When Collinsville and Triad meet Friday night in the Kahoks football home opener, it is a safe bet that footballs will not fill the air.
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Collinsville and Triad high schools combined for 791 rushing yards and 55 passing yards in their opening game losses last week. Collinsville went for 428 yards on 53 carries in their 23-21 loss to Althoff. Triad rumbled for 363 yards on 51 carries during their 36-33 loss to Mattoon.
“There’s not going to be a lot of clock stoppages for incomplete passes,” Collinsville Head Coach John Blayock said.
The teams share more than an affinity for running the ball, they also run very similar offensive systems. The familiarity with the offense could allow the defenses to shine, Blaylock said.
Collinsville’s linebackers will be tested against an offense that attempted only two passes against Mattoon. Senior linebackers Brandon Fisher and Cody Reynolds, in particular, will be counted on to contain the Knight’s offense, Blaylock said.
Senior quarterback Jason Barbour led Triad in week one with 23 carries for 192 yards. He also threw a 27-yard touchdown on his only pass completion.
When the Kahoks have the ball, they will try to minimize mistakes. They lost two fumbles and threw an interception against Althoff.
“We have to clean-up our own mistakes. If we do that, we have every chance of succeeding.”
Three Collinsville backs had at least 10 carries last week and averaged at least seven yards per carry. Junior running back Jamal Wellmaker paced the Kahoks with 17 carries for 170 yards, a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. Junior fullback Jordan Miller lugged the ball 18 times for 158 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Devin Burch chipped in a touchdown and 85 yards on 12 carries
Blaylock expects a very competitive game between two teams who lost late leads in opening games. “Both groups of kids will come out with fire in their eyes, looking for that first victory,” Blaylock said.
Kick off is at 7 p.m. Friday at Kahok Stadium. The game will be streamed live at kahoksports.com.
