When a team plays 10 region contests as the Winder-Barrow High School football team does this fall, it might be hard to put more of an emphasis on one game.
However, second-year Bulldogg coach David Wagner knows how important a win would be to his team this Friday as WBHS opens the 2011 campaign at Rockdale County. Wagner is just one of the few coaches who will admit it.
“Friday is important,” Wagner said. “You always want to win the first one. For us, it’s about establishing a level of confidence. When you are coming off a season like we had last year then a win doubles or triples in significance. There’s no doubt, to get that first win Friday would be huge.”
WBHS will have to control Rockdale County’s Wing-T offense. Wagner said his team’s opponent runs a pure Delaware Wing-T.
“They pretty much stick to it although they do spread it out some,” Wagner said. “In the past they will put a couple of top-notch athletes in the backfield and let them run it.”
The WBHS coaches scouted Rockdale County during the team’s preseason scrimmage against Newton High School last week.
“They are a typical Rockdale County team with size and speed,” Wagner said. “They have a couple of runners in the backfield who can go the distance.”
While standout defensive lineman Grady Jarrett graduated from the 2010 squad, Wagner said Rockdale still has several quality defensive players up front.
Using a 3-5 scheme, the Rockdale County Bulldogs will often walk down an inside or outside linebacker on the edge.
“They will slant, blitz and stunt,” Wagner said. “They do a multitude of things to bring pressure. I’m glad we have had two weeks to prepare for them after our scrimmage.”
WBHS offensive coordinator Ken Sanders also broke down the Rockdale County defense.
“Rockdale runs the 3-5 on defense,” Sanders said. “They also have a 4-4 package they use. They are extremely quick on the defensive line. Their linebackers and secondary players run well and swarm to the football. We will need to run the football successfully, throw the football in situations that are advantageous to us, have no turnovers, and limit the number of penalties we have.”
After months of offseason conditioning and now preseason practice, the Bulldoggs are ready to play in a game that counts, their coach said.
“We are ready,” Wagner said. “The players are looking forward to getting the season started. We’ve practiced for a long time. We had the players in this afternoon (Sunday) to watch film and there’s no other way to describe than we are ready to start.”
Injury-wise, a few of the younger players are battling some bumps and bruises but overall WBHS is healthy.
“For us, it’s about not looking ahead,” Wagner said as his team began final preparations for the opener. “As coaches you may have a tendency to do that. However, right now all we have is a one game schedule and that is against Rockdale County. From there, we will take care of the rest. You want your kids to experience success. It is always so much better to win.”
