The Lynn Camp Wildcat High School Football Team is looking ahead to its next game following a 37-0 loss to Knott County Central Pioneers on Sept. 4.
“We went on the road again with a young team. We are playing so many freshmen and sophomores. We just didn’t handle the trip very well. I worried about it. I talked to our guys when we got off the bus. I just don’t feel like, for whatever reason, we were in the right mindset to play,” said Lynn Camp Head Coach Allen Mitchell.
Mitchell noted the game started out “pretty well” with his team only down 6-0 with approximately three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The team was able to get its defense off the field at that point and began making some plays.
“We just had a couple of untimely turnovers. Being youthful, we hung our heads a little bit and kind of let the game get out of hand on us,” Mitchell said. “Our effort has been really good. It is just we have not really had the attention to details that we need, especially when you go on the road.”
Conner Mabe had three receptions totaling 63 yards receiving on the night, and two carries where he picked up a total of 12 yards. In addition, he recorded three of the team’s 21 solo tackles.
Blake Partin recorded 4 solo tackles and 8 total tackles on the night.
Josh Jody had a good night defensively recording 8 solo tackles. He struggled on offense picking up 23 yards on 4 passing completions to go along with 4 interceptions on the evening.
Between week two and week three of the season, Mitchell said he feels like some of his team has had individual improvement without the team improving overall.
“There are still too many kids not following their assignments. It is not they are trying not to follow the assignments. They are trying to do too much instead of doing their own job. When you do that football wise teams find that. We are actually overplaying stuff too much,” Mitchell said. “We are just not playing sound football, but I think it is from trying to do too much. It is just inexperience. We are going to get there and continue to grow.”
Mitchell noted the team only had four players come back from last year, so the team is “pretty much brand new.”
Even players, who came back, are in new spots.
“There is a lot of growth that needs to take place. We are just going to continue go to work and get our guys better. We have an experienced staff. We are going to try and push the kids while still loving them,” he said.
Knott County Central improved to 3-0 on the season with the victory. Lynn Camp fell to 1-2 on the season with a trip to Thomas Walker High School in Ewing, Virginia this Friday night. So far, Thomas Walker is winless on the season.
Mitchell said at this point in the season, 95 percent of the game plan focus is just on what his own team is doing and its processes.
“We are just trying to get better at every spot. I feel like we have a good game plan offensively and defensively, but now it is just coaching our kids to make sure we are disciplined enough to stay in the right spots both offensively and defensively,” he added.
