Challenges await in Week 2

There is a different set of challenges awaiting for each of the county football squads Friday night, beginning with the Forrest Rockets, who must improve their turnover ratio if they want to beat a much improved Community squad at "The Rock" this week in the first District game of the young season for both teams.

Forrest is currently on the short end of an 8-4 turnover ratio in their first two ballgames and have committed 13 penalties for 115 yards.

Although they won 14-6 at Perry County in Week Zero, the score could have been very lopsided if they would have taken care of the football in the red zone.

At Collinwood in Week 1, Forrest was up 14-0 in the first quarter before turnovers changed the momentum in the Trojans' favor as they scored 27 second-quarter points.

Although the Rockets did outscore Collinwood 20-13 in the second half, the deficit caused by not taking care of the football was too much for them to overcome as they fell to 1-1 on the season with a 40-34 loss.

Community comes to Chapel Hill Friday night with a 1-1 record and are coming off a 24-12 loss to Silverdale Academy, after posting an opening season 18-8 win over Mt. Juliet Christian Academy.

Forrest has owned the Vikings since Community started their football program in 2006, sporting a 5-0 record and have outscored the Unionville squad 208-87 in those five contests.

But this is a much different and much improved Community team that will invade Chapel Hill Friday night, one that believes that they will win, and if the Rockets take them lightly or do not protect the football, they will lose.

Rocket head coach Joe Moos was certainly not a happy man in each of the two Friday nights after the ballgames and has turned up the heat in practice, trying to get his squad to understand the importance of taking care of the football and the team's hard work will pay off this week as they continue their winning ways over the Vikings with a 35-17 win.

The Marshall County Tigers gave head coach Aaron Pitts his first career win last Friday night in Lewisburg, but he was also not a happy coach after the ballgame as MCHS jumped out to a big enough lead to fend off Coffee County.

MCHS played some sloppy football in the second half, but held on for the relatively easy victory.

The Tigers are 21-6 versus the Bulldogs since 1979 and are coming off two straight wins, including a tough 28-7 win last season in Centerville.

Hickman County has blasted their first two opponents this year, winning 37-6 in Week Zero versus Waverly Central and posting a 36-0 shutout over Harpeth last Friday night in Kingston Springs.

The Bulldogs will come to Preston Hopkins Field Friday night with an intent to toss the football around in the first District 12-AA match-up of the season for the two teams.

While the Tigers did falter a bit on offense in the second half last week versus the Red Raiders, the defense stood tall as they were backed up a few times, but held firm in the 27-8 win.

The two offenses will be evenly matched this week, but the Tiger defense is superior and they will be the difference this week as Pitts gets win No. 2 for the season with a hard-earned 24-16 win.

The happiest coach in the county must be Cornersville's Ray Stocstill as his Bulldogs came from behind and almost knocked off a very good Moore County team in "Frog Bottom" last week.

The Bulldogs came on like gangbusters in the second half and almost pulled off the upset before succumbing 39-36 and Stocstill's squad showed promise on both sides of the ball.

They also have something to prove versus Perry County this week as they make the trek to Linden to take on a winless Vikings' squad that sports an 8-2 winning record versus Cornersville since 2003.

Perry County is a different ballclub without last year's Mr. Football Jacob Tucker at the helm and so are the Bulldogs, who will blast the Vikings 30-10 to garner their first win of the season.