Council Rock North, according to senior Adam Yborra, had a bad week of practice prior to last week’s 17-7 win over Central Bucks South.
“We actually got kicked off the field one time because the coaches didn’t like what we were doing, so that really sent a message to us,” the Indians’ senior defensive back said. “Come game time, we really stepped it up.”
The Indians aren’t relying on anything quite that dramatic to get fired up for Thursday night’s non-league showdown against Hatboro-Horsham, but it’s a safe bet they’ll be ready.
“Coach keeps reminding us about last year, how they kind of whooped us,” Yborra said of last year’s 16-0 loss to the Hatters. “We didn’t stay in our spots, we didn’t read our keys right, but their offense and defense – they’re very good. It’s going to be a fun test.”
Both teams enter Thursday night’s game at Hatboro with identical 1-1 records, and while the Indians are fresh off a 17-7 win over Central Bucks South, the Hatters are coming off a strong showing in a 13-6 loss to a Neshaminy squad ranked in the state’s top 10.
The Redskins’ offense managed just one touchdown off a stingy Hatter defense that is anchored by Kevin James (linebacker), Mike Fitzpatrick (defensive tackle) and Ryan Mullen (defensive end).
“We’re playing very physical right now, and we’re also tackling well,” Hatter coach Dave Sanderson said. “When you get more than one guy on the ball at the point of attack, you’re able to attack the ball carrier with several people, and your odds go up as far as being successful and bringing that guy to the ground.”
In two games, the Hatters have allowed just 13 points, but they have scored just 13 themselves.
“I think when you’re inexperienced, a lot of times what happens is – as a result of that inexperience, you get to the door, and you’re waiting for someone to open it up rather than kicking it in yourself,” Sanderson said. “What we have to do is capitalize on the other team’s miscues and mistakes, and we haven’t done that yet. We’re going to focus on kicking the door in rather than just waiting for someone to open it.”
The Hatters had an impressive opening drive against the Redskins but came up empty.
“We always have a good opening drive,” Hatter junior Connor Poston said. “We just made a few small mistakes here and there that stopped our drive and killed us.
“We just need to stay focused. In the last game, it rained, so it was tough to throw the ball. I think it’s going to be crucial for us to start passing the ball more and being more effective in the air.”
It hasn’t helped the Hatters that they were already without star running back Eddie Coombs because of an injury and then lost standout Nick Dividio, who was injured in last week’s game against Neshaminy after picking up 67 yards on just six carries.
Darryl Neville and Seamus Coyle will be asked the pick up the slack in the backfield – the duo combined for 110 yards against the Redskins. Quarterback Matt Hollenbeck also will need to help the Hatters through the air.
“We’re going to have to throw the ball,” Sanderson said. “We threw the ball well on Friday night, but we didn’t catch the ball well. Our passes were on target, but we had four drops in the first two series, and you can’t have that.”
Rock North has a quarterback who is capable of moving the ball downfield in Tyler Hamilton, who threw for 195 yards in the Indians’ season-opening 35-21 loss to Father Judge, but throwing the ball will not be a priority when the Indians take the field against the Hatters.
“We have to be able to run the ball,” coach Tom Coates said. “If you’re not able to run the ball, it doesn’t matter how well you pass. They’ll just put pressure on you.”
The Indians – who lost the centerpiece of their offensive line, Anthony Verrecchia, to an injury - managed just 81 yards on 30 attempts against the Titans last week. “The line is saying, ‘Coach, we have to run. We have to run,’ and I agree,” Coates said. “But in last week’s game we were averaging 2.7 a carry, and that’s just not enough.
“Against Hatboro, there’s no doubt we have to be able to run the football. If we’re not able to run the football, it’s going to be a long night.”
Hamilton was the Indians’ top rusher against South, accumulating 48 yards. Lee Marvel added 30. All told, the Indians had just 144 yards.
Still, Sanderson knows the Indians have the potential to be explosive offensively.
“They’re very, very talented,” he said. “They’re scary talented. Their receivers and their running backs are gifted.
“They’re big, they’re fast, and they’re strong. They’re loaded with skill position people. We’re going to try to scheme it up to where we can maybe get in their way a little bit and just try and slow them down and take them away from what they want to do.”
According to Coates, punters Ryan Matusz and Hamilton as well as place kicker Ryan Campbell have been key in the season’s opening weeks.
“What I see us doing is winning the field position battle because of special teams play, both kicking the ball and covering,” the Indians’ coach said.
The Indians’ defense – after struggling in the loss to Judge – came back strong against South.
“Lee Marvel was pretty much the leader of the defense, and he’s done well two weeks in a row,” Coates said. “Keith Terry had a rough start but had an exceptional week last week.”
Terry and Campbell delivered the big hit to stuff Central Bucks South on one of two Rock North goal line stands.
“They buckled their line,” Coates said. “Their line didn’t move forward at all in the middle.”
Yborra returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, and Coates also pointed to the strong efforts of Kevin Krimm and linebacker Joe Coates, who is second in tackles behind Marvel.
But when it comes to production points on defense, senior Jack Worthington – who lines up at either outside linebacker or safety - is the team leader.
“You get production points for things like knocking a pass down, causing a coverage sack,” Coates said. “Those plays make a big difference. You can get a whole lot of tackles, and they can each be after four-yard gains. You come up and sack a guy or tackle them for a loss or break up a pass – that’s huge.”
The Indians know they’re going to need their best performance of the year to defeat a disciplined Hatter squad that has been whistled for just three penalties for a total of 15 yards in two games.
“What’s going to be key is that we’re able to block Kevin James,” Coates said. “They rotate guys on the defensive side of the ball that have some size – Mike Fitzpatrick (6-1, 315) and number 69 (Eddie Harbaugh, 6-2, 270), and even their guys that only go 220, they’re tough, they play hard, they’re constantly moving forward, and they stay low.”
Both teams understand the importance of getting a win in their final game before the league season begins.
“This prepares us for the league, and also, we really want to get above .500 again, so we’re looking to get a big win,” Poston said.
“This game is really big because we have Pennsbury coming up,” Yborra said. “I think it will be a good test. We just have to keep executing our plays.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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