High school football: Bobcats look for fast start, consistency vs. Golden Eagles

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BROOKINGS – Despite last week’s loss to Yankton, the Brookings football team felt optimistic about the progress it has made this season. If they want to continue to improve, they’ll have to get off to a fast start against Aberdeen Central on Friday night.

Slow starts have become the Bobcats’ trademark this season. Through six games, Brookings has been outscored 34-25 and has averaged 4.1 points in the first quarter. Bobcats head coach Brady Clark notices his team’s woes at the beginning of the game but feels like their issues are easily correctable.

“It’s one of those things where we can’t just come out expecting things to happen,” Clark explained. “Sometimes you can’t control everything but ultimately we have to control what we can control and when we do that, we play pretty good football.”

Slow starts have been something that has doomed the Bobcats in games against Pierre and Yankton. The Governors used a strong opening drive and a pair of interceptions to score on their first three drives to hand Brookings a 48-0 loss on Sept. 2 and last week, the Bucks took a 21-0 in the first quarter thanks to a mishap on fourth down and three touchdowns from Rugby Ryken.

Although the Bobcats tied the game at 21-21 in the third quarter, Clark has been figuring out how to get the best out of his team from the opening whistle. Part of that process has been a rejuvenated effort in practice.

“We’ve had very high energy this week,” Clark said. “There’s a lot of positivity, a lot of high energy and you’re seeing a lot of confidence, too. We’re especialy seeing it with some of those young guys who realized on Friday that we are good enough to compete with the best. I love seeing that as a coach. That’s one of the most exciting things about being a coach is when you see a young man or woman reach that point and hopefully, you continue to build.”

Continuing that process is what they’ll have to do to beat the Golden Eagles. Alberdeen Central lost their first three games including losses to powerhouses Pierre and Tea Area in the first two weeks, but the Golden Eagles have rebounded, scoring three straight wins and limiting opponents to just under seven points per game.

“They play aggressive football,” Clark said of Aberdeen Central’s defense. “They fly around to the ball and they have some good athletes. That’s something we’re preparing for this week and we’ve got a good gameplan to highlight what we do well and hopefully take advantage of some of the things they don’t do well.”

The Bobcats’ defense also had its ups and downs against Yankton. At times, they looked ready to fly around the field to make a play. Others were just a shoestring away from a stop that could have brought the momentum back to their sideline.

“When we watch film as a team, you see where we were at the beginning of the season,” Clark said of his defense. “We were yards away from making a play. Now, we’re literally inches. A lot of it was our mental mistakes and a lack of communication and those are things that we can control. If we can put ourselves in the right spot and understand what our role is, our kids of capable of making those plays.”

Aberdeen Central will give Brookings challenges on both sides of the ball. Wide receiver Spencer Barr is a dangerous playmaker on the outside while defensive tackle Brian Johnson is capable of disrupting the Bobcats’ offense in the trenches. But the Bobcats have some playmakers of their own including Justin Cofell, who had 234 total yards and two rushing touchdowns against Yankton and Tyson Brandt, who had 123 total yards and a rushing touchdown. 

With playmakers all over the field, Clark has narrowed the focus down to controlling what they can control and doing their job on the field.

“I’d like for us to come out and play four quarters of football,” Clark said. “It’s not an easy thing to do and that’s why everybody doesn’t do it all the time, but you always strive for that. No matter what’s happening, we’re playing with self respect and respect for our opponent and doing it the right way. At the end of the game, no matter what happens, we’ll be able to hold our head up high.”