After losing 48-7 to Clarksville High last Friday, the Coyotes wanted to quickly forget that game and focus on the Northwest Vikings. Although the team started out slowly, they jumped on the Vikings in the second half to pull away to a 34-8 victory to notch their second victory of the season, but more importantly, their second region win.
“We made corrections and explained that we had a playoff opportunity ahead of us, so we needed to refocus on the game in front of us,” head coach Rob Gallowtiz said.
To say running back Jaisaun Ousley was focused would be a vast understatement. The senior carried the ball 16 times for 161 yards (10.1 avg.) in the win. The Coyotes as a team piled up 381 rushing yards as running backs gashed the Viking defense for long runs all night.
The victory was a team effort in almost every phase of the game. Senior Daniel Honeycutt broke off a 26-yard run in the first quarter. He followed this up with a 35-yard touchdown back to senior Jayden Hines to start the scoring. Ousley picked up big chunks with runs of 25, 28 and 48 yards, the last a touchdown.
Quarterback Deshawn Swanson, 11, found Jacob Hill, 11, all alone in the end zone for a touchdown. Nathan Lucas, 12, scored on a 14-yard run.
The defense allowed the Vikings only 111 total yards in the game. Honeycutt intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 50 yards. Kingston Leon, 12, totaled eight tackles, while Ryan Carver, 11, added 4.5 tackles, including one for loss.
Coach Gallowitz would like to see the offensive get ramped up more quickly. “We came out the gate slow and kept 13 points off the board by missing two field goals and not being able to score from the one in the first half,” he said. “When you play well-coached teams, every point matters and we have to come out of the gate stronger.”
The Coyotes’ football team evened their district record at 2-2. They currently find themselves in fourth place in Class 6A, Region 7, with three region games left to play. “We need two more region games to advance to the state playoffs for the first time since 2010,” Coach Gallowtiz said.
The Stewart’s Creek Red Hawks visit the Coyote Den on Thursday for the Homecoming game. The Red Hawks are a non-region opponent with a 4-2 record. They lost 34-27 last Friday against Antioch High School.
“They have a lot of talented players and are well coached,” Coach Gallowtiz said. “They present multiple formations and run a variation of plays to help get the defense out of place. Defensively, they have a solid DL and their secondary has some talent as well. It should be an evenly matched game come Thursday.”
Class 6A Region 7 Standings (as of Sept. 25)
