Going into Friday night’s game against Thorsby, Horseshoe Bend’s football team knew it needed to be wary of the big play. Not only because it continues to struggle with giving them up, but Thorsby also loves to use the big play.
Despite knowing what they were up against, the Generals didn’t do what they needed to keep things close. Thorsby earned a 38-0 victory in Class 2A Region 4 action.
On the very first possession, the Rebels scored then Horseshoe Bend looked to put together a strong offensive drive of its own but was thwarted when it coughed a fumble. Thorsby scooped it up and scored to immediately go up 16-0.
“Once again it’s the big play,” Horseshoe Bend coach Jeremy Phillips said. “That killed us, and it’s killed us all year.”
Once again, Horseshoe Bend (0-3, 0-1) did do some things well offensively, but it never could finish. The General offense got down inside the 10 but couldn’t push it in.
“I just don’t know why,” Phillips said. “We get down; we’re moving the ball then I don’t know. We just stall out. It’s puzzling. We’re sitting here as coaches trying to figure it out.”
And defensively, even the Generals knew what to expect, they likewise couldn’t follow through.
“We were in position a lot of times and coach (Jason) Johnson drew up a good scheme for us this week,” Phillips said. “We got in position but just didn’t make plays. We hadn’t really made tackles when it was time to make tackles. If you don’t tackle for most of the game, you’re going to give up a lot of points.”
Levi Hadway led the General offense with rushing again, and Luke Jones brought down an interception.
But Phillips continues to remain positive and said the effort was there throughout the game. While effort wasn’t a problem, executing was.
“I just told them we’re not playing up to our potential,” Phillips said. “That’s the disheartening thing to us. We have to figure a way to go in the same direction at the same time and executing what we’re supposed to be doing. Until that happens, we won’t win that many ballgames.”
