(Courtesy photo: Coach Zac Harrell.)
Note: This interview was recorded in the Athens ISD Field House on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
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The 4-0 Athens Hornets will begin District 9-4A play this Friday night at home against 3-1 Chapel Hill. Coach Zac Harrel said the Bulldogs are the best team the Hornets have faced all year.
Friday will be Senior Night at Bruce Field with festivities scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
We start off this interview discussing what we learned during the non-district portion of the Hornets’ schedule before getting into a preview of the Bulldogs.
The Breakdown (Quotes from Coach Zac Harrell)
-- The defense and particularly the front seven. (1:27)
The Hornets came into this season with a new defensive coordinator and a new philosophy up front. The changes worked well during non-district.
“I felt like, coming into this season, that would be a strength of our team, our defense, even though we have a lot of new players and we have a new scheme. The scheme that Coach (Flint) Bigham has brought to Athens really fits our kids.”
“We’ve been really pleased with how our front seven has played and how they’ve gotten better every week.”
-- Ty Arroyo begins the season well. (4:04)
Two players battled for the quarterback spot with sophomore Ty Arroyo winning the job. Arroyo has played well the first four games.
“Ty has progressed more than I would have imagined before this season. More than I could have predicted up until this point.”
“He has done a great job of getting better every week and being coachable.”
-- The improvement of the offensive line. (4:54)
The Hornets saw the most turnover on the offensive line, where only one lineman came into the year with varsity experience.
“Those guys have gotten better every week. John Hayes at left tackle has been our most consistent offensive lineman up to this point and played at an extremely high level.”
“They’re going to have to keep getting better because the competition is fixing to definitely get tougher. And we knew that going into this year and we knew that’s how it was going to be and I think we’re up for the challenge.”
-- The Hornets have a lot of talent in the skill positions. (7:40)
The skill positions were expected to be a strength for Athens coming into the season and that is what we saw during non-district play.
“The improvements in year two have really been even more than I could have expected before the year, especially losing as much offseason time as we did. So we are extremely pleased with where our kids are at in our schemes and just buying into our values and our program.”
-- What areas does Coach Harrell think the team needs improvement? (11:10)
The Hornets gave up some big plays in the passing game against Wills Point that need to be cleaned up. Also, the offensive line needs to improve on getting assignments right.
“We’re still busting too many assignments.”
-- What does “eye discipline” mean? (12:58)
Eye discipline is a term used by defensive coaches and is important in the secondary.
“What that means is, and that’s very important, is for those secondary guys to have their eyes on their read.”
“It takes a lot of reps, especially with young kids back there.”
-- Chapel Hill looks better this year. (15:40)
The Chapel Hill Bulldogs have already won more games this year than they did all of last season.
“They’re a very good football team. Coach (Jeff) Riordian does a great job, he’s a great football coach, he’s been successful everywhere he’s been. They provide a huge challenge for us and one that we’re excited about.”
-- What kind of offense do the Bulldogs play? (16:15)
Chapel Hill plays a spread offense similar to the Hornets.
“They want to play fast. They’re very balanced. They’re going to throw the ball down the field, they have talented receivers. But they’re also very good at running the ball.”
-- Chapel Hill on defense. (18:48)
The Bulldogs are an aggressive, multiple front defense.
“Any front that you could possibly play, they’ve played. They want to create confusion with that. They’re going to blitz you, they’re going to bring people to try and get to your quarterback.”
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