Sports
Game Preview: Williamstown Looking To Continue Fast Start Against Marietta
< < Back to game-preview-williamstown-looking-continue-fast-start-against-mariettaIt is Week 3 of the 2014 season and the Williamstown Yellow Jackets are looking to keep their undefeated season alive. Williamstown (2-0) travels to Marietta (1-1) Friday night to take on the Tigers, one of the Yellow Jackets’ oldest rivals, as the matchup dates back to the 1930s.
It is the third-straight road game for Williamstown, as the Yellow Jackets have to wait another week to play in front of their home fans.
But coach Terry Smith doesn’t see the away games as a problem.
“We aren’t too worried about it because Marietta is so close to Williamstown,” Smith said. “It’s really like a home game anyway.”
Being on the road hasn’t affected the Yellow Jackets, as they defeated Tyler and Magnolia by a combined score of 55-28.
Last week the Yellow Jackets were trailing 21-10 to Magnolia but scored the last 15 points of the game to grab the 25-21 win. Watson struggled early in the game dealing with negative rushing yards until almost the fourth quarter. Junior fullback Michael Beck led the team with two rushing touchdowns to contribute for the win.
Captain and senior quarterback Dakota Watson struggled early against Magnolia, but Smith expects Watson to be back to form on Friday.
“Watson will be a little better this week,” Smith said. ”We usually have a good defense so I think we’ll block a little better which will give him more time to throw.”
On the other side of the river, one loss is already in the books for the Marietta Tigers this season. The Tigers defeated Morgan in Week 1, but fell to the Warren last Friday. Marietta held an 8-6 lead until the last four minutes of the game when Warren scored two touchdowns to leave the Tigers with a 19-8 loss.
The Yellow Jackets are on a mission for another playoff season, as last year they finished with a 10-3 record, losing just one game short of reaching the state championship game. The Tigers defense will need to return stronger to stand a chance against Williamstown.
Coach Smith explained that the Yellow Jackets are focusing on a few specific players to slow down the Tigers.
“We are paying attention to the quarterback, two of their running backs who are good and the inside linebacker,” said Smith.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Marietta.
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