After traveling to Avery County last Friday, the Bulldogs will be setting up shop at the dog house as they host the Johnson County Longhorns Friday.
The Bulldogs and Longhorns are two teams that had completely different games last week.
The ’Dogs opened up their season with a 54-17 win against the Vikings. The most notable aspect of the Bulldogs’ performance at Avery County was how quickly Hampton got things rolling. Within the 1:36 of the opening quarter, the Bulldogs were on board. The Bulldogs grabbed two more runs in the first quarter, with all three first-period TDs coming from the legs of Adam McClain. McClain would finished the game with a total of 142 yards and four TDs. McClain’s fellow running back Jerry Lunsford led in yardage as he bagged 192 yards on the ground, helping Hampton record 468 yards of rushing.
While the ’Dogs were giving a clinic on scoring at Avery County High School, the Longhorns were having a hard time with the Sullivan East Patriots, with the Patriots dishing out a 21-0 shutout to Johnson County. The ’Horns were able to collect 189 yards of total offense, with most of that coming from the air (123 yards). It is the Longhorns’ ability to pass that will have the Bulldogs looking to defend an air attack. Last Friday, the Longhorns most effective target was receiver Cody Bailie, who had 73 yards receiving on seven catches.
“They throw the ball a lot, but they are little bit more fifty-fifty,” Hampton coach Mike Lunsford said about the Longhorns.
Offensively, the Bulldogs will have to keep an eye on the Longhorns’ defensive line, Lunsford said. However, he feels confident that his team has enough tricks up their sleeves to be effective against most defenses.
“We are capable of moving the ball through the air,” he said. “We are capable of running the ball in power sets, and we are capable of running the ball in sprint sets. That is important. . . In high school ball you usually can’t get all three of those.”