Andrews – The Wildcats and Bulldogs will battle it out for a win Friday night, and the game is even bigger than just for bragging rights in Cherokee County.
Both teams need this win to position themselves for a shot at the playoffs. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at Hugh Hamilton Stadium.
Andrews (4-4, 0-3 Smoky Mountain Conference) and Murphy (5-3, 1-2) have both fallen victim to conference leaders Robbinsville and Swain County. As a result, both are looking for a way back into the postseason picture.
“Our mentality is that we have to take care of Andrews this week,” Bulldogs coach Joseph Watson said. “We can worry about the playoffs later. All of our focus is on Andrews right now.”
The Bulldogs have lost three straight meetings to the Wildcats after dominating the series for four decades.
“We are in close proximity, but I am not sure how much anyone thought of this as a rivalry game because it was so one-sided for so long,” said Wildcats coach James Phillips, who also played at Andrews. “We have had some success against them the last couple of years, but right now it’s just another tough conference game.”
Phillips said Andrews has dropped three straight in conference play because of trouble with attention to detail.
“We have been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde team the last few weeks. At times we have played really well, but then the nasty side of it is when we don’t execute,” Phillips said. “It is not like we are making huge mistakes, but it’s a lot of small things, like missing a tackle, or a bad snap, or the wrong linebacker combo.
“You have to do the small things well to be a good team and lately, that hasn’t been us.”
The Wildcats have been working quarterback Everett Tatham back into the mix after missing a few games with an injury. Tatham had his first full week of practice since being back last week before the loss to Robbinsville and is expected to be ready to play against Murphy as well.
“We are trying to help him knock off some of the rust and get him up to a level where he can compete in the Smoky Mountain Conference every Friday, and I think he is getting back there,” Phillips said.
Watson said the Bulldogs have to improve on what they do and not worry about their opponent.
“We have to be better than we have the last two weeks,” Watson said. “The kids have been working hard to focus on what we do and to do it better. There are no off weeks in the Smoky Mountain Conference, and every team can beat you if you are not prepared mentally and physically.”
Phillips said he is not sure where the Wildcats fit in the playoff scheme of things, but there is one thing that cuts through the formula.
“Winning takes care of everything,” Phillips said. “We have two games left against two good opponents, and we have to take care of business.
“The only formula we care about is the one that results in a win.”
