This time the shoe may be on the other foot.

Thursday, September 06, 2001

This time the shoe may be on the other foot.

When Coal Grove hosted the Green Bobcats 10 years ago, the Hornets jumped out to a 25-0 halftime lead and then coasted the rest of the way for the win.

But Friday night’s game at Coal Grove has a different look, one that is in contrast to that first encounter.

Green, with one win over the past four seasons, comes into the game 2-0 while Coal Grove enters the contest 0-2.

First-year coach Dave Shoupe said the Bobcats fast start has created some excitement and confidence.

"It’s unbelievable. They’re staying focused. They’re aggressive. They’re working hard. They’re enjoying it," said Shoupe.

"We haven’t done anything flashy. We run a few plays and just try to get better."

Although the Hornets are winless, their losses have been to a pair of unbeaten teams, Lucasville Valley and Gallipolis.

Coal Grove coach Nick Miller said his team can’t afford to make mistakes regardless of whom the competition might be on Friday night.

"We have to cut our mistakes way down," Miller said. "If we play like we have the past two games, then we could be in trouble. They’re 2-0 and have a lot of confidence. We’re 0-2 and making so many mistakes. We can’t do that because they have two pretty good backs (Brad Bainer and Alan Salyers)."

Despite Coal Grove’s record, Shoupe knows the Hornets still have enough talent to beat the Bobcats.

"They look strong between the tackles. They seem to be well coached and they have a lot of tradition," said Shoupe. "The thing we have to do is just execute. That’s always the key. We have to keep down the mistakes and hang onto the football."

In other games, Fairland is at Sheldon Clark in Inez, Ky., South Point visits Johnson Central in Paintsville, Ky., Chesapeake plays at Symmes Valley, and Wheelersburg hosts Penn State.