Tiger D on the rise
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 4, 2006
On Friday the Demopolis High School Tigers will go on the road for football action against the undefeated Bibb County Choctaws. The Tigers head coach Doug Goodwin has yet to lose to Bibb County since he&8217;s been at Demopolis. DHS won last year&8217;s game 28-6.
However, the Choctaws are unbeaten so far this season and are ranked among the top 15 teams in 5A. They are 5-0 overall and have won all three regional match ups they have played.
That includes a 13-12 squeaker over Shelby County. &8220;They were more pass oriented in previous years,&8221; said Goodwin. &8220;They run a lot more now than they have been. Rest assured, BC is waiting on us this year.&8221; The Choctaws, who posted a 6-4 record last season, have moved up from 4A to 5A, as did the Tigers this year.
In the five games the Demopolis High School Tigers football team have played thus far this year, it has been the defense that have shown the most improvement. They have allowed just one touchdown in each of the last two games. The first few games of the season they were missing tackles or just not tackling properly. The number of missed tackles has dwindled from the opening game of the year. &8220;Our defense has been very good the last two weeks,&8221; remarked Goodwin. &8220;Our kicking game has been solid also,&8221;
The big concern for Demopolis has been turnovers. &8220;Turnovers have hurt us every game,&8221; added Goodwin. &8220;We must protect the ball.&8221; Demopolis turned the ball over three times in the first quarter of last weeks 21-6 win over Greensboro. The two losses the Tigers have this season were impacted by turnovers. They seem to come near the end of drives or in the &8216;red zone&8217;. There also have been turnovers that have given the opposing team the ball deep in their &8216;red zone&8217;. The Tigers turnover ratio this year is a minus four. Last year&8217;s turnover ration was plus 20.
DHS have been trying to get into their passing game since sophomore Jacob Kerby have starting at quarterback. Coach Goodwin has not had much success in the air the last two games. &8220;Teams have been blitzing us because of our young quarterback,&8221; he said. &8220;If we can run the ball and protect the ball, we will pass.&8221;
The offense has not had any trouble scoring this season. They are averaging 30 points per game. Bibb County has mounted an average of 21 points per game.