As they enter the final game of the season, Varsity Football will search to keep their playoff hopes alive against L.C. Bird at F.W. Poates Stadium on Nov. 3. The Skyhawks played in a low scoring game where they lost 16-13 against the Cosby Titans. On the other hand, the Trojans are a game removed from a disappointing performance in their match-up with Huguenot; losing 30-15 in a game where they went scoreless in the second half.
“We have no one to blame but the lack of execution by the players and coaching staff for our second half performance last week,” Coach Gross said. It’s frustrating because our group knows the standard that we set before the season started and we have not played up to that standard over the past three weeks.”
Midlothian enters this contest with a record of 5-4 after suffering their third straight loss on Oct. 27 against the Falcons. During their three game skid, the Trojans have had a difficult time slowing down the run. Because of this, Powhatan, James River, and Huguenot were put in an optimal position to control time of possession against them. As they prepare for the Skyhawks, their opponent has kept the identity of controlling in the line of scrimmage, and with the running back duo of La’Tavion Lowe and Sir-Paul Cheeks.
“The most important part in containing the Skyhawks rushing offense is by defending up the middle against a physical running back duo. They have been effective in the run game even with Rashad Lewis Jr. being out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.” Coach Delans said. “If our defense can get the Skyhawks offense off the field to create as many opportunities as possible for our offense, that’ll put us in the best position to succeed in this game.”
L.C Bird enters this dominion clash with an identical record of 5-4 after suffering their third straight loss to the Titans on October 27. In their three game losing streak, the Skyhawks have struggled to get into a rhythm offensively; averaging 9-10 points per game with an average pass completion percentage of 41%. With that being said, they’re heading into a match up with a Midlothian team that has undergone similar problems in their last three; averaging 17 points per game against worse competition defensively.
“We have talented players in our backfield that have the potential to explode for momentum plays,” Coach Gross said. “However, we just haven’t been able to put together a formula that can get our rushing offense going. In this game specifically, we will look to set up a balanced attack that features a mix of run pass options, outside runs, and play action passes.”
In this regular season finale, this will be the only meeting that the pair of teams will have until the 2024 regular season. With both teams searching for a much needed victory, the Skyhawks will look to bounce back from a 15-7 loss at F.W Poates Stadium on Sep. 16, 2022; a game that came down to the last play with under 20 seconds left. In their first win against the Skyhawks since 1986, 2023 Senior Ashby Berry was the main catalyst for the Trojans offense; having 32 rushes for 146 yards and a touchdown. As they attempt to punch their ticket to the postseason, Coach Gross has the rest of the group concentrating on the moment that’s in front of this team at home.
“For confidence purposes, it’s great that we were able to get the monkey off our back in terms of finally beating L.C. Bird,” Coach Gross said. “We know we’re dealing with a large amount of adversity; because of that, this team is treating this like a win or go home playoff game. However, the best way to silence the adversity is by going out on the field and respond to the frustrating losses that we have suffered over the past three weeks.”
