Published: October 02, 2008 10:23 am            

County game of the week

By Chris Brennaman

assistant sports editor

A big game between Newton County and Southeast Lauderdale sometimes conjures up thoughts of softball, but the two schools have made this an interesting contest on the gridiron as of late.

The Cougars and Tigers have split the last two meetings, with the home team winning both.

A year after Southeast won 14-7, Newton County took last year's game with a 40-0 shutout. In that game, Floyd Graves racked up 232 yards and scored four times, while the entire Tiger offense was limited to 44 yards.

Although he does expect another physical matchup when the two squads face off again Friday night, SEL coach Ty Trahan doesn't believe it will be another blowout.

"They are a good football team," Trahan said of unbeaten Newton County. "Their offensive and defensive lines are good and they run the ball really well. It's going to be a hard-nosed football game, but we feel like we can do some things against them."

Keeping Graves and fellow senior Michael Granger in check will be one of the challenges for the Tigers, who fell to 1-1 in Region 5-3A with a 21-20 loss to Heidelberg last Friday.

"We have to stop their run, and make them pass," Trahan said. "We also have to be ready to cover on the play-action. Their quarterback is playing a lot better. This will be a big test for us."

Against Choctaw Central last week (a 36-0 win), the Cougars threw for 84 yards on just five pass completions. One of those passes went for a 20-yard touchdown.

"We're throwing the ball more now than we have in probably nine years," said NCHS coach Jeff Breland. "We'll do a little bit of everything ... whatever the game dictates."

Despite the increased role of the passing game for Newton County, the bread-and-butter will still be grinding it out on the ground. The Cougars will rely on Graves and Granger, who will line up behind a very experienced offensive line.

"Southeast is a very similar team," Breland said. "They are going to run four or five plays out of a couple different formations. They have some guys that can score at anytime.

"I think it's going to be a good game. There's no doubt this is a big game for both of us. We're right in the middle of the division race and this is big for playoff seeding."

Newton County is one of three unbeaten teams left in the region — while Southeast is currently sitting in fourth place.

Kickoff from Southeast is set for 7 p.m. Friday.

        

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