By George Starks |
NEW MADISON- When the 9-1 Patriots looked at the final OHSAA final football polls, there was something there that head coach Matt Hopkins didn’t expect to see.
It was revealed his first round opponent would be the same team he just popped the week before, National Trail.
It’s no secret that beating the same team twice in the same season is tough but to beat them in two straight games is insane.
“I’ll admit, this concerns me,” said Hopkins. “I’ve been saying every since I found out we were playing Trail that this isn’t going to be easy. I’ve been beating it into the guys heads that there are no punches being pulled here. These kids are wanting revenge on us. We know what they’re doing and they know what we’re doing so yeah, I’m very concerned about it. “
So what is Hopkins doing to get his kids prepared for tonight’s meeting with the Blazers.
“Everyday we’ve been watching game film from last week,” Hopkins pointed out. “We made way too many mistakes last week and we’ve got to clean that up. If we don’t, Trail will capitalize on those mistakes. We don’t want to leave any doors open for them.”
In past games, the Patriots had a very bad habit of committing silly penalties and in the case of the loss at Ansonia, those penalties proved to be the dagger that Tri-Village would not recover from.
“We have to get our act cleaned up,” Hopkins pointed out. “If there’s one good thing it’s the fact that we have Trail at home and I think that really helps our kids. Even though we’re only 15 minutes apart, you’re still playing at home and that makes a huge difference.”
“I think the mindset of the kids is great,” Hopkins continued. “We have a veteran group and we have really good senior leadership. This isn’t their first go around so they know what it takes to win games like this. They know we’ve got to stay focused and pay attention to detail.”
While it was thought the Patriots could host two playoff games, that probably won’t be the case.
If the number four seed, West Liberty Salem wins its opening round game, the Patriots will be forced to go there to play the Tigers.
CNO File Photo by George Starks: Seed fifth, Tri-Village will host National Trail Friday in week 1