After jumping out to a 2-0 start to the year, Petal has now lost three games in a row and is searching for its first win in region play.
Despite last week’s 37-20 loss to Oak Grove, Petal coach Marcus Boyles was happy with his team’s overall effort.
“I told our kids after the game that I thought they played hard,” Boyles said. “I thought we played well in the second half. I had no complaints about our effort or about the energy that our kids played with. There are some things that we can clean up. Certainly, give Oak Grove credit, there were things that we didn’t do well at for causing those things. I was pleased with our effort, energy, and for playing for four quarters. I thought we competed hard all four quarters.”
While the team suffered another loss, the Panthers may have found the solution to their run game problem with Jeremiah Robinson. In last week’s game, Robinson ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to finding success with Robinson, Boyles also believes his young offensive line made significant improvements.
“He ran hard,” Boyles said. “I thought our offensive line played a little better than they have been playing. We had one starter back (on the offensive line), so the more games they play, the more reps they get, the better they will get. I think we are slowly turning a quarter with the offensive line.
“A good running back helps the offensive line, and I think Jeremiah showed some things in the run game for us on Friday night. He lined up at wide receiver for us, and he played some quarterback for us, so he’s a guy that can play a lot of different positions. He’s a smart kid, so he can learn those different things. A lot of kids have the ability to do a lot of different things but sometimes they mentally can’t handle that. Jeremiah can handle that mentally. He’s done a good job and allows him to be more diverse on that offense by moving him around in different spots.”
This week Petal will go on the road to face Brandon (2-3), which lost to George County 28-10 last week.
“I think they are very similar to us and lost a lot of starters from last year,” Boyles said. “They are still trying to find their identity from a defensive standpoint; they are still the same Brandon.”
Brandon has struggled and averaged 9.2 points per game on offense, with a team-high of 20 points scored in a game this season. The Bulldogs have looked to its run game to create most of its offensive production. Brandon switches primarily between Zailon Johnson and Ozario Johnson, who have rushed for a combined 347 yards and three touchdowns.
Brandon has also swapped between quarterbacks Doby Bartling and Josh Sullivan. Bartling is the better passer as he is 28-of-45 and thrown for 265 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sullivan is the better runner but is 16-of-36 and has thrown for 82 yards and three interceptions.
“They play a lot of two tight ends,” Boyles said. “When they pass, they’ll run four wide, but this year is a lot of one tight end or two tight ends. They run a lot of split zone, power, and counter. They have a big running back and a running quarterback, which is unusual for them. It’s a little different than what they have been in the past, but they are playing to their strengths.
“They have played two different guys (at quarterback), but this past week they stuck with one guy more. We’ll have to prepare for both. They throw the ball with both of them, but one is a better runner than the other one, so when he is in, you have to be aware of the quarterback run.”
On defense, Brandon will run primarily a 3-4 defense but has switched to a 4-3 defense mid-game.
“They will play a lot of man coverage and give you a lot of different blitzes and looks,” Boyles said. From an offensive line standpoint, we have to be able to pick up those looks and those blitzes. We have to win one-on-one matchups and win on that outside. Offensively they are more run-heavy this year than they have been in the past, but they are playing to their strengths.
“They a 3-4 team. They play a lot of man coverage with one high. They’ll bring a lot of different blitzes and will continue to bring them. If you pick it up, then they’ll go to a 4-3 look. They are big up front on the defensive line. Behind them are the linebackers and defensive backs, which can run well. Their speed on the back end is really impressive.”
