By Staff
Godsey not overwhelmed, but says he is pleased with what his team accomplished in jamboree
Nick Johnston, Hartselle Enquirer
He wasn't overwhelmed, nor was he disappointed.
New head coach Bob Godsey said he was "pleased overall" by his team's performance last Friday night against North Jackson. The varsity teams played just one half, with North Jackson scoring a touchdown late in the first half for a 6-0 margin.
"We played a good team, a physical team," Godsey said. "We were pleased overall, and the negatives from this game can all be corrected."
The game plan was obvious for Hartselle – get it to Nikita Stover.
Stover caught six passes for 54 yards and carried once for 10 yards. Quarterback Seth Watson completed 8 of 16 passes for 69 yards and an interception.
Isiah Herring was able to keep some defensive pressure off Stover, as the senior rushed nine times for 41 yards. Hartselle gained 101 yards of total offense.
"Everybody's been wondering how the first game would be," Godsey said. "I think we came away with some confidence on both sides of the ball. We got a little tired on defense, but that's what North Jackson does. They were a team down.
See TIGERS, B-2
"One reason is because we left the defense on the field too long in the second quarter."
It was the exact opposite in the first quarter, though.
Hartselle was able to control the clock, as Watson completed his first five passes, three of which went to Stover, while Justin Youngblood and Chris Wiley also caught passes.
Eventually, the Tigers moved inside the 5-yard line. On second and inches from the two-yard line, Hartselle was whistled for a procedure call. Watson followed with two-incomplete passes to bring up fourth down.
It was the first of two times Hartselle drove past the 20-yard line and came away with no points.
In the second quarter, North Jackson's rushing attack began to wear down Hartselle's front line, as Cam Robinson began busting through defenders. Robinson had runs of 16 and 12 during a late second quarter drive, leading to a four-yard plunge into the endzone by Dorell Lankford.
"Everything as far as what they did to us (rushing) can be corrected," Godsey said. North Jackson gained 93 yards on the ground.
"We got out of place a couple times, and a lot of it was we didn't do a lot of game plan type stuff for North Jackson. The biggest thing we wanted to see was who got after it and made some plays – who's ready and who's not. Defensively, I think we will be fine."
Hartselle kicks off its season at 7p.m. Friday against Austin at home.