After Tough Scrimmages, Boles Set For First Game

Todd Wallace could not have scheduled two tougher preseason scrimmage opponents for his Boles Hornets than Lone Oak and Winnsboro.

However, the Hornets held their own against a pair of the state’s best Class 2A teams, setting up an anticipatory mood for Boles’ season opener Saturday against Rice.

Talking about last week’s scrimmage at Winnsboro, Wallace said he saw some good things on both sides of the football.

"For large portions, I thought we controlled both scrimmages. Defensively, we didn’t give up a touchdown until against the Winnsboro first group," he said. "We also had one goal-line stand and had a good stop in the live quarter."

Wallace also praised the efforts of running backs Austin Cantrell and Cyle Monroe.

"They both played a lot better than they did the first week," the coach noted.

Going up against Rice, Wallace said he knows he has a stout rusher in Lane Sutton, but Cantrell and Monroe could provide even more depth in the backfield.

"We already know what Lane can do," he said. "I thought our passing game got a little bit better against Winnsboro.

"The only real problems were protection issues. They got a little more pressure on (quarterback) Kailob (Wallace) than I would like," Coach Wallace added.

As it was last year, the Hornets’ season opener will be played at Canton’s Norris Birdwell Stadium starting at 7 p.m.

"The first game is always exciting. It doesn’t matter who you play, there is always that sense of expectation," Wallace said.

"But there are always a lot of variables in that first game," he added, "things like whether your special teams are any good and is your conditioning good enough for four quarters."

Although Rice operates out of a Wing-T set, Wallace said he expects the Bulldogs may throw the ball a little more than they have in previous years.

Defensively, Rice will give the Hornet offensive line "a good mental workout," Wallace said.

"They stunt and loop with people everywhere. They are going to make you look bad on certain plays, but we are hoping maybe we can catch them in a stunt and hit enough big plays in the game," he explained.

Last year, Boles cruised to a 57-8 win in what Wallace termed as perhaps the team’s best defensive performance of the season. Rice’s ground game managed just 12 total yards.

"I thought we had a good game plan and executed it pretty well," the coach said. "We’re not a Wing-T offense anymore, but we were for several years…When you have run that same offense for years, you know a bit about how to stop it."

Wallace said he hopes for a similar defensive performance this time around and to avoid things like fumbles and penalties.

"Last week in our scrimmage, we started well and scored in five or six plays," he said, "but after that I thought we were up-and-down…then in the live quarter we got back in our rhythm but then fumbled at the Winnsboro 15.

"You can’t do that, things like fumbles and penalties. You cannot make mistakes," Wallace added. "We are going to go out there and try to execute what we do."