The honeymoon season is over.
The preseason speculation can stop and teams enter Week 3 with a two-game sample size. A new month can bring a new outlook. East Carter coach Tim Champlin said, “A football season is a marathon, not a sprint.”
The Raiders enter a pivotal three-week stretch that includes a pair of road games and a Barrel-sized rivalry before district play begins.
East Carter travels to Cannonsburg tonight to face Boyd County with a hard-hitting running back and toughness in tow, hoping to build off the first two contests of the season.
“We are a team that will continue to fight and give ourselves a chance,” Champlin said. “When a team has those things, you can never count them out. They will do whatever it takes to keep us in ball games. … I really like the way our receiving corps has come along. The growth of our quarterback from Week 1 to Week 2 was astronomical. I thought he saw the defense and his reads a lot better.
“We knew what Landon would be,” he added. “DZsawn Beason has been a great asset for us this year. Our defense has been a lot better than we thought early on in getting lined up and getting to where they are supposed to be to make a tackle.”
The Lions spent the first two weeks in the Ohio Valley Conference, securing wins over Gallia Academy and Rock Hill on the road. Boyd County prepares for its home opener with a deeper bond.
“We played a lot of new guys and played in environments in front of packed houses,” Boyd County coach Evan Ferguson said. “For our new guys to play there and come together and win, it allowed us to get a little more team chemistry. We were on the road and battled like that together.”
New quarterback Jace Manning has 25 completions, two touchdowns and 364 yards passing this season. Kaleb Kelley (13 receptions) and Cameron May (eight catches) have found a connection with their teammate in the passing game.
“He’s a very talented kid who is gaining confidence in receivers and the offense,” Ferguson said of Manning. “He played well in the opening game, but we made a big jump from Week 1 to Week 2. I hope those jumps continue.”
Manning also has three rushing TDs to complement freshman and early ground leader, James McDaniels. The back has 207 yards, including an efficient 121 yards on five carries last week. He scored twice against the Redmen.
“He’s worked so hard and I can’t keep him off the field,” Ferguson said of his freshman running back. “Sometimes, you don’t want to push a kid along too soon. James has done a great job. Five carries for 121 yards last week and had another good game at Gallia Academy. He’s too good to keep off the field. He does what is asked of him and he does it well. He makes me look like a really good coach.”
Champlin said keeping the Lions’ playmakers contained and away from open real estate will be a key priority for his team.
“You have to keep the ball in front of you,” Champlin said. “They are a big-play offense and they have skill guys all over the place. … They do a good job of getting the ball in space and getting it to their playmakers. We talk about being really good tacklers and that will have to be really good this week. One thing I think we are good at is flying to the football. When the ball is out in space, you lose that. It’s going to be a lot of one-on-one tackles. People are going to have to step up and make those.”
Senior Landon Yoak has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Raiders. He went over 200 yards against Belfry in the opener and added another 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a win over Rowan County last week.
Quarterback Thomas Burton was 6 of 10 for 78 yards and two TD passes against the Vikings. Grant Menix has become an early favorite target through the air, along with Caleb Hall and Chase McGuffin. Menix had a TD catch from Burton in Week 2.
Boyd County’s Brody Castle has recorded 27 tackles, five for loss, and Kaiden Nottingham follows right behind with 26. If the Lions want to slow down Yoak, it will be a group effort.
“East Carter does a great job of doing what they do.,” Ferguson said. “If they are able to get second or third and short (yardage), we could have a tough time getting off the field. They would win the time of possession in that sense. We have to maximize possessions. We need some explosive plays on offense and defense, too, where we are getting them off schedule.
“I like our intensity,” he added. “We had a lot of guys in and out on the defensive line. We kept them pretty fresh. I thought we did a decent job, but the ultimate test will be this week. Landon Yoak is a difficult guy to tackle. We have done a decent job of tackling and wrapping up.”
Boyd County won’t be a new environment for the Raiders, but Champlin wants to see how his team reacts to their first game away from Steve Womack Field. It starts with a mindset.
“We had two scrimmages that were both on the road,” Champlin said. “We got off the bus a little lackadaisical. It took us a while to get going. It will be a key focus for us. When we step off the bus, we are ready to play. It will be something we talk about. Boyd County is just 30 minutes down the road. It’s nothing new to them. It will be a hostile environment. The last time we were there, it was packed on both sides. I expect nothing less (tonight).”