Going to Grimsley’s home football game against Ragsdale tonight? Here are three things to be on the look out for if Ragsdale wants to spring the upset.
1. Ragsdale made a quarterback change in week two, promoting sophomore Braylon Louis. Braylon can make plays with his feet and with his arm, can deliver an accurate pass when given time, but is still learning. The last three games have all been extremely competitive for Ragsdale. They have relied on Braylon to make smart decisions, control the tempo and only take what the defense gives him. Ragsdale hopes on offense will rely on limiting turnovers, something Grimsley has excelled at creating in the last 2 games. Can Braylon be a reliable young playmaker or will the Whirlies feast on the inexperience?
2. Grimsley Starting Fast. Nitpicking here, but if you were watching from the stands, the Whirlie offense lacked rhythm in the opening quarter last week. It felt like one step forward, two steps back. Too many mental mistakes and self-induced errors on the first two drives. Does Grimsley execute better right from the start? To be fair, Grimsley scored touchdowns on their first 5 drives, but it is something to watch as the regular season starts to wind down.
3. Ragsdale’s rushing attack. The Whirlies have done everything well this year, hence their top 3 State Ranking and top Triad Ranking. But some things have been better than others. One of those areas that hasn’t been as crisp for the Whirlies is defending the inside runs and wrapping up in the second level. Enter Ragsdale quarterback and running backs…who love to run inside and love to run thru arm tackles. Can the Tigers get the inside run going to the tune of 4 yards a carry? If they can, they might hang around longer than you think.