Sports - October 2003

Former student Rikard vs. teacher Clark

Published October 8, 2003

East Lincoln coach pitted against former coach Clark as East meets North Gaston

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

————————————

It will be a case of teacher versus student when East Lincoln High head coach Matt Rikard squares off against North Gaston coach Bruce Clark.

“Things have come full-circle. The guy I played for, now I am going out and coaching against. I’ve coached against him as an assistant, but this will be the first time as a head coach,” Rikard said.

Rikard is appreciate of what he’s learned from Clark, but more than anything just wants to beat him.

“He’s helped me out a lot, not only did I play for him but I also coached with him in Greensboro so there’s always that extra incentive to beat him,” he said.

It’s almost like proving his worth to his former coach, he said.

“I want to prove myself to him because he’s been such a big part of my playing and coaching career,” he said.

Offensively

Last week the Mustangs topped the 200-yard mark rushing. This week Rikard is looking for more of the same and that goal should be aided in T.J. Smith’s return from a leg injury.

“We have to run the football. T.J. will return and hopefully be a major factor in that part of the offense,” he said.

Rikard does not want to rely as heavily on big plays anymore.

“We have to sustain some drives and not rely on that (the big play) as much to keep us in the game,” he said.

DEFENSIVELY

Sometimes preparing for a game you form your defensive game plan around one person. For the Mustangs this week it’s explosive Raphael Littlejohn.

Rikard knows Littlejohn will be the key to what the Wildcats try to do.
“We’ve got to stop Littlejohn. There’s actually no way to stop him, but we have to minimize his effectiveness. He’s one of the top runners in the conference,” he said.

There is one play that the Wildcats run consistently that East Lincoln will have to contain.

“We have to do a good job containing the screen passes because they do a good job attacking the perimeters,” Rikard said.

X-Factor

Although North Gaston is 1-5, Rikard insists it is a much better team.

“Their record does not indicate how good they are offensively or defensively,” he said.

For the green and orange to be successful Rikard feels they just have to be ready to play.

“We have to perform. We need to play a whole game like we’ve played our second halves all year,” he said.

 Rikard feels that Clark always gets his kids to rise to the occasion.

“They are extremely well-coached. He has coached for a lot of years, is real knowledgeable and always gets the best out of his kids.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions