Going back to the basics.
It sounds simple enough, but it may be just the right medicine that the Kirk Academy Raiders needed as they prepared this week for the St. Joseph School Fighting Irish.
Kirk is coming off a 55-6 loss to two-time defending Class AAAA State Champion Tri-County Academy last week. KA first-year head football coach Justin Purvis said the decision to focus on fundamentals has paid dividends.
“I think our players have responded well,” he said. “We have had one of our better weeks of practice that we’ve had all year. The decision was made to go back to the basics. Last week, we were outmatched, but the other losses came down to fundamentals. We worked on trying to block better and protect better. When we are playing zone coverages are we supposed to be where we are supposed to be. We are trying to get better each week and see where we are.”
Kirk and St. Joseph will be playing for the fifth consecutive season, which includes the postseason each of the last two years. Last season, Kirk rallied from a two-touchdown, first-half deficit to win a 33-30 decision en route to winning the Class AAA State Title. Two years ago, the Saints made a fourth quarter touchdown hold up to win the Class AAA title with a 6-0 win.
Graduation hit both programs hard this season with a combined 28 players missing from the teams’ rosters.
“Both teams were hit hard by graduation last season,” St. Joseph coach John Baker said. “Our team is a different team from last year in terms of talent. They work hard and we focus on daily improvement, which as a coaching staff, we have seen.”
Senior running back Gage Vance continues to lead the Raiders with 61 rushes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Kirk defensive unit will have the task of slowing down senior quarterback Victor Baker and the Irish passing game. Baker is 59-of-103 for 706 yards and seven touchdowns.
“When he gets out of the pocket, he can make a lot of things go,” Purvis said. “We need to keep him in the pocket and keep pressure on him. The more pressure you can put on him, the better off it is for us. He is a coach’s son and understands where people are supposed to be. When he gets out of the pocket, he keeps his eyes downfield. We need to stay in coverage, stay fundamentally sound and tackle. They will short-game you to death – they could be short gains or touchdowns.”
Baker has two top receivers in senior Jaleel Moore, who has 19 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns, and junior Jayden Moore, who has 22 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Julius McCullum has 34 rushes for 172 yards and one touchdown.
Offensively, Purvis says his team has areas that need to improve.
“We’ve got to move the chains, get first downs and put some drives together,” he concluded. “The bottom line is we need to block better offensively. Defensively, we need to be able to tackle in space against their big receivers.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Greenville.
