COLUMBUS — A year ago the 0-4 Trojans met the 0-5 Falcons for a game that would result in a 23-0 Columbus win, the only win between the teams. This year, both teams come in on the back of back-to-back wins, channeling momentum under new leadership.
First-year Columbus head coach Barrin Simpson is 2-2 with the Falcons after a 20-14 win over Lafayette two weeks ago and a 34-16 road win at Ripley last Friday. The Falcons were able to respond after two heavy losses to start the season, and responding with wins shows a lot of growth.
“I feel like we can play with anybody but it was a growing phase for us playing some of the best,” he said. “We’ve seen where we are and where we’ve grown from, and our guys understand if they can execute that we have the talent to play with anybody.”
First-year New Hope head coach Allen Glenn is 3-1 after two dominant wins, a 49-0 win over Caledonia and a 42-7 win over Houston. Glenn’s team has been able to run over opponents with strong offensive line play and execution at skill positions, and it’s evident how much the players believe in the new identity.
“Obviously that’s our MO, and if you research the good teams throughout the history of this state, you have to run the football,” Glenn said. “You have to throw as well, but the teams that are consistently able to run the ball at a high level normally win. We’ve been able to establish the run and to be successful moving forward we need to keep doing that.”
When the two teams meet on Friday it will be a clash of teams with similar identities. They pride themselves on the run, and lately, the strong play on defense has given them an extra boost. For New Hope, they’ve been able to take control of games early and pull away.
“We’ve been able to execute at a pretty high level the last few weeks,” Glenn said. “We’ve played well on defense, we’ve forced turnovers that helped us offensively and we won the field position battle as well. I’m proud of how the kids have played and the urgency they’ve played with, and now we have a big one tomorrow night.”
The Falcons’ defense has stood tall as well, keeping them in close games that showcased a toughness that was there even during last year’s 1-10 season. Now that toughness is emanating throughout the team
“We’ve seen our team increase the intensity in special teams and get better on offense and defense,” Simpson said. “It’s guys picking it up and being able to play faster. Our game experience in what we do and understanding what we want to accomplish and doing that through our culture of desire, determination and discipline. We’ve seen the improvement, but there’s a lot of work yet to do.”
Across the state, teams will begin playing district opponents next week. This is the final test for these two teams before playoff spots are on the line each week. It’s a test both coaches are embracing
“I believe games like this will get us ready for the games we’ll play the next several teams,” Glenn said. “Columbus beat a team in our division, and games like this get us prepared for the games that matter down the line. Obviously it’s a cross-town rival, these kids know each other and go to church together, they grew up together, and I think it’ll be a good game.”
The Falcons will host the game at 7 p.m. Friday, the third home game of the season. It’s another chance to continue changing for the better and challenge themselves to keep improving ahead of their first district game.
“Being able to play fast football and being consistent, if we do that I think we’ll be successful,” Simpson said. “We need to be who we are and understand what our opponent does, but most importantly we need to execute our scheme in all three phases. The team that executes and makes the least mistakes wins the ball game. New Hope is obviously better this year in a lot of areas and we need to find the things that we can capitalize on.”
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