It’s been nearly two weeks since the 51-19 loss to Hattiesburg, and the Oak Grove Warriors had a bye week to think about it – or move past it.
“You can look at one of two ways,” Oak Grove coach Drew Causey said. “You have two weeks to think about a loss or you have two weeks to try and get ready for the part of the season that really matters. We just took it in stride and said, ‘Hey, let’s get better at what we do.’ We kind of faced it that way. Our guys know, and all of our coaches know, that we have seven weeks that really matter. We’re trying to get focused on that and trying to be a better football team.”
Nevertheless, the Warriors used the bye week to get back some basics and get healthy before region play starts Friday against George County. They’ll have to replace their top receiver, though, as junior Brandon Hayes will miss the rest of the season after getting injured Week 2 against Wayne County.
He recorded 187 yards on eight receptions before going down, and now Oak Grove will rely on two senior tight ends, a junior receiver and a handful of sophomore wideouts. Junior Liam Breithaupt has shown the most consistency of the group, but there are 10 other players who have recorded a catch and none have more than seven grabs.
“We’re just getting those guys used to playing every snap, so that was a good thing about having an off week. Just getting those guys ready to go,” Causey said.
Senior Kevin Barnett is still out and Causey said it’ll be at least another month before he has a better idea of his return.
This week’s opponent, George County, comes to town with a 1-4 overall record and less than impressive statistics. The Red Rebels are averaging 70 passing yards and 68 rushing yards per game. They’ve been shutout twice by Gulfport and East Central, and 12 points are the most points they’ve scored all season, which was an overtime loss to Ocean Springs.
George County does have a 6-foot-4-inch receiver in senior Dylan Lawrence, and he has Causey’s attention, as well as all the different looks the offense uses.
“(Lawrence is) a really good football player,” Causey said. “They like to run a few tight ends in different sets. I think we got them with 60 different formations so far, so they’re very multiple in the things they do. With all the different looks, it’ll be something we definitely have to be ready for and make sure we line up correctly.”
Defensively, East Central (37) and Harrison Central (21) have scored the most points on the Rebels, but for the most part, the defense is only giving up 18 points per game. Part of George County’s success on defense comes from junior McKinnley Jackson, who has 33 tackles –14 tackles for a loss – and 1.5 sacks while forcing one fumble.
It’s not because of who the Warriors are playing, but Causey wants to see his offensive line get better leverage this week. It’s something they’re focusing on in practice, but he recognizes Jackson’s ability on the defensive line.
“We have to have the offensive line prepared,” Causey said. “We just have to have those guys prepared to take on that challenge. I’ve said it for a year now, he’s probably one of the best high school defensive lineman that I’ve seen in a long time.”
