Jason Chappell’s North Laurel Jaguars have played one of the toughest schedules in Class 5A, and will enter Friday’s home matchup against South Laurel with hopes of erasing their memory last week’s 28-0 loss to Southwestern.
The Jaguars are now 2-3 overall, and 0-1 in district play despite possessing one of the best defenses in the state.
“Our kids were very disappointed,” Chappell said. “The way we have scheduled, every game requires us to play our best for 48 minutes. This past Friday, we played really well for about 30 minutes. We are disappointed, but our kids are very committed to each and will continue to strive to play a complete game.
“This is an important week for several reasons,” he added. “It is a district game. Both of us are 0-1 in district and need to get back in the win column. It is a big, cross town rivalry game that is very important in our community. Lastly, the most important thing for us in this game is to simply play better, cleaner for a longer period of time. We have played on a very high level for short periods of time. We must create some consistency.”
Chappell said he’s excited and ready for Friday’s game to kick-off. He also mentioned he’s been blessed to be a part of several rivalries, and the North/South Laurel matchups is one of the best rivalries in the mountains.
“It is a unique rivalry in this part of the state because both schools are a part of the same school system,” he said. “Most others that I’ve been involved in have included separate school districts.
“That fact alone makes this very intense,” he added. “All of our kids have grown up playing with and against each other. Parents and families work together and sit in churches together. It’s a fun rivalry. I have been a part of this rivalry on both sides. There are great people on both sides of this county, but they are all very competitive.”
Despite last week’s loss, Chappell said his team is ready and focused at the matter at hand.
“It’s hard to believe that we are already at week seven,” he said. “We have done a great job of staying focused on the job at hand. Again, our schedule has been so tough that we have not been afforded the opportunity to look ahead.
“I think South is a much improved football team,” Chappell added. “They are 4-2 and appear to be a very confident group of young men. They play with great effort. Their kids fly around on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they are multiple and will give us lots of things to prepare for. On offense, they do a great job of using space to their advantage. We will need to play with great intensity, create some consistency on offense and be extremely disciplined with our eyes on defense and then be able to finish plays by being great tacklers in space.”
Chappell said the keys of the game for his team are simple.
“They are almost always the same,” he said. “We have to win the turnover battle, must stay ahead of the chains and limit silly penalties.”
