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Wildcats enter crucial stretch
Published October 2, 2008
GUNTERSVILLE — The Guntersville football team appears to be peaking as it enters the critical stretch of its season.
The Wildcats’ next three games will determine their postseason destination, as Phil Isom’s squad faces Plainview, No. 5 North Jackson and No. 6 Fairview. All four are tied for first place in the Class 4A, Region 7, standings.
Guntersville (4-1, 3-0) extended its winning streak to four games with a 30-10 triumph over rival Arab last Friday.
“We know this is the most important game of the year this week with Plainview,” Isom said of Friday’s contest at Rainsville, which is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
“I don’t think our kids really look past that. I think our kids realize that we’ve got to go out and get it done this week, and really prepare well and be ready. We have to get ourselves not only physically ready, but mentally ready.”
Friday’s contest is believed to be the first between the Wildcats and Bears. This is Plainview’s inaugural season as a 4A school.
The Bears (4-1) have reeled off four wins in a row since losing their opener to Class 5A, No. 9 Fort Payne.
Quarterback Gabe Graham is 60-of-102 passing for 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
Keenan Hodges has 17 receptions for 280 yards while Josh Kidd has 16 catches for 181 yards.
Jordan Fee leads the Bears’ ground attack with 593 yards on 92 carries. He’s scored 10 touchdowns.
Plainview’s offense is averaging 38 points per game. Its defense is yielding only 11 points per contest.
“Plainview is an outstanding football team,” Isom said. “They’ve got a lot of tradition. Coach (Dale) Pruitt has won no telling how many football games at Plainview over the past 15 to 20 years.
“They have the Graham kid at quarterback and the big running back (Fee). They’ve got four or five excellent receivers and a big offensive line.
“On the defensive side, they pursue the football so well.
“They’re so well-coached that you’ve really got to be prepared when you go in and play them or you’re going to get lit up in a hurry.
“They’ve just got an outstanding all-around football team. We know we’ve got to be really well-prepared to be in it.”
Turning it around
After stumbling out of the gates with a 21-10 loss to Boaz, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 134-31 during their winning streak.
Corey Cahill, a junior, has become the Wildcats’ featured running back, gaining 885 yards on 85 carries.
Sophomore Chris Daniel’s improvement at quarterback has been another key to the streak.
Daniel is 31-of-50 passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns.
“Corey has had three or four weeks that he’s ran the ball really well,” Isom said. “I really feel like our offensive line has gotten better each week.
“Hopefully, Daniel has settled in and he’s doing a good job running our offense. The things we can do with him he does well, and hopefully we can continue to improve there.
“Through the stretch we know we’re going to have to throw it some, and hopefully we’ll be able to do that.”
Guntersville’s defense is allowing only 12.4 points per contest.
Four Wildcats have at least 30 tackles — Jason Conley, 37; Jesse Teal, 32; Bryant Hawkins, 31; and David Oberle, 30.
“We’re really, really proud of our defense,” Isom said. “They have went out each week and battled.
“I think they’ve improved from week to week, and hopefully they can continue to be solid and continue to get stops.”
Isom has been pleased with his team’s work ethic.
“I think our kids have worked really hard, knowing that we had a lot of spots to fill,” he said. “We had a lot of kids to replace, and the kids have just committed to continue to work hard and to try to build on each week.”
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