Secondary has primary importance for Bucs

Boyd-Buchanan's defensive backs are ready to play Cascade right now. They were ready Wednesday. Actually they were ready before that. Wednesday was the day one of them exclaimed, "This is what we've been waiting for all year!"

The secondary members are eagerly awaiting Cascade and its high-powered passing offense, which will be on exhibit tonight at Boyd-Buchanan when the Champions and Buccaneers clash in a TSSAA Class 2A high school football quarterfinal at 7. The winner will play Rockwood or Hampton in a semifinal next Friday.

The state championship game is Dec. 5 at Cookeville.

The Champions began the season 2-3 but haven't lost since scrapping their wing-T offense in favor of a more pass-oriented spread attack.

"They seem to be able to throw the ball pretty well," Boyd-Buchanan cornerback Clint Babb said. "They have some key receivers, and they have some speed, too."

Taylor Shull lines up at the other corner. Those two and free safety Trey Ferguson are seniors and three-year starters for the Bucs, who base their defense out of a 4-4-3 alignment. They alter it at times, dropping senior outside linebacker and two-year starter Matthew Crowe into a strong safety role.

"We're going to stick with what works for us," said Crowe, whose twin Andrew is a reserve defensive back and the starting quarterback.

One issue the Bucs dealt with during this week's practices was trying to simulate the offense they're about to see. The defensive backs noted that Howard's receivers were comparable to Cascade's, that Copper Basin had a similar-sized line and that Red Bank's skill-position players more than measured up. However, no one previous opponent on Boyd-Buchanan's schedule has been as pass-happy as the Champions.

Shull thinks a fierce pass rush helped discourage some teams.

"They've gotten good pressure on everybody," Shull said of the Bucs' defensive linemen. "Some teams haven't wanted to throw it much. Sometimes we haven't had much work to do because of them."

Given the chance to work, Boyd-Buchanan's starting defensive backfield has come up with 10 of the team's 14 interceptions. Babb and Shull have four each. Ferguson has returned one for a touchdown. He's also the third-leading tackler for a unit averaging allowing eight points per game.

"He's pretty good, when the ball breaks the line of scrimmage, about coming up and making the tackle," Boyd-Buchanan coach Grant Reynolds said.

Reynolds noted that his skill-position players participated in many seven-on-seven passing drills before the season. He hopes those exercises helped them prepare for games like this.

Reynolds also appreciates the decision-making that's been displayed by Cascade's sophomore quarterback Jared Carkuff, whose father, Maurice, is offensive coordinator. Carkuff has completed 62 percent of his 179 passes for 1,477 yards and 21 touchdowns.

"It's going to be difficult," Ferguson said, "but that's what makes it fun."

Reynolds expects Champions receivers will make some catches, so solid tackling is a must. He's also emphasizing staying on the plus side of turnovers, even though Carkuff has thrown only eight interceptions all season. The challenge for the Bucs' defensive backs is to inflate that total.

"I think these four guys are going to be the key for us." Reynolds said. "It's comforting knowing they've played there before. We have a lot of experience back there."