By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson — A five-game win streak and the first playoff victory since 1999 helped push the Jackson football team to an 8-3 record in 2015 and a place back at the table of football respectability.
Now, with an eye on continuing that success and momentum, the Vikings open the 2016 season at home against a team that lost once all of last year.
And that was in the Division 3 state semifinals.
“It’s a tough way to start, but it is what it is when you’re trying to find teams to play,” Vikings coach Scott Farley said of Friday’s tilt with Coldwater, a game that will air on JTV. “But it’s a good test for us. We’re going to see good teams all year, and this will be a good barometer of where we are right now.”
While the Vikings went 8-3, got back to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and helped distance themselves from a five-year stretch of seven total wins, Coldwater started the year with 12-straight victories, allowing more than 14 points in that span just one time.
The Cardinals’ season came to an end in a 35-7 loss to Chelsea on the state semifinal.
“Very disciplined team,” Farley said of Coldwater. “They run an offense we don’t see, so we’re going to have to be disciplined defensively so they don’t spring any big ones on us.”
Coldwater runs a straight-T, Farley said, and it worked wonders last year.
The Cardinals averaged 32.5 points per game before the semifinal.
“A lot of faking. A lot of deception,” Farley said when asked what makes it so tough to stop. “But they have some good dudes too. If it was just the scheme, everyone would run it. They have the talented players to make it work.”
Coldwater is likely to get its points, which means the Vikings are going to have to do likewise against a defense that allowed 11.4 per game in 2015.
The key, Farley said, is speed, speed and speed.
“We have to take advantage of our speed,” he stressed. “I think that’s the main advantage we will have over them. We have to get guys the ball in space and use our quickness to make things happen.”
More than anything, Farley said he’s got a confident group that’s anxious to get the season going.
“The guys we have, have been successful at JV, and were part of last year’s success,” he said. “They are anticipating a good year, and that’s half the battle sometimes. … To start this up, and see and hit someone else, that’s what you love. The lights come on, and it’s game time. We’re looking forward to it.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.
Visit http://lovedefinedbook.weebly.com for more information.