Dean: ‘This is the regoin championship for us’
Published 4:03 pm Friday, September 13, 2013
The Charles Henderson Trojans are fresh off one of the biggest wins in recent memory, but don’t expect to see them let up in the second week of region play.
Charles Henderson hits the road for the first time in 2013 Friday night as the Trojans travel to Tallassee for another key region match up.
Mike Dean, head coach of the Charles Henderson Trojans, says that his team can’t become complacent now, even after the big win last week over defending region champion Beauregard.
“To us, it’s another playoff game.” Dean said. “We have sold our kids on this game being the region championship. We don’t mean any disrespect to the other teams, but this is a must win if we want to be region champs. Last year, we lost the first two (region games) then won the rest. We think we can win them all this season.”
The Trojans fell to Tallassee 17-14 a season ago in a game where Dean feels that Charles Henderson could’ve won if not for a few key mistakes.
“We have replayed the game last year, both in our heads and on film,” Dean said. “We had a slow start, and they came out more physical than us. We came back and tied it up at 14, and then we made some mistakes. We ran the wrong route on a pick route and the receiver dropped the football. They then outflanked us on a long run to get in position for a field goal. It is revenge part two.”
Despite being a relatively young team, the Tigers possess one of the best one-two punches in the state at running back with Brandon Baynes and D.J. Rivers.
Dean said that the combo of Baynes and Rivers will be a tough test for the lightning quick Charles Henderson defense.
“This is a really good football team we are playing on Friday,” Dean said. “They have two great running backs, probably the best we will see all year. We have to come ready to play, or it will be just like last year.”
Leading up to Beauregard, Dean stressed the importance of have a “good, complete” week of practice. He feels that the week went well, and they good spirits have carried over to this week as well.
“The kids are excited and ready to go,” Dean said. “We have had a great week of practice, and they are extremely focuses. I am really excited to see how they come out and play ball.”
The all-time series between the Trojans and Tigers is tied at 6 games each, with Tallassee winning three out of the last four. The series is so close that both teams have scored the same amount of points, 212.
Kickoff for the big region game is set for 7 p.m. at Hot O’Brien Stadium in Tallassee.