KINGWOOD, W.Va. – Preston High football coach Jonathan Tennant thought his defense would be facing a one-dimensional offense last week at John Marshall, and while that held true for the most part, the group will need to step up this week at Robert C. Byrd who hosts one of the state’s best running backs and a quick senior quarterback.
That running back is Jeremiah King, who dismantled East Fairmont last Friday with more than 200 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone. That alone should be enough to wake up the Knights (0-2) who allowed 347 yards and five scores on the ground in their 46-13 loss to the Monarchs. Dalton Flowers, JM’s standout running back, picked up 145 of those yards and Alex Burton added another 138 yards to stymie the Knights, but King, a junior, is much better than both of those runners.
“Our defensive line has to step it up,” Tennant said. “They haven’t played well the last couple of games, but they’re getting better. We’re making personnel changes. Jeremiah King is probably the best running back that we’ll see, probably the best in the state. He’s fast, strong, shifty – I’ve never seen one person tackle him. We’re going to have to have 11 defenders to the football every play just to try and keep him under 200, because he’ll get his yards. We can’t let him run wild.”
The other piece of the Eagles’ (2-0) puzzle PHS has to figure out is senior QB, Xavier Lopez. A three-year starter, Lopez is a dual-threat, especially tricky to watch in addition to a high-production RB like King lining up with him.
“He’s got a big arm. He knows what he’s doing back there, and he can tuck its and run anytime he wants to back there,” Tennant said.
Good things are happening with the Knights, though. According to Tennant, the offensive line has improved, opening holes for J.J. Townsend who had 126 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries against JM, as has ball security. Things to improve on offense, however, are creating more, consistent opportunities for Townsend, the passing game and securing first downs.
“We’ve got to be able to complete the short routes, and hopefully that will open the longer ones and the running game,” Tennant said.
Even with the improvements, PHS isn’t off scot-free. RCB’s defense loves to play an aggressive front, utilizing their linebackers on quick blitz attacks.
“They love to pressure,” Tennant said. “About every play they send in an inside linebacker or outside linebacker, so we’ve got to have our eyes up. I told them, “O-Line, running backs, quarterbacks, everyone’s got to have yours eyes up. They’re coming. There’s just no question about it.’”
This is especially important considering Preston QB Trevor Thomas had some issues facing pressure from North Marion in Game 1. While he broke out of the pocket too much for Tennant’s liking that game, Thomas is getting more comfortable in that spot regardless of pressure. Further, Tennant notes that Thomas controlled the ball better in the JM game – not giving up a big sack and didn’t throw what would have been a major interception – but instead of throwing a lot of passes he ran the ball. That wasn’t a major problem to have, though, as Thomas showed skills tucking and running the ball, picking up some solid yardage.
“They’re a very talented team,” Tennant said. “We’re going to have to play very well.”
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