LHS prepares for 2nd round

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 15, 2007

MILLRY &8212; Last week Linden High School&8217;s football program faced a tough challenge in the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association state playoff with Ariton High School, winning 18-14. This week, in the second round against Millry, the team can expect more of the same.

They are a heck of a good football team,&8221; said Linden Patriots&8217; head coach Andro Williams. &8220;I don&8217;t know if we can stay on the field with them.&8221;

Williams said from watching tape on his upcoming opponent he expects a multiple offense from Millry &8212; meaning his defense will have to adjust on the fly and the line of scrimmage to the various formations Millry lines up in. It is a far cry from last week&8217;s game, which was a battle at the line, from the unit, who will have to play assignment ball to limit the effectiveness of Millry&8217;s offense.

Email newsletter signup

For the Patriots, Williams&8217; team is coming out of a game in which they were streaky on ball movement. The group dominated Ariton early and put up big rushing numbers, but had trouble sustaining drives late in the game.

This week the run-first-throw-later offense of the Patriots will be tested by a well rounded defense. Millry runs out of a 4-4, which puts four men on the line and makes available four linebackers for gap con troll at the line or to drop back into coverage.

And then there is the fact that the Patriots are heading into the match up in hostile territory. Last week&8217;s game was at home for Linden, but this week the team must take a two-hour drive south to hit the gridiron.

Despite all of the unique challenges the Patriots are facing this week, Williams said his game plan for this game really doesn&8217;t differ from that of any other game this season.