear favorites for the state final.

Oxford ‘D’ Still Working Out Kinks

The Oxford Yellow Jackets made a strong statement in their season opener against Southside with a 42-21 victory. The only negative to pull away from the contest was the big plays given up by the Jackets’ defense.

The big plays were a vital part of their loss to Gadsden City Friday night.

The Titans had six scoring plays of 30 yards or more in their 48-point performance. Three of their scoring drives consisted of just one play, two of the big scoring runs came after the Yellow Jackets took a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

The main reason for the big plays according to head coach Ryan Herring is 11 new faces in new places on defense. The Oxford defense returns a few players from last year’s defense that shutout Gadsden City although none are at the same position.

After the game Herring said the Yellow Jackets need to work on alignments, communication and coaching better. Improvement eventually will come. Just not against a Class 7A team as big, strong and fast as Gadsden City, now 2-0 with wins over Oxford and Auburn.

All Smiles in J’ville

One of early surprises in 2014 is the Jacksonville Golden Eagles. Clint Smith’s team is unbeaten in the first two weeks with wins over then-ranked Alexandria and county rival Weaver.

The start should come as no surprise though. The Golden Eagles have started 2-0 in each of the three seasons under Smith. Since taking over in 2012, Smith has led them to a combined 12-2 record during the first six weeks of the season.

Jacksonville finished the 2012 season with four straight losses to finish 5-5 and missed the playoffs. It handled the hot start much better last year advancing to a berth into the second round of the playoffs.

Foster Dominant as Expected

When a player averages nearly 30 yards per carry in the season opener I think you can say it’s a pretty good start.

Donoho’s Justin Foster entered the 2014 season with high expectations and did nothing to disappoint in Week One. Foster carried the ball six times for 176 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Shoals Christian. He scored on runs of 61 and 40 yards.

The schedule will get much tougher as the year progresses. Games against Winterboro, Ragland and Appalachian will provide a much stiffer test for Foster.

Chad Barnett covers high school football for the “Pigskin Roundup.” Read his impressions of the high school football week that was every week at East Alabama Sports Today.

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