Sports
Williamstown’s Roller Coaster of a Season Continues
By: Ian McConville
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Following last week’s 35-0 defeat at the hands of Wirt County, the Jackets hopes of continuing their string of postseason appearances took a devastating hit.
However, as lopsided as the score might appear, the defense was not the issue for the Jackets last week. That unit played probably its best half of the season through the first two stanzas. However, it was the Williamstown’s inability to sustain any sort of drive on offense that ultimately led to the demise of the Jackets.
However, Williamstown doesn’t have time to focus on what could have been. Instead, the Jackets must focus on what’s ahead. The next task, taking down invading 5-4 Parkersburg Catholic Friday night on Senior Night in Williamstown.
Parkersburg Catholic comes into this contest on a 3 game winning streak, during which their defense has only allowed an average of 13.3 points per game. During the Jackets 2 game skid, they have only managed a combined 17 points.
Williamstown head coach Terry Smith says that he has an explanation for why his team has struggled to put points on the board.
“Our problem has been we’ve given up eight turnovers in the last two games. We’ve forced zero,” Smith said.
Coming on the heels of a solid performance last week, coach Smith expects his defense to rise to the occasion again.
“We just want to make sure we’re lined up right and play as best as we can. We want to bend, because we know we’ll have to, but not break,” Smith added.
On the offensive side of the ball, don’t expect any drastic changes in the Jackets offense. The team will still rely on establishing an early presence in the ground game, led by Dakota Watson and Trace Hart. Through that, the Jackets hope to be able to allow quarterback Jake Tracewell to throw the ball when he wants to, making for a much more wide-open offensive attack.
One interesting stat to consider is that through the course of this season, Parkersburg Catholic has only won 1 road game thus far. Williamstown has only posted 1 win on its home turf. Something will have to give on Friday night, and the fact that it is the final home game of the year and Senior Night only makes it that much more special.
“We need the fans support. The kids have worked hard, although their record’s not that great. With it being Senior Night, it’s important to the kids to play their last home game in front of their home fans,” Smith said.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30.