The 1-6 Aubrey Chaparrals football team heads into a matchup with the 1-5 Nevada Community Braves on Friday still trying to find its first district win of the season.
Both teams come into the contest looking for their first win in the month of October, with Community’s most recent losses coming at the Lake Dallas Eagles on Oct. 3 and the Frisco Panther Creek Panthers on Oct. 10.
“They’ve improved from a year ago,” said Keith Ivy, Aubrey athletic director and head football coach. “They have quite a few starters back, [and] they have a new coach in there that’s changed their scheme. … I know they’re capable of putting up a lot of points, so, we’re going to have to play well.”
The Brave’s offense is led by quarterback Grayson Calloway, who has thrown for 1,755 yards and 13 touchdowns, and his top receiver, Cash Elton, who has 725 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.
“Their quarterback is good enough to beat you throwing the ball, and [Elston] is awfully good,” Ivy said. “We’re certainly going to have to get some pressure on him and hopefully disturb his receiver and get him off his routes. It always comes down to those guys up front, on both sides of the ball, and who wins that battle in the trenches.”
On the defensive side, Community is allowing 45 points per game, and Ivy sees it as a good opportunity to allow the Chaps’ offense to get back on track.
“We’re extremely hopeful we can ramp up our offense this week and get it going throwing the ball as well as the run game,” he said. “We have some very capable skill guys, and I know our offensive line has worked extremely hard this year to find that chemistry and gel together, and regardless of the wins and losses scores, I honestly feel like those guys have gotten better and better, and this is one of those weeks where it’ll shine through.”
Ivy added that his team is well aware of the significance of the homecoming matchup.
“We certainly want to see our [seniors] go out on their last homecoming with a win,” he said. “It would be a big deal for them and big for our program and community, so there’s a lot of importance to this game on Friday night. It’s without question a must-win, and we know we have our backs against the wall, so I expect our kids to come out and play extremely hard.”
