Due to its 41-0 dismantling of Happy Valley in the third game of the regular season, the Cyclones will be heavily favored tonight against their county rival as the two teams open the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs at Dave Rider Field.
“We know we’re the better team,” said Elizabethton coach Shawn Witten. “We know there’s a lot of pressure on us. The expectations are for us to win. They’re coming in here with the attitude that it’s a no-lose situation for them. Sullivan North took away our conference championship. Happy Valley’s looking to take away our playoff run.”The Warriors (6-4) face an Elizabethton team that seems to be peaking at the right time.
The Cyclones (7-3) capped the regular season with last Friday’s 48-6 whipping of Sullivan East — a team that shut out Happy Valley 28-0 earlier this year — with a four-game win streak, outscoring its opposition 159- 19 in that time.
“The thing you kind of like best about our team is that we’ve kind of done it spreading the ball around,” Witten said. “Defensively, we shut down (Sullivan East runner) Glover last week. A number of guys have really got their hands on the ball. … We’re an exciting football team, we just need to play well. I think we can’t be beat if we don’t turn over the ball.”
As confident as the Cyclones are, they certainly aren’t looking a Happy Valley team that stunned the region with its upset of Hampton two weeks ago. Witten said his team has focused on its improvement throughout the week, which he called one of the better practice weeks of the year.
“I think our kids have been very humble this week,” he said. “They’ve gone to work. The extra day of preparation kind of helped us this week. We were out of school Monday and Tuesday and our kids got some extra time to focus.
“It’s a tough situation for our kids because of what we’ve done earlier in the year. We’re real focused on us getting better. We’re on a mission. We’ve got goals we want to reach. It’s a big game, playoffs, and you’ve got to take everything outside of it and you’ve got to play well.”
The Cyclones know Happy Valley has relished its second chance throughout the week and expect a different team to take the field Friday night than the one they faced earlier this year.
“It’s a little bit of a do-over for them,” said Witten. “They weren’t ready the first time. There was a lot of hype in the first game and I think we kind of brought them down to another level, a little bit.
“We know what they did coming in here last year at our place. It’s tough to beat a team twice, but I think it says a lot about your program, a lot about our kids, if we get focused and take care of business.”
The good news for the Cyclones on offense is Terrence Turner’s health. Turner, who suffered from turf toe against Johnson County, eased onto the field with a couple of carries a week ago and is expected to take more carries against the Tribe.
“Terrence is a little bit better,” the coach said. “He’s probably going to get more snaps than he’s had in the last couple of weeks. The thing about it is the thing he brings you is his experience, his ball security, his abilities to make plays. … We can do a lot of things with Terrence in there.”
Turner has 1,231 yards on the season, averaging 8.43 yards per carry. When Turner’s out, freshman Ethan Thomas, who rushed for 125 yards and two scores last week against East, Clayton Smith, Zach Moore and Luke Nidiffer will continue their by-committee work.
“We’ve got a number of guys that have really stepped up in a lot of different ways,” Witten said. “I still look for those guys to still get some carries and still get the ball. We need those other guys to continue to step up.”
While the turnover game will be key on offense, the Cyclones’ defensive ability to control Happy Valley’s run game will truly tell the story of the game. For both facets of the game to work to Elizabethton’s advantage, the boys in the trenches will need to continue their effort,” Witten said.
“Anytime you’ve got a good defense that gives yourself a chance,” added the coach. “I really think the key is our front seven and offensive line. The offensive line has done a great job all year long throwing the ball and running it. If we stop the run, which is 90 percent of what they do, and if we can run the football, I think it gives us a better chance of winning.”Tonight’s game at Brown-Childress Stadium kicks off at 7 o’clock. Gates will open at 5 p.m.