HIBBING—After getting beat 55-0 by Rock Ridge last week, the Hibbing High School football team needed a big boost of confidence.
That’s exactly what Bluejacket coach Matt Anderson and his coaching staff have tried to instill in their team as they prepare to play Duluth East today, beginning at 7 p.m. at Ordean Field.
There were a number of things that went wrong last week against the Wolverines, but they had an effect on the way the team played.
“We absolutely need to play with more confidence,” Anderson said. “That rain delay affected us in a negative way. Hopefully, that’s not something that pops up, but we’re not blaming that on why we played so poorly.
“We have kids that are finally stepping into leadership roles and being more vocal. Those are the things that need to happen on our team. We’ve got a lot of lead-by-example, but those vocal leaders have to keep stepping up even if they’re captains or not. They’re leading them in the right direction now.”
Anderson does have some younger players in vital positions, like at quarterback and tight end and center.
They grew up a little bit last week.
“They had a very good snapshot they’re going to have to expect,” Anderson said. “They have to be consistently prepared for that. They performed well. It was a lot of fun to watch.
“It’s cool when you have a sophomore tight end and sophomore quarterback, and they connect. We also have a sophomore center. We have youth. They’re going to get experience on the fly.”
At the same time, however, they were told that this might happen.
“They spent a lot of time in the weight room,” Anderson said. “I’m proud that that’s what they were ready for. The game experience will come. The game speed, they will catch up to it.
“At the same time, I’m proud of the work ethic of the sophomores that are showing up.”
Offensively, Anderson knows he has to get better line play to open up the running and passing games.
“At practice, we slowed some things down, and talked through some things,” Anderson said. “We had specific periods to walk through things, then later on, we went a little bit faster.
“That helped, especially with the communication on the line. When you return one starter from last year, there’s going to be some holes, some kids that need to step up and understand that that’s what’s going to happen.”
Anderson has some players in new positions, so they have to get used to the changes.
“They’re doing that to help out the team,” Anderson said. “We had a good week of practice. It felt better than the week prior, and that’s all you can ask for moving from week-to-week.
“You want to see that improvement. You want to see that growth. Every week is a tryout. There’s some kids we flip around. It’s what’s best for the team.”
As for the Greyhounds, Anderson expects to see the option.
“They played the option against Esko, and it was death by 1,000 paper cuts,” Anderson said. “They kept consistent. They didn’t show a ton, so we’re expecting them to show a little bit more against us.
“We have to play assignment football. We have to take away the things they like to do, and force them to do different things. Our goal is to be sound, being disciplined and playing assignment football the best we can.”
The Bluejackets’ defense will have some important keys to focus on.
“We have certain spots in charge of the dive, in charge of the pitch and certain spots with the quarterback,” Anderson said. “We know that they’re going to do some things well.
“It’s going to be on us to respond the right way and keep our composure.”
Offensively, Anderson wants to see his team fire off the ball.
“If we do those things right, and even if we do have mistakes and talk about them, we have to move forward,” Anderson said. “We have to forget about the last play, and learn from it. If we do that, we’ll do better than last week, for sure.”
Local News
Comments / 0