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JASPER, Mo. —
By overcoming a 14-point deficit against Diamond, Jasper picked up its first win of the season leading into the district opener this week against Greenfield.
“Our boys came out and played hard on Friday night,” Jasper second-year coach Josh Dirks said. “It was a good game for us on both sides of the ball. We had a few mistakes and were able to battle from behind to come away with the victory.”
Even better, the Eagles finally found a way to consistently move the football, a problem Dirks has been trying to figure out all season.
“We were able to get it going (offensively) and sustain those drives,” Dirks said, after the Eagles scored 24 unanswered points to beat Diamond 24-14 last week at Diamond High School. “We put ourselves in that 14-point deficit by turning the ball over in bad places and going into halftime we were able to convince those kids that they were not out of the game and still had a chance to win it.
“The win was very important going into districts,” he continued. “It has given the boys a confidence that they haven’t felt all year.”
By sustaining drives, Jasper (1-5, 1-3 in Spring River Valley Conference play) took advantage of Diamond’s tiring defense in the second half, which left little time for the Wildcats to challenge the Eagles. With that in mind, it will be paramount for the Jasper Eagles to follow a similar blue print this week against Greenfield, which, like Diamond, is a run-first team.
“We hope to continue moving the ball,” Dirks said. “Our running game started to get going last Friday and we need to continue to push to be more efficient as an offense.”
The Wildcats, under first-year head coach Tom Ellis, are a power running team, led by Montana Hembree. Greenfield, which improved to 3-4 overall entering the first week of district play after beating league rival Sarcoxie last week, continues to get better executing the screen pass, with quarterback Dakota Fenton throwing to his running backs out of the backfield.
“Greenfield likes to run the football and attack the edge of the opposing team’s defense,” Dirks said. “We hope to continue moving the ball. Our running game started to get going last Friday and we need to continue to push to be more efficient as an offense.”
The Eagles, 0-2 at home, are expecting a tough matchup against Greenfield, which runs a 4-4 defensive scheme.
“Greenfield looks like a good team,” Dirks confirmed. “They will be a tough team to start districts with.”
By overcoming a 14-point deficit against Diamond, Jasper picked up its first win of the season leading into the district opener this week against Greenfield.
“Our boys came out and played hard on Friday night,” Jasper second-year coach Josh Dirks said. “It was a good game for us on both sides of the ball. We had a few mistakes and were able to battle from behind to come away with the victory.”
Even better, the Eagles finally found a way to consistently move the football, a problem Dirks has been trying to figure out all season.
“We were able to get it going (offensively) and sustain those drives,” Dirks said, after the Eagles scored 24 unanswered points to beat Diamond 24-14 last week at Diamond High School. “We put ourselves in that 14-point deficit by turning the ball over in bad places and going into halftime we were able to convince those kids that they were not out of the game and still had a chance to win it.
“The win was very important going into districts,” he continued. “It has given the boys a confidence that they haven’t felt all year.”
By sustaining drives, Jasper (1-5, 1-3 in Spring River Valley Conference play) took advantage of Diamond’s tiring defense in the second half, which left little time for the Wildcats to challenge the Eagles. With that in mind, it will be paramount for the Jasper Eagles to follow a similar blue print this week against Greenfield, which, like Diamond, is a run-first team.
“We hope to continue moving the ball,” Dirks said. “Our running game started to get going last Friday and we need to continue to push to be more efficient as an offense.”
The Wildcats, under first-year head coach Tom Ellis, are a power running team, led by Montana Hembree. Greenfield, which improved to 3-4 overall entering the first week of district play after beating league rival Sarcoxie last week, continues to get better executing the screen pass, with quarterback Dakota Fenton throwing to his running backs out of the backfield.
“Greenfield likes to run the football and attack the edge of the opposing team’s defense,” Dirks said. “We hope to continue moving the ball. Our running game started to get going last Friday and we need to continue to push to be more efficient as an offense.”
The Eagles, 0-2 at home, are expecting a tough matchup against Greenfield, which runs a 4-4 defensive scheme.
“Greenfield looks like a good team,” Dirks confirmed. “They will be a tough team to start districts with.”
