LAURINBURG — Quarterbacks haven’t been able to get comfortable against Scotland’s defense through the first four games of the season.
The Fighting Scots know they need to keep the pressure coming when they line up against Jack Britt quarterback Kevin Sentell and the rest of the Buccaneers offense in a clash of undefeated teams on Friday night.
“We’re going to be doing what we’ve been doing,” Scotland coach Richard Bailey said. “Try to get some pressure on the quarterback. He’s an elusive guy. He’s good at extending plays. He’s not a runner per se, though he will run. But it’s really the scramble breakdown plays where he does a good job of scrambling around and throwing the ball downfield.”
Sentell had a strong run through Jack Britt’s non-conference schedule, throwing for just under 200 yards per game. He has 10 touchdowns and three interceptions under his belt. The senior’s favorite target is receiver Anthony Fiffie, who already has six touchdown receptions this season.
“We’ve got to pressure (Sentell), but we’ve also got to get him on the ground and contain him,” Bailey said. “If we make him throw within the pocket, we’ll be a little more successful stopping him.”
Scotland took a breather during its bye last week. Jack Britt was one of two Sandhills Athletic Conference teams that played last week. The Bucs had their bye earlier in the season.
Scotland used the open week to heal some bruises, and also to run through a variety of game scenarios.
“We’ve been working on a bunch of little things,” Bailey said. “A lot of situational football. We’ve worked on Hail Marys, spiking the ball, two-minute drill. We worked on punting out of the end zone. We worked on onside kicks. We worked on some trick plays and 2-point conversion plays.
“A lot of times during the season, you don’t have the time to practice that stuff,” he added. “You do special teams, but you don’t do a lot of special situations. They may come within special teams or within the game.”
Jack Britt defeated New Hanover 27-20 in overtime on the road last week. Sentell threw for 227 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception.
Before that, the Bucs defeated Pine Forest 46-14, beat Terry Sanford 21-10 and topped South View 26-20 in overtime.
Whatever works
Despite having a tough time developing a consistent passing attack, the Scots are still committed to throwing the ball more than usual. But Bailey is willing to switch back to a power run scheme if needed. That’s what the Scots did in the second half of their 35-8 win at D.H. Conley two weeks ago, and it worked out. Scotland scored 28 points in the second half.
“We’d still like to be able to throw the ball better,” Bailey said. “I think it’ll help us in the long run. Against Conley I thought we should have been able to throw the ball more. They had everyone and their momma at the line of scrimmage. But we’ve got to continue to protect better, and we’ve got to throw the ball better, be more accurate with our throws. Right now we’re just near-missing a lot.
“It’s not a one-person thing. It’s a multi-faceted thing, from the protection to the quarterback to the wideouts. It’s a collective thing, and we’ve got to get better at it.”
Junior quarterback Tyler Barfield will get the starting nod on Friday night.
“We’ll go into that game thinking we can do whatever,” Bailey said after pointing out that he’ll have plenty of pass plays ready to go. “When we get in that game we’ll do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s running it or passing.”
When and where
Friday’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville.
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