Madison County heads into its season opener against Rockdale County not 100 percent sure who will start under center.
No. 1 quarterback Jacob Owens left in the second quarter of the Raiders’ 13-0 scrimmage victory over Franklin County last Friday with a shoulder injury and mild concussion.
On Monday, coach Randell Owens listed Jacob’s availability as “probable” against Rockdale County, but at the same time said backup quarterback Bracken Turner was the probable starter against the Bulldogs.
Either way, the coach said he’s less concerned about who’s starting at the position and more about devising a plan to beat the Bulldogs.
“The bottom line is what is it going to take to beat Rockdale County?” coach Owens said.
The coach said he doesn’t plan to tailor the offense much if Turner does start.
“There might be a few things we drop out before it’s over with,” Owens said. “But for the most part, it’s going to be about what we would have done either way.”
Turner, normally a receiver and free safety, took over the first team snaps Friday against Franklin County and led the Raiders to a second-quarter score, throwing a 20-yard touchdown to Patrick McCrary.
What Turner may have lacked in style points, he made up for with grit, coach Owens said.
“He was rough, but the biggest thing was the attitude more so than the physical performance,” he said. “He exhibited a lot of confidence. He didn’t back down one step.”
As for the incumbent quarterback, Jacob Owens’ concussion appears to be “very, very” mild, according to coach Owens. The plan was to hold Jacob out of at least Monday’s practice and then re-evaluate him to make sure there were no lingering symptoms of a concussion. As for the shoulder injury, coach Owens said he’s approaching it similarly to the concussion.
“It’s kind of like the head, we’ll see — continuing therapy and seeing how far it goes,” he said.
Injuries aside, Madison County goes into the Rockdale County game coming off what was generally a solid scrimmage against the Lions.
Defensively, the Raiders shut out the Lions and picked up four turnovers. Offensively, Jamal Cooper accounted for Madison County’s other score, taking an option pitch 41 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Though Madison County committed its share of penalties and mistakes, all errors seemed “real correctable,” Owens said.
More than anything, the coach was impressed by the Raiders’ energy level for a practice game.
“The biggest thing about the scrimmage, I was really pleased with the effort; I was really pleased with the intensity level of our kids,” he said.
