Every coach – no matter the sport – looks for consistent improvement from their teams as they progress through the season.
For the Grenada Chargers, third-year coach head football coach Michael Fair says his team continues to improve as they prepare for Friday’s road game at Cleveland Central.
“I can’t put a percentage or numbers on it, but we are a better football team now than we were three weeks ago,” Fair said. “That’s what we are looking for from this team.”
Grenada (3-0) is coming off 28-0 win over Callaway last week. The game marked the third straight week that the Chargers scored on their first possession of the game and then struggled at times. It’s been an area that Fair and his staff have addressed with the team.
“In all three games, we are playing well early,” he said. “We have scored on our first possession in those and it seems like we are taking our foot off the accelerator a little bit. I don’t know if we are getting comfortable. Our effort is still there – we aren’t executing after we get a lead. We have to do a better job than we have been doing.”
Fair was quick to give Callaway some of the credit for his team’s struggles.
“Callaway is a big football team that is full of athletes,” he said. “They had a lot do with us not executing, but I thought we could have played cleaner than we did particularly on offense. Defensively, I thought we tackled better and tightened up when they crossed midfield.”
Another point of importance for the Chargers this week was on the kickoff team, which surrendered 175 yards in kickoff returns last week.
“It’s been an emphasis this week,” Fair said. “We have been giving up some big returns, and we are working to fix that. It’s been combination of not kicking where we are supposed to kick it, not tackling and not being in the proper lane.”
Football can be complex when it comes down to it, but it all comes down to a couple of basics.
“You show me a good football teams in November – I will show you teams that can block and tackle,” Fair said. “That is where we are trying to get. I will put what we do offensively up against anyone. I think it is some good stuff and puts opposing defenses in a bind. Our run-pass option is cutting edge as far as high schools go. Our defense is multiple and pose a lot of different looks for an offensive coordinator. When it comes down to it, we have to block and tackle. That is the fundamentals that we are built from. There are going to be times that they are going to be bigger than us.”
Heading into Week 4, senior quarterback Brayden Trusty is 41-of-63 for 559 yards and six touchdowns. His leading receiver is classmate Zayion Cotton – a Mississippi State University commit – with 14 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior Malik Taylor is the leading rusher for the Chargers with 30 carries for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Christian Ewing has 16 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jereon Reed has 24 tackles, including four tackles for losses. Classmate Ryan Spencer is second on the team with 17 tackles.
Cleveland Central brings a 2-1 mark into Friday’s game against the Chargers. The Wolves are coming off a 41-6 win over Amanda Elzy. Senior quarterback Christopher Watkins (183 pounds) completed 10-of-18 passes for 149 yards and rushed for 68 yards with a touchdown on 10 carries to lead CCHS.
“Cleveland Central is very talented football team,” Fair concluded. “They have a 6-foot-6, 225-pound defensive end that runs a 4.6 40-yard dash and a receiver that has four or five SEC offers. You can’t scheme up against every player. You have to work on you.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
