<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=48WYl2_0vjJ7nIN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=48WYl2_0vjJ7nIN00" width="960" height="1440" ></figure>After a week off to heal and refocus for the conference season, Stuttgart hits the road this Friday night for their league opener against Helena-West Helena Central.The Cougars are one of the surprise teams in Class 4A, starting the season 3-0 with wins over Watson Chapel, Earle, and Drew Central. In those games, Helena outscored their opponents 102-38.“They broke their 19-game losing streak dating back to the 2022 season, so they’re fired up and relieved to have that streak behind them,” said Stuttgart’s Head Coach Josh Price.Picked in the preseason to finish at the bottom of the conference by league coaches, Helena’s three early-season wins eclipse their win total from the previous four seasons. The Cougars went winless in 2023, won just one game in 2022, and were winless in 2021 and 2020.“Helena is kind of like us after the 2019 season,” said Price. “That first win was big for them. It got the pressure off, and they’ve played with more confidence ever since.”<h2>Opening conference play on the road</h2>Regardless of the opponent, road games are always concerning for Price. In his eight-plus seasons in Stuttgart, Price has coached teams that, like most, perform much better at home compared to the road.Over the last four-plus years, Stuttgart is an impressive 24-2 at home but holds a relatively pedestrian 15-8 record on the road.“Every road game is a challenge, the opponent doesn’t really matter,” said Price. “Plus, I’ve always said, and I’ve always believed, that the first week of conference play is the most important game of the season. That’s this week.”Traditionally, Helena is a difficult road venue. In their last two trips, Stuttgart is 1-1 at Cougar Stadium.“First, we’re playing on grass, and the weather looks a little concerning,” said Price. “It looks better than it did over the weekend, but still, we’ve got to stay focused on the road and not worry about things we can’t control.”<h2>Russell Smith, a known coach in Helena</h2>In all three of Stuttgart’s nonconference games, the Ricebirds faced a team with a first-year head coach. That is certainly not the case this week with Helena’s head coach, Russell Smith.Smith is in his 17th season as the Cougars’ head coach, posting an 82-110-1 overall record.“We’ve crossed paths several times since we’ve both been at this for a long time,” said Price. “He does a good job. They get lined up in a lot of different things.”Smith’s Cougars have not made the playoffs since 2018 and have not won an outright conference title since 2008. Helena’s 6-50 record over the last five years ranks at the bottom of the 4A-8 conference.<h2>Refocused and ready to go</h2>Following Stuttgart’s 48-38 home loss to Malvern on Sept. 13, Price summed up the outcome with his typical candor.“We got beat by a better team, plain and simple. Malvern was better than us. They won their one-on-one matchups, and we didn’t.”The Leopards also proved to be the more efficient offensive team, scoring on all four of their red zone trips. Conversely, Stuttgart came away from the red zone empty-handed three times.“They were perfect inside the 20, and we went 1-for-4,” said Price. “That, along with their physicality, was the difference in the game.”With two weeks to recover, Stuttgart is now ready to begin their conference slate, refocused and re-energized.“There is such a thin line that coaches must toe concerning an open date,” said Price. “Do we go hard and hammer away at them, or do we spend the time getting healed up and focusing on the rest of the season? I think we’ll be close to 100% this week and ready to play.”<h2>Running game improvement needed</h2>Stuttgart’s rushing attack has been good in 2024 but not quite at the level Price and his coaching staff had hoped for.The Ricebirds average an impressive 192 yards per game on the ground, good for 6.7 yards per carry. Jawyan Terry leads the team in rushing with 255 yards, while Cain Price has rushed for 205 yards.“We’ve been okay running it, but we can be better,” said Price. “The biggest thing is taking what the defense gives us. Don’t try to score a touchdown on every play. If we can get six or seven yards, let’s do that. We haven’t been efficient on the ground.”As part of his rushing attack, Price highlighted his offensive line, both positively and negatively.“The O-line has done a great job of going where they’re supposed to go. They usually block who they’re supposed to block,” said Price. “But once they get there, our O-line has to stay on their block better. The hole needs to stay open for the backs a little longer. From there, the ball carrier must put their foot in the ground and get upfield.”<h2>Comfortable quarterbacks</h2>By his own account, Price’s better defenses have always been adept at creating havoc in the opposing team’s backfield. So far in 2024, that has not been the case.The Ricebirds’ defense has recorded just six sacks through three games, and five of those sacks come from the linebacker position and senior Tae Clark, who leads the team with five.Astonishingly, Stuttgart’s defensive line has accounted for just one quarterback sack, which belongs to part-time defensive lineman Carter Wheeler. Wheeler spends the majority of his time working on the Ricebird offensive line.“I know it,” said Price. “We work at it every week. We’ll keep working at it, but sometimes it just comes down to our guys on defense winning their one-on-one battles.”Tackles for loss (TFL) numbers are not much better this season. Through three games, totaling well over 100 defensive snaps, Stuttgart’s defense has only eight tackles for loss.Dylan Scoby and Beau Barnes lead the team with two TFLs each.“Doing a better job on first down is key for this defense,” said Price. “Too many times, the other team’s offense is in second or third and short. We play behind the chains. At the end of the day, we’ve just got to take pride in defense. We’ve done 48 up-downs every practice since losing to Malvern 48-38.”<h2>Creating turnovers</h2>Defensive turnovers have been consistent for the Ricebirds. Through the nonconference stretch, Stuttgart’s defense has forced six turnovers: five interceptions, but just one forced fumble.“We harp on turnovers a lot,” said Price. “Turnovers are a huge part of winning football games.”Landon Bryant leads the team with two interceptions, and Braylon Tolliver forced Stuttgart’s lone fumble.For their part, Stuttgart’s offense has protected the football well. The Ricebirds are 6-2 in turnover margin, with Cain Price throwing just two interceptions over 83 attempts. Stuttgart has yet to lose a fumble in 2024.“So far, our ball security has been pretty good,” said Price. “Hopefully, we keep that up.”<h2>Winning those one-on-one battles</h2>Although football is undoubtedly a team sport, it’s composed of 11 individual matchups. So far in 2024, Stuttgart, according to their head coach, is not winning enough of those one-on-one battles.“This is our biggest issue, no question,” said Price. “Football is a team game of 11 one-on-one battles. We must win more than our opponent.”Against Malvern, Stuttgart allowed the Leopards to score a touchdown on all four of their trips inside the red zone. As a result, Price has asked his team to be a little more selfish.“Look, sometimes, you’ve got to think selfishly,” said Price. “It’s the mindset that, no matter what the other 10 guys do, my man is not going to score. I’m keeping my guy out of that end zone. They’re not throwing it to my guy because he’s not going to be open. Take pride in defense!”<h2>How to watch and listen</h2>Fans can tune in for game-day coverage starting with the Brothers Realty Ricebirds Coaches Show at 6 p.m., followed by the Freemyer’s Best Brands Plus Pre-Game Show at 6:30 p.m. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.Stuttgart Ricebirds games will air live on Country 97.3 KDEW FM, with audio and video streams available through the EAB Media Group mobile app. In total, games from 22 high school teams can be accessed through the app.A complete game recap will be available in Monday’s edition of the Stuttgart Daily Leader.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Stuttgart prepares for conference opener against undefeated Helena-West Helena

After a week off to heal and refocus for the conference season, Stuttgart hits the road this Friday night for their league opener against Helena-West Helena Central. The Cougars are one of the surprise teams in Class 4A, starting the season 3-0 with wins over Watson Chapel, Earle, and Drew Central. In those games, Helena outscored their opponents 102-38.