Scouting the Longhorns:The Longhorns are coached by Mike Atwood and are members of the Mountain Lakes Conference, where the club finished with a 7-4 overall record last year and third place conference finish.
Johnson County has a relative young offensive line, but returns one of the most experienced sets of skill players in their conference and region. Leading the Longhorns on the field will be senior WR/K Christian Prudhomme (5’10” 178 lbs.; 32 receptions for 590 yards, 8 TD in 2007). Prudhomme earned all-conference honors as well as All-State honors from the Tennessee Sportswriters Association last season. He is a do-it-all kind of player for the Longhorns with 13 catches for 219 yards thus far in 2008.
“Every time he touches the ball, he’s a threat,” Johnson County head coach Mike Atwood remarked of his standout player.
Prudhomme catches passes from returning all-conference senior quarterback Austin Phipps (6’2”, 225 lbs.). In 2007, Phipps threw for 1,206 passing yards with 13 TD passes, and also rushed for 250 yards with three touchdowns. This year Phipps is 18-of-34 passing for 335 yards, with 126 yards rushing on 16 carries through two games.
Lost from last season’s club is leading rusher Tyler Leonard, who rushed for 1,081 yards in 2007, but filling in the gap is senior running back Adam Shelton (24 carries for 235 yards in 2008). Wide receiver Ian Bellamy (11 receptions, 248 yards, TD in 2007) returns for his senior season as well as offensive starters Nick Blackwell (5’10”, 209 lbs.) and Zach Yoggerst (6’1”, 275 lbs.).
The defense also returns experience for the Longhorns in senior linebackers Dakota Grindstaff (5’10”, 185 lbs.) and Seth Captain (5’10”, 170 lbs.). Linebacker Travis Grindstaff had 18 tackles in the team’s first game of the season against Hampton, but is currently injured.
The Low Down:
Avery showed marked improvement on the defensive side of the football last week, but the I-formation offense struggled with the Watauga defense through the first half. From the spread formation utilized in previous seasons, however, the Vikings found greater success moving the football.
Like many teams in the Western Highlands Conference, Johnson County plays a physical brand of football. Avery will need to match that physicality, especially at the line of scrimmage, and also make a concerted effort to limit the production of the Phipps-Prudhomme tandem.
Defensively, the coaching staff called last week’s effort against Watauga the best of the season to date, due in part to the renewed emphasis on wrapping and tackling stressed to the players during recent practices. Jordan English was a beast from his linebacker position last week, and will need similar performances from he and teammates to hold the Longhorn offense at bay.
Offensively, Avery needs to find another weapon in addition to Adam Pate to help shoulder a portion of the yardage burden, particularly in the running game. Pate has shown to be Avery’s most reliable and consistent weapon, but if players such as Chase Arrowood or Travis Thomas can be successful carrying the football it will make the Avery offense more dimensional and keep defenses honest.
If special teams become a factor Friday night Christian Prudhomme, a Division 1 kicking prospect, will be advantageous as he has made a 47-yard field goal earlier this season and consistently makes kicks from 50 yards out in practice.
By the Numbers:
0- points scored by Avery over three quarters of Friday’s loss to Watauga.
9- pass receptions by Johnson County’s Christian Prudhomme in last week’s loss to Elizabethton, for a total of 131 yards.
14- tackles by Avery’s Jordan English in last week’s game at Watauga.
170 – yards in total offense gained by Avery in last week’s 28-14 loss in Boone.
232- yards in total offense gained by Johnson County’s Austin Phipps in last week’s game at Elizabethton.
Pick up next week’s edition of the Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s game with Johnson County.
