CHHS Trojans look for tough battle Friday

By Nick Duke | Troy Messenger

Published Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The first month of the 2009 football season has been tough for Charles Henderson.

The Trojans (1-3) have played a tough schedule that has included games against Greenville, Tallassee, Booker T. Washington and Valley.

Unfortunately for CHHS, the schedule doesn’t get any easier this week, as unbeaten 6A Theodore will visit Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium for a tilt with the Trojans.

While Theodore is currently unranked in the ASWA Class 6A poll, the Bobcats are getting lofty praise from CHHS head coach Hugh Fountain.

“They’re a very tough team,” Fountain said. “They’re probably the best team we’ll play all year.”

The Bobcats are led by senior linebacker C.J. Mosley. Mosley is a four-star rated prospect by Rivals.com and is also ranked as the third-best inside linebacker in the country by Rivals.

Fountain said accounting for Mosley would be a challenge, but not the only challenge Theodore will present defensively.

“The main thing is that we’ve got to make sure that we get a body on him at all times,” Fountain said. “But, the thing is, he’s not their only good defensive player. Their entire front seven is pretty good.”

Fountain said the athleticism of the Bobcat defense could prove to be especially problematic for the Trojans.

“The thing is they don’t have a whole lot or 275-pounders, but they’ve got some 230 and 240-pounders that can really run,” Fountain said.

Theodore is also talented on the offensive side of the ball, however, and is led by its quarterback-running back tandem.

“On offense, they have their quarterback, Chris Nelson, back from last year,” Fountain said. “They lost their starting running back from last year, but their second string guy, Todd Neal is back and he’s stepped into that starting role for them and done a nice job.”

CHHS has seen many different offensive schemes this season, from spreads to wishbones, but the Bobcat offense should be a bit more conventional.

“Offensively, they’ll be in a two-tight end, two-splitouts, one-back set,” Fountain said. “They like to run the ball, but they definitely have the ability to throw it. Nelson has a strong arm and he’s matured a lot from his sophomore to his junior year.”

The Bobcats are averaging over 37 points per game, while the Trojans come into Friday’s game averaging a little over 16 points per contest.

Fountain said the Trojans have to change their offensive mentality in order to produce better results on the field when CHHS has the ball.

“The thought process this week has been ‘first downs lead to touchdowns,’” Fountain said. “We haven’t done a good job of just moving the chains this year, and that’s something we’ll have to do in order to have success this week.”

While it has been a rough first four games for the Trojans, Fountain said there is no quit in his team.

“Our kids are still fighting,” Fountain said. “They know there are still a lot of huge games left to go this season. They’re working hard in practice every day to get better, and I feel like we will get better as the season progresses.”

Charles Henderson will face off against Theodore Friday at 7 p.m. at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium.

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