Pilgrims ready for some home cooking
By Wil Anderson
Argus Observer
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 11:41 AM PDT
NEW PLYMOUTH—After three weeks on the road, there is nothing like some home cooking.
The New Plymouth football team finished a three game road trip with a 2-1 record.
Last week, the Pilgrims suffered their first loss of the season, 42-35 to Western Idaho Conference foe Melba, to move to 3-1 on the year.
In the game, New Plymouth’s quarterback, Brady Harris passed for 511 yards and threw five interceptions, helping the Mustangs to the win.
“We don’t need to increase (the offense) much. We need to decrease the turnovers,” New Plymouth offensive coordinator Porter Lacey said. “If we can minimize the turnovers, we are looking pretty good.”
One of the changes the Pilgrims have made from this game to last is a starting running back and a starting receiver.
Actually, the two simply swapped positions.
Kyle King moved into the running back slot, while former starting running back, Jaime Garcia, moved to a receiver slot.
Part of the reason for the move is the Pilgrims have been having trouble acheiving a ground game.
Last week’s game, the Pilgrims racked up over 600 yards of total offense but were only able to rush for 115 yards.
“It is just a matter of getting a running game,” Lacey said. “The bottom line is we have to have a better running game, which should take some pressure off Brady.”
As for their opponent, Cole Valley, New Plymouth knows the Chargers bring in a balanced defense with a tough line and a tough secondary.
“They are pretty balanced,” Lacey said. “They are pretty even throughout, with the run and the pass. They have decent corners and some big guys up front.”
This is the task at hand for the Pilgrims, and Cole Valley is what is standing in front of a 5-1 start to the year, and win No. 1 in the WIC.
