Southern head coach Adrian Jones commented on his teams recent success in the win column as well as how they responded to the adversity of multiple turnovers during the game.
"This win was very important," Southern coach Adrian Jones said. "We went on that losing streak, and it's great to be on a winning streak. We showed how good we are. We turned the ball over five or six times and still put up 28 points and won the game."
Coach Jones went on to applaud the effort of his defensive unit that has played well throughout the season.
"The defense held it down for the offense tonight," Jones said. "Our defense is one of the best defenses in the state."
He went on to indicate that although they've played well in each of their games, it's not simply the traditional run and pass that they have to be prepared for and react to but also the occasional trick play. Jordan capitalized twice on trick plays and Coach Jones commented on this possible weakness.
"But we've got be aware of that stuff. We know the trick plays were coming, and they got two big plays on us." Adrian Jones, Southern Durham Head Coach
On the other sideline, Falcon head coach Mike Briggs expressed his analysis of the game in terms of his team's defensive and offensive play.
"We didn't give up a whole lot of defensive plays," he said. "You've got to establish an offensive rhythm at some point, and you can't live off trick plays." Jordan Head Coach Mike Briggs
For the fourth time this season the Falcons failed to move the ball on the ground and it is no coincidence that three of those games have resulted in losses (Panther Creek, Northern and Southern Durham) and one of them was a five point victory against a struggling Greensboro Grimsley squad.
The Spartans struggled in the turnover battle during the game coughing the ball up multiple times and Coach Briggs commented on this pivotal element of the game.
"It's huge. In just about every league you play in, from pee-wee to the pros, the team that has the most turnovers usually does not win, and they won tonight because we weren't able to move the ball." Mike Briggs
Although Southern's offense has seemed to lag in comparison to the defensive unit this year, Coach Jones made a point to express his satisfaction at how they handled their opening drive of the second half as they had deferred the opening kick-off to the second half.
"That was very big," Jones said. "That's one of the reasons we defer the ball, so we can drive the ball down the field. The offense finally started clicking, and they settled down."
Even after a rough start the Spartans find themselves after Friday night's victory still in control of their own playoff destiny. If they win out, the worst they can finish is second in conference at 5-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play. That would assure them an automatic bid in the state playoffs. Coach Jones concluded by addressing his team's progress since opening the season and how they will move forward.
"They've definitely bought in to the system, but we've still got some work to do because a lot of those turnovers were because they didn't listen," he said. "But we're going to keep plugging and going hard." Adrian Jones
News & Observer (article by Terry Hill)
Durham Herald-Sun (article by Steven J. Gaither)
No comments:
Post a Comment