In last week’s play, the North Forrest Eagles defeated Newton County 24-0, bringing the Eagles their first win of the season.
Solid defense lead the Eagles to victory and Coach Anthony Dillon looks to continue putting the pressure on that side of the ball.
“We played good defensively,” he said. “We swarmed to the ball and created turnovers. We played as a group and that helped us throughout the game. I am a defensive guy and a firm believer that defenses win championships.”
Dillon spent time playing defensive back at Jackson State before taking the head coaching position at North Forrest.
The Eagles lead all area schools in defensive touchdowns allowed, only allowing two touchdowns in their first three games and giving up an average of 10 points per game.
Minus the two touchdowns given up on special teams in each of the first two games, the Eagles could very well be sitting at 3-0 instead of 1-2.
Dillon was happy that things were also clicking on the offensive side of the ball as well.
“On the offensive side we are creating great drives,” he said. “We are moving the ball well in the first part of play, only to stall out a bit in the second quarter, resulting in some turnovers. We made some great adjustments at halftime and were able to come out and click in all three phases of the game, which resulted in our team coming out victorious. It was much needed and just what we needed moving forward.”
This week the Eagles look to use the momentum of the win as they square up against Yazoo County. The Panthers hold a 2-1 record, with a loss to Charleston, and two wins. The last win for Yazoo County came against county rival Yazoo City defeating them 46-8. Through three games the Panthers are 117 yards in the air with 158 yards of rushing.
Knowing the amount of talent on a very good Yazoo County ball club, Dillon will have to prepare his team accordingly.
“This is a team that has a lot of weapons,” he said. “These guys are real big and fast. They have a great running back in Kory Gainwell. They also have a couple of big receivers out wide.”
Senior running back Kory Gainwell totaled 1,192 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago in rushing yards. He is on pace to continue success this year with three total touchdowns in his first three games. He is also the younger brother to Kenny Gainwell, The University of Memphis freshman running back who had 2,973 total yards on the ground and in air, adding 42 touchdowns his senior year at Yazoo in 2017. Both brothers are putting true meaning in the Gainwell name.
At the wide out position stands 6’1 190 lb. Corey Rucker. The lengthy wide receiver has contributed for 303 yards in the air and five touchdowns in his first three games of the season.
The Eagles are smaller in classification at 2A, but Dillon is excited in stepping up to face the 3A Yazoo County.
“They are about 50/50 run and pass, so this is going to be the toughest team on our schedule so far. We are going to have our hands full and look forward to the challenge this Friday,” Dillon said. “I told our guys we need to get a win over a quality team, and I feel like this week will be just that for us. If we can play with the energy we had last week, I think it’s going to be a great ball game for us.”
Kickoff is set for 7pm at North Forrest High.
