The Jefferson Dragons will travel due south to Robinson this Friday for their first game of the 2011 season. The State Champion Dragons will more than likely be a heavy favorite in this game, but there are a few reasons why game 1 could go in either team’s favor.
1 If this game would have been played last season, there would have been enough division 1 football prospects to fill the needs of 3 college programs. But, the seniors have departed and both teams are waiting for new superstars to bloom.
2 Both Jefferson and Robinson lost 1/3 of their team to graduation. Robinson departed 22 seniors, while Jefferson saw 25 seniors hang up their helmets. This means there will be plenty of inexperienced starters for both teams.
3 This contest will feature new QBs for both teams. Blake Rice, Robinson and Quentin Williams, Jefferson has both moved on to play collegiate football. Enter Tyler Small and or Deandre Porter at QB for Jefferson and Tony Hampton for Robinson. Neither QB has a regular season varsity game of experience and will need to play error free to give their team the best chance to win.
4 Both squads came away victorious for the preseason classics last Friday. Robinson shutout Seminole in impressive fashion, 42-0 and Jefferson answered any questions of how good they would be with a big win over Tampa Bay Tech., 46-21. Confidence will be sky high!
5 This game will be played at Robinson, which tilts the advantage towards the Knights. Robinson has gone through a number of emotional ups and downs over the past 24 months, which has drawn the community closer. Expect a packed home section at Robinson on Friday.
6 Neither team will step into this game boasting about their offensive line. Yet, they will be observing, watching as the offensive line improves throughout the game. Both teams were hit hard upfront. Jefferson especially, which will line up with 5 brand new starters on the offensive line; a vast difference from last year’s state team where had all 5 starters played 3 years together.
7 The Dragons and The Knights will rely heavily on the talent of their skill players. Byron Pringle, Ethan Kindle, Carlos Duclos and Vic Rivera will be the guys Robinson counts on this season to get them through tough times. The Dragons will lean on Charles Booth, Tyriq McCord, Juwann Coffee, Shaq Speights, Will Watson Adrian and Aaron Jenkins to carry the Dragons. The offensive fire power is evident for both teams, but how will there fair against each other?