LAURINBURG — Unusually hot temperatures coupled with intermittent periods of rain and lighting have forced outdoor sports teams to adapt and adjust their schedules frequently this year.
Scotland’s jayvee football team knows that all too well.
The jayvee Fighting Scots had a hectic week of preparation ahead of its game against Purnell Swett on Thursday night. The varsity football team’s game at Jack Britt was rescheduled to Monday night, so the jayvee squad lost a day of practice. Heat advisories throughout the rest of the week caused the varsity and jayvee teams to make quick changes in order to keep their players away from the blazing sun as much as possible.
“Our practice week was really off this week,” jayvee football coach Thomas Havener said. “We didn’t really get a chance to practice what we wanted.”
But Havener said that wasn’t an excuse for some of the slip-ups the Scots had in a 16-14 win against Purnell Swett on Thursday.
Despite playing sloppily at times, the jayvee Scots pulled through with the help of Christian Cole’s go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter.
The Scots won their third-straight game. They defeated Jack Britt 44-30 the week before in what Havener called his team’s “apex.”
There’s been a common message Havener hand his staff have been preaching in each of the wins.
“It’s just consistency,” Havener said. “No matter who we play, good or bad, we need to play consistent and up to our level, the Scotland level, not somebody else’s level.”
That consistency wasn’t always there against Purnell Swett.
“But (Purnell Swett) executed,” Havener said. “When their guys wanted to go get the ball, they got the ball. It’s nothing that’s new to us when it comes to (facing) different formations. When the kids don’t have practice and the mental reps aren’t there, or the physical reps aren’t there, when you get in a game situation it’s tough for young kids.”
Havener was proud of how his team came together when they needed stops. After Cole’s field goal, the Scots neutralized a couple of late Purnell Swett drives as the Rams tried for a last-minute score.
“If I tell my defense to get a stop, they will try their darndest to get a stop,” Havener said. “If I tell my offense to hold onto the ball, we’re the best at holding onto the ball. It’s resiliency — If you challenge the kids, they’ll come through for you.
“This is two games in a row when I needed a pick late in a game,” he added. “We got what we were looking for, whether it was ball security or a key stop on defense. My kids are resilient.”
