Sports
Game Preview: Alexander, Trimble Ready To Go After 5-Year Hiatus
By: Kelsi Steele
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The wait is over. After a five-year absence, Alexander returns to Trimble’s regular season schedule.
If you ask Trimble coach Phil Faires, he will tell you he never wanted to stop playing the Spartans.
“A new coach came in and wanted a different schedule. He wanted teams they could beat and we weren’t one of those,” Faires said.
Now it is 2014, and the teams are very different. Alexander coach Alex Penrod has turned Alexander’s (5-3, 3-2 TVC-Ohio) football program around in his one-year tenure. Penrod and company has rebounded from a 1-9 record last season to a 5-3 record this year, with room to gain ground in the TVC-Ohio.
“These kids know what it means. They know Trimble is one of the best teams in the area. We know it’s gonna be tough atmosphere. But we are going in looking for that upset, and are going to play our game,” said Penrod.
Penrod’s task this Friday will be far from simple. With the Tomcats (8-0, 7-0 TVC-Hocking) having so many weapons on the offensive front this season, Faires claims the Spartan coaching staff has to make a decision.
“With Downs and Justice on the field, they can’t stack nine players in the box. They have to decide what they want to take away,” said Faires.
But Alexander has more on their plates than a solid Tomcat offense. The Spartans will be attacking a defense that allows an average of just 5.5 points a game.
“Our defense has been playing well. Lost some bigger kids last year, and we replaced them with smaller quicker kids. We are learning to use quickness more than strength. The gelling of our defense is really starting to come around,” said Faires.
Penrod feels stopping the Tomcats’ offensive attack is the No. 1 key.
“They have the best defense we’ve seen all year. We will have to open up passing game and hopefully that will lead to a good running game.”
Whatever the outcome of Friday’s matchup, Penrod is pleased with the performance of his boys this season, but the Spartans aren’t done.
“We met a lot of goals we set. The kids are ready. There are still more wins and things we want to accomplish. Hopefully that starts off this Friday.”
Alexander and Trimble face off in Glouster this Friday at 7:30 p.m.
'Gridiron Glory' airs every Friday night at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB. You can follow the show on Twitter @gridironglory, like the Gridiron Glory page on Facebook, and follow along on Instagram @woubsports. You can also join the conversation throughout the season by using the hashtag #GridGlory!