Dixie and North Prepare for Kickoff

J. C. Tilton

Had the opportunity this past weekend to watch the Dixie – North scrimmage and get an idea of the prospects for each team this fall. After the scrimmage I was able to speak with both head coaches and get their take on the upcoming season.

The two teams exchanged a series of 10 plays, then played for down and distance. That was when the scoring began. North found the end zone first. They had a decent running game and got the ball to midfield where they scored on a 42 yard pass. But from there Dixie made adjustments on defense and got their offense in gear and took control of the scrimmage.

Their defense was of the bend but do not break variety. They were also opportunistic, generating several turnovers off of North fumbles and interceptions. Which set up a short field for the offense. The Greyhounds had balanced scoring, Nick Worley connecting on two pass plays for TD’s. One of these about a 20 yard TD pass to Eddie Bingham. Woody Earls found paydirt twice on runs of 62 and 6 yards.

Coach Tarpley of Dixie was asked about the scrimmage. “The offense line looked a lot better this year than they did last year. The senior leadership seems to be making a difference. We had a good situation with the running backs and we are going to run a little more this year. Our defense does need to improve as far as giving away third down conversions. We averaged about 25 points a game last year and were still getting beat.”

Top returning starters for Dixie, “Nick Worley at quarterback, 24 TD passes with 13 picks. Eddie Bellman at wide out with about 25 catches. Woody Earls at running back; there are about 8 starters back in all. Copeland and the Hayes brothers are back on the line. The quarterbacks brother, Aaron Worley, is playing center. “

Coach Tarpley continued, “We have 42 kids out this year, a big jump up from last season when we finished with a little over 20. It makes our practices better and makes it more competitive for positions. “

North’s coach Hart was asked to comment on his team, “Our first positive was effort, effort, effort. Our kids played hard today and they played hard even when things went bad. Our running backs played well today, hit their holes hard. Defensively we covered them well even they spread 4 and 5 wide across the field.”

“We do need to improve on our pass blocking; too many times our quarterback was running for his life. We also need to do the little things correctly – footwork and fundamentals. Once we do that, we will be a better team.”

Top returning starters for North, “Matt Green at fullback and middle linebacker. Kyle Booth at corner and now quarterback. Dakota at running back. Todd Delong on offensive and defensive lines. A couple of new faces on the team, seniors Matt Robinson and Cody Burnside decided to come out and play this year. Both are athletic and should contribute.

Coach Tarpley does ask that fans attending the next scrimmage, Friday, August 15^th 5:30pm at Dixie, to please bring canned goods to donate to local food pantries. With the slowed economy many local charities are low on food. Comments: chrisaukcam@gmail.com