CARROLLTON, Ala. — Wade Goodman feels the Pickens Academy football team has the potential to be great this season.
Goodman said a key to realizing that potential will be not buying too much into a season-opening 39-12 victory against North River Christian last week.
While Riley Harcrow rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns and Seth Peeks had three scores, Goodman feels Pickens Academy still has plenty of things to correct as it continues preparations for its home opener against Patrician Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.
Harcrow scored on a 78-yard run on the first play to get the Pirates going. The run was part of a 429-yard rushing effort behind an offensive line that features junior center John Michael Smith, senior right guard John Michael Seymer, senior left guard Hugh Pate, senior right tackle Lucas Baines, and senior left tackle Max Potts.
“If we can get him any kind of crease on offense, he will be hard to stop,” Goodman said of Harcrow, his senior fullback. “One on one he can be pretty dominant. We have to get the ball in his hands.”
Peeks had a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown and scoring runs of 15 and 52 yards. Quarterback Hamner Allen scored on a 6-yard run. Lee Acker added a two-point rush.
Despite the impressive numbers, Goodman hopes for much better. Pickens Academy didn’t get to play a scrimmage after its scheduled event against Oak Hill Academy was canceled. Goodman said he was glad to finally get to play an opponent because his players were getting tired of hitting each other in practice. The Pirates responded on opening night by flying around the field on defense. Pate (seven tackles, five for loss) and Seymer (seven tackles, four for loss) sparked an effort that held North River Christian to 125 yards.
“I wasn’t sure if they would come out like that on defense, but I saw some of the better plays from the secondary coming up than I have in 10 years here,” Goodman said. “They planted the foot and came downhill. That can make a big difference on the sweeps if they plant the foot and come on down instead of standing there and waiting for them.”
Goodman praised the play of senior Dylan Fondren, who was playing cornerback, for being aggressive and playing fundamental football. He said one of the defensive highlights was Fondren coming up and sticking North River Christian for an 8-yard loss.
Still, Goodman believes Pickens Academy can do better.
“I hope we play a lot better,” Goodman said. “We didn’t execute very well at all, especially early in the game.”
Goodman said Allen, a senior, and the passing game mature, so he stressed the importance of not committing penalties and falling behind the chains. The ability to do that takes the pressure off Harcrow, Peeks, and the offensive line to move the ball on the ground.
“I hope they see that they have got to execute and do everything right,” Goodman said. “We don’t have a lot of speed. We have a few guys who can run, but if you execute your block and everybody makes their block, you can be successful.”
Goodman attributes the lack of execution to concentration. He hopes the cliche rings true and that his team sees the biggest improvement from week one to week two. Goodman said the first game of the season should provide a great motivator to show the Pirates what they can accomplish if they continue to get better.
“I think it is totally up to me to keep them grounded,” said Goodman, who will rely on nine seniors to set the tone. “I preach it all of the time. I don’t know if they listen to me, but we preach not to get too high with the highs and too low with the low.
“You have to have short-term memory. If you get too high, somebody will bring you down. If you get too low, you’re not good to us. You have to keep an even keel.
“It is huge to have great senior leadership. It seems they are very focused on doing that. They are going to be leaders. The question is what kind are they going to be? You hope they are doing what they need to do to be successful as a team instead of being selfish. I think we have got a good group.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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