A season ago, a win over the Madison Patriots was not only expected, but, as the season played out, would have given Avery a non-losing season and six wins. Instead, with the 33-27 win in Marshall in 2009, the Patriots earned its first win over Avery in recent memory and left the Vikings with a feeling of disgust and disappointment.
Those feelings will likely be at the forefront of the mind of Avery’s players who were part of that game a season ago. In that game Avery led 14-0 early in the second quarter only to see things spiral downward after an interception, a blocked punt and a healthy dose of Madison running back Brandon Henderson.
Head coach Mark Gosnell returns for a second season as head coach at Madison, and returned eight starters on offense and seven on defense, including a strong offensive line and senior starting tailback Henderson, who ran for more than 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2009.
Henderson was having another strong campaign, but an ankle injury in the 37-6 loss to Hendersonville on October 1 forced Henderson (107 carries, 635 yards, 5 TD) to miss last week’s game against Owen. His status for this week’s game with Avery is doubtful.
Triggering the Madison offense is Robbie Shelton (55 of 115 passing, 867 yards, 10 TD; 37 carries, 116 yards, 2 TD). Shelton’s favorite receiver this season has been junior Dalton Ledbetter (15 receptions, 341 yards, 6 TD), along with junior tight end Tyler Gonzalez (10 receptions, 163 yards, 2 TD) and sophomore Deryck Hileman (11 receptions, 136 yards, TD).
Picking up the running workload in the absence of Henderson has been Craig Mace (43 carries, 219 yards, 2 TD), who also serves as one of the leading tacklers on the Madison defense with more than 40 tackles this season.
Along with Hileman (60 tackles) and Blake Moore (more than 40 tackles), the Patriots defense is an underrated group who tackles well and relies heavily on its defense to keep games close and low-scoring.
The Low Down
Henderson was having another strong campaign, but an ankle injury in the 37-6 loss to Hendersonville on October 1 forced Henderson (107 carries, 635 yards, 5 TD) to miss last week’s game against Owen. His status for this week’s game with Avery is doubtful.
Triggering the Madison offense is Robbie Shelton (55 of 115 passing, 867 yards, 10 TD; 37 carries, 116 yards, 2 TD). Shelton’s favorite receiver this season has been junior Dalton Ledbetter (15 receptions, 341 yards, 6 TD), along with junior tight end Tyler Gonzalez (10 receptions, 163 yards, 2 TD) and sophomore Deryck Hileman (11 receptions, 136 yards, TD).
Picking up the running workload in the absence of Henderson has been Craig Mace (43 carries, 219 yards, 2 TD), who also serves as one of the leading tacklers on the Madison defense with more than 40 tackles this season.
Along with Hileman (60 tackles) and Blake Moore (more than 40 tackles), the Patriots defense is an underrated group who tackles well and relies heavily on its defense to keep games close and low-scoring.
The Low Down
In last week’s loss to the Wolverines, the Avery defense struggled to defend the pass, as Polk quarterback Andre Overholt threw four touchdown passes, often to open receivers.
The Vikings sorely missed defensive back/running back Taylor Potter last week, as the senior was nursing a groin injury and did not play. His presence is a calming influence in the Avery secondary, while his ability to find the open hole on offense makes him a key asset on both sides of the football.
Madison seems to be somewhat of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ team this season, losing to hapless Thomas Jefferson Academy one week, then playing a tough, low-scoring affair with conference co-leader Owen the next.
Avery Viking players, many of which took the field in last year’s loss, were embarrassed by last year’s loss and will look to make up for it in a big way this week.
Without Henderson in the backfield, who torched the Vikings for 197 yards in last year’s upset, the Patriots may be hard-pressed to find a running back capable of withstanding the big-hitting potential of the Big Red defense.
By the Numbers
The Vikings sorely missed defensive back/running back Taylor Potter last week, as the senior was nursing a groin injury and did not play. His presence is a calming influence in the Avery secondary, while his ability to find the open hole on offense makes him a key asset on both sides of the football.
Madison seems to be somewhat of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ team this season, losing to hapless Thomas Jefferson Academy one week, then playing a tough, low-scoring affair with conference co-leader Owen the next.
Avery Viking players, many of which took the field in last year’s loss, were embarrassed by last year’s loss and will look to make up for it in a big way this week.
Without Henderson in the backfield, who torched the Vikings for 197 yards in last year’s upset, the Patriots may be hard-pressed to find a running back capable of withstanding the big-hitting potential of the Big Red defense.
By the Numbers
0 – points scored in the first half by the Avery offense in last week’s 36-12 defeat at Polk County.
13 – tackles by Polk linebacker J.J. Maxwell in last week’s Avery loss.
19 – number of yards the Vikings outgained Polk (281 to 262) in last week’s contest, including 146 on the ground.
21 – points scored in the second quarter by Madison in last year’s 33-27 win in Marshall.
122- receiving yards by Avery wide receiver Andy Gonzalez in last year’s contest.
237- rushing yards racked up by the Patriots in last season’s win.
Read next week’s edition of The Avery Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s contest with Madison, as well as a preview of next week’s showdown with Mountain Heritage.
Read next week’s edition of The Avery Journal-Times for a full recap of this week’s contest with Madison, as well as a preview of next week’s showdown with Mountain Heritage.
