The Aubrey Chaparrals will hit the road Friday, hoping to right the ship and find their first win of the season against the Kennedale Wildcats.
Kennedale comes into the contest hungry for their first win of the season after falling to the La Vega Pirates 41-3 in their season opener.
“They’re an athletic team,” said Keith Ivy, Aubrey athletic director and head football coach. “Coach [Richard] Barrett has been there forever and does a good job of coaching the Wing-T offense, which we’re very familiar with, so we know it’s hard to stop. … We're going to have to get in there defensively, take away those long drives and not let them control the clock all night; that's going to be crucial for us.”
With a significant number of new faces in the starting lineup, the Chaps struggled to move the ball consistently against a more experienced Sunnyvale team, but Ivy said he and his staff are doing everything they can to help their inexperienced roster gel as the season rolls along.
“We put in a few new pass and run plays this week, trying to help our young offense evolve into what we ultimately want it to be by the time we get in the district,” he said. “We're doing the install this week, but it's a slow process. We don't put on too much too early, but we're certainly adding some [wrinkles], and we'll continue that the rest of the week.”
Despite the Chaps' offensive struggles, Ivy said he was proud of the way the team’s new starting quarterback, Will Storey, stood tall in the pocket during his first time at the helm at the varsity level.
“As the game went on, I felt like he settled in and began to play better,” he said. “I think a big part of it for the young players, like Will, is just to gain confidence. We believe in him, and we know that he's a good enough athlete to accomplish his goals and our team goals. … He's going to get better each and every week.”
Ivy added that the Chaps will look to use their running game to open their passing attack to give Storey easier reads.
“One thing that really impressed me was [Kennedale’s] secondary,” he said. “They cover and run very well. I'm hopeful that with some play action, which is one of the things that we do off of our run game, we can get some guys open.”
Aubrey dismantled Kennedale 33-7 last season, but Ivy emphasized the Chaps aren’t taking any opponent lightly this season and plan to use every game as a chance to improve as a team.
“It's all a process, especially with a younger team like this,” he said. “Sometimes it takes a little bit longer, and it's easy to get impatient, but we have to stay the course. We know what we're doing offensively and defensively works; that’s proven. It's just about us controlling [ourselves] and getting better, so we're excited about having another chance at that Friday.”
Aubrey and Kennedale get the contest underway at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Wildcat Stadium.
