Sports - October 2003

Wolves excited for homecoming game

Published October 3, 2003

Lincolnton is 5-1 and looks to up their conference record to 3-0 with a win over Bunker Hill

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

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Lincolnton finally got some respect receiving votes in 2A state polls this week, but head coach Scott Cloninger is not really concerned about that.

He points out that ‘you’re only as good as your next performance.’

The next performance will come against Bunker Hill. The Bears enter the game with a 3-3 record and are 1-1 in the conference so they will not be a pushover.

Defensively

The Bears run the wishbone and the High Shoals formation that features two receivers on each side of the quarterback in shotgun.

Cloninger is more concerned with the Bears’ best player junior tailback J.P. Killian than with what formation they run.

“Their best player is  Killian. He ran over, through us and around us last year. At 6’0 225 lbs., you have to stop him first and second. He’s the must-stop or at least slow him down,” he said.

With the Bears also running the High Shoals formation, Cloninger knows that his defense will need to step up to thwart the Bears’ in the passing game.

“We’re going to have to play solid pass defense because they are going to throw the ball some. We have been improving in that area, but we have to get better,” he said.

Offensively

The Bears’ defensive front is mammoth, with 6’3” 320 lb. junior Defensive tackle Josh Stamey and 6’ 2” 270 lb. Phillip Kurzyna in the middle.

 As Cloninger points out, “Bunker Hill runs a  5-3 defense, keeping eight people in the box so we are probably going to have to throw the ball more to loosen them up,” he said.

The head coach knows it will not be easy since the Bears have so much size in the middle.

“They have a lot of beef inside and Killian is their middle linebacker. So they have a lot of beef in their defensive interior with those three,” he said.

Cloninger said that his receivers need to be ready to step up and make plays.

“You have to find a way to equalize them and that may be with the pass. Our receiving corps is just going to have to catch that football and continue to improve at the receiver positions,” he said.

Two receivers that Cloninger has been real pleased with is Eric Wilson and Terrell Phelps. However, he wants the former of the two to get more touches.

“He’s (Terrell) done a good job for us and we need to get Eric in the passing game a little more. We have a couple of people that we can use that we have to get into the passing game,” he said.

X-Factor

The biggest factor according to Cloninger will just be coming to play.

“In this league you have to play each game on any given night anybody can beat anybody in our conference. I just don’t think we can look past Bunker Hill,” he said.

Cloninger points out that last year they were down to the Bears 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

“You can’t look down the road you have to play 48 minutes, you just can’t look past this game to the next game or two games down the road. You have to take it one game at a time,” he said.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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