Starting spots up for grabs?: Pioneers could shift lineup by Friday’s game
It’s hard to come away with any positives from a 47-7 loss.
But after last Friday’s season-opening defeat at the hands of Livingston Academy, Pioneer coaches did have a few good things to say, particularly about some of their second-string personnel.
Substitutions throughout the game, as well as situations beyond the team’s control — such as the ineligibility of transfer defensive end Chris Rojas — led to several Pioneers seeing time at new positions. Head coach Chris Madewell said those situations afforded his staff the chance to see how several of their players performed under pressure, and as a result, the top spots on the depth chart at several positions could still be up for grabs.
“One thing we got positive out of this, I guess, is seeing where people need to be playing and where they don’t need to be playing,” Madewell said after Friday’s game. “And we’re going to make a few shifts, a few corrections, and hopefully it will turn out for the better.
One Pioneer in particular who impressed his coaches Friday night was sophomore tackle Todd Dunn, who took over at defensive end in place of Rojas. Dunn was one of the few bright spots for the Pioneer defensive unit, and recorded several stops, including some key tackles in the second half.
“Todd wasn’t starting on defense for us,” Madewell noted, “and he stepped up and showed that he’s ready to be a starter if he can play like this in a game.”
As for other “positives” from Friday’s loss, there was one thing Madewell said he was definitely positive about — the fact the Pioneers need to improve their tackling skills.
Work on those skills began on Monday, and was scheduled to continue yesterday afternoon with a long practice devoted mainly to improving a defense which allowed 395 total yards and surrendered 14 first downs.
“We’re going to focus on tackling, even though we’ve spent a lot of time on it and tackled every single day,” Madewell said. “We’re going to focus on being more aggressive popping, and hitting some heads out there.
“We’ve just got to get together. We’ve got to get more aggressive as a team on defense, and cut out some of these mistakes.”
The Pioneers take on Chattanooga Central Friday.