NEW PARIS — National Trail’s schedule has not done them any favors. The Blazers had a rough week one, facing off against a tough Preble Shawnee squad, before hosting Cross County Conference powerhouse Miami East and losing 43-0.
“I was disappointed in our effort. I thought we had a good game plan. The kids knew what they were going to run, when they were going to run it, and out of what formations. We ran through it all week. There was just a disconnect,” said Trail head coach Randy Kerns. “We didn’t make our checks when we needed to. Our auto offensively was just anemic. We have to get a lot of stuff figured out.”
The Vikings did not punt once in the first half, as they controlled the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game, sustaining long, consistent drives on their way to a 13-0 lead after the first quarter.
In the second, East tacked on two more touchdowns and a field goal, bringing their lead to 30-0. The entire second half was played with a continuous clock as the mercy rule took effect.
“They come right at you. They were more physical than us. They moved us out of the point of attack,” said Kerns. “We are so young still that the inconsistencies are big time. We have to keep working through that.”
East added a touchdown both the third and fourth quarter, pushing their lead to 43 points and closing out the day with a win.
But it wasn’t all bad for Kerns. He did see some positives form the lopsided victory.
“We did improve from week one. We did get better,” he said. “I thought we’ve had much better practices, a much better week of practice. We have to build on. We’re seeing improvement in individuals.”
The Blazers will travel to South on Friday, Sept. 12 for a 7:30 start time. The Panthers currently sit at 1-1 after losing 48-0 to Preble Shawnee.
