After a wild first game that saw the Chuckey-Doak score 71 points on offense and saw a new single-game rushing record set, the Black Knights look poised to keep their hot offense rolling into week two as they head to Rutledge for a Friday night showdown with Grainger (1-0).
Head Coach Billy Kaylor spoke about the matchup, saying, “They’re a good football team. We beat them down here last year. They were very, very physical. On film we expect the same thing. They’re big. They’re physical. They play downhill and kind of a smash-mouth style of football. They’re well coached on both sides of the football. So, it’ll be a challenge for us for sure.”
There was no shortage of offense for either team in Stoney Creek last Friday night. Chuckey-Doak defeated Unaka 71-46 to start the season 1-0 on the back of Hayden Roper’s record-setting 366-yard performance. They look to keep the offense rolling heading into week two, but want to limit their points allowed heading into a matchup with a much different opponent.
The season started with a 1A opponent, but things will quickly change once they step on the field with a higher-classified 4A opponent in the Grainger Grizzlies on Friday night.
“It’ll be a little bit more physical. A little bit more smash-mouth this week. So how we respond to that will be a good picture for us,” Coach Kaylor stated.
In a tightly-contested matchup, Chuckey-Doak was able to gain the upper hand and defend their home turf with a 27-22 victory last year. A lot has changed since then though. A whole new wave of talent is donning the black and yellow in Lower Afton. You can expect all eyes to be on Hayden Roper after last week’s performance, but don’t sleep on Dom Atchison at the quarterback position. His first start at quarterback went well in week one, but a new week presents a new challenge in what you could describe as a litmus test for this young team.
“It’s going to be a baptism by fire at times. And that’s okay. And that gives you a measure of a man taken in times of trial, struggle, and strife. It gives you a measure of what they’re gonna do when everything’s not easy,” Kaylor detailed.
Grainger’s offense will look similar to what they saw last year, but with a few changes. They will be going less overload this year compared to a heavy dose of overload sets they delivered last year on The Black Hole. Coach Kaylor expects to see a double-winged look out of their offense and still expects to see them run the ball quite a bit.
“They run the ball really well. They’ve got some big backs and some kids that run it really hard. They’ve got some athletes outside,” Coach Kaylor expressed.
Friday night’s matchup will be exciting once Chuckey-Doak’s offense steps on the field. After a strong rushing attack against Unaka, the Black Knights will face a defense motivated and designed to stop the run.
“They do a good job at stopping the run. They’re big across the front and tackle well,” Kaylor explained. “I think they’re gonna give us an even front and bring a little bit of inside pressure. They’ve shown a little bit of an odd front too, so we’ve got to be ready for that just in case they throw that at us.”
The Grizzlies are coming off a 21-7 victory over Claiborne on the road in week 1. They are seeking a huge confidence-boosting win over Chuckey-Doak this week before entering Region 1-4A play against Elizabethton next week. They are coached by Michael Manis.
“It would certainly mean a lot to our kids and say a lot to us as a staff if we can play well and beat a really physical, good football team,” Coach Kaylor expressed.
