On Friday, September 16, NC travels to Sharpsburg in the Warriors first ever match up with the East Coweta Indians. After a bye week, NC’s football team enters the game hoping to redeem themselves after a tough first loss against the rival Harrison Hoyas. Coach Steve Pardue looks to lead his Indians to another dominant victory after East Coweta defeated its first three opponents by more than four touchdowns.

Last season, East Coweta reached the postseason for the nineteenth consecutive season and the third time under Pardue, losing in the first round to powerhouse program Newton High School. This year, East Coweta has yet to allow more than seven points in a game and has put up over thirty points in all three of its contests. The Indians expect to continue winning with a twisty, time-controlling rushing attack and an old school, downhill, run first defense.

The Indians run an old school, pure Wing-T offense that predicates misdirection and running the football with any one of three running backs or the quarterback. The playbook utilizes lots of pre-snap motion and “false keys” for defenders, and offensive players running in the opposite direction of the play or faking running the ball in an attempt to move defenders out of the way or into easy blocks. On the rare occasion where the Indians do throw the ball, it tends to extend the run game’s philosophy with the quarterback faking a handoff and booting out of the pocket and often looking to complete easy passes.

Defensively, the Indians deploy a 1980’s or pee wee type defense, deploying four big defensive linemen and four linebackers with three defensive backs. The Indians base scheme puts the three defensive backs in charge of defending deep passes in their respective “zones,” and the linebackers will split the area in between the line and the defensive back as their responsibilities against the pass. As a variation, East Coweta likes to blitz one of the four linebackers and keep the remaining defenders in similar responsibilities or play defenders in man-to-man coverage.

Offensively, the Warriors will attempt to overcome some injury issues, as lead senior receiver Drew Tejchman injured his knee in the opening half of the Hoya loss. Receiver and running back Quannie Green began dealing with shin splints at the beginning of the season, and has not played since taking a quick screen to the house against Etowah in the second week of the season. Coach Queen labeled both players as “day to day” entering the competitive contest, and the Warriors have used the additional week off to let both players recover. Green expects to play, most likely in limited capacity, after dressing out in practice since Tuesday.

Expect the Warriors to take advantage of the limited number of defensive backs on standard downs and try to throw the ball early against a scheme that opens itself to almost all basic pass concepts but gives the defense numbers against the run. NC may also attempt to tire out a group of Indian defensive linemen that dramatically outsizes the Warrior offense. Both teams expect a close, physical contest, and the game should match that theme.

The Chant’s prediction: NC: 17, East Coweta: 14