WEST POINT, Ala. — While West Point didn’t plan on going into region play sitting at 0-2, the record doesn’t come close to telling the whole story. The Warriors have proven so far in non-region play that they have all the weapons they need to hang with anyone.
The Warrior offense has been led by senior quarterback Will Cochran, who has demonstrated he’s a true dual threat quarterback. While he is certainly looking to get the ball to his many weapons, he has no problem finding yards on the scramble or the designed run play. In this day of football where many quarterbacks are expected to pass and run, Cochran is more than capable of both, which makes him a great prospect for the next level. He’s shown he can connect on the deep balls, find the small windows on the short and outside passes and can move around the pocket to help give his receivers time to get to the top of their routes.
While Cochran certainly does his share of playmaking, he has a group of receivers that are making life much easier for the senior signal caller. Jacob Dye, Branson Smith and Kobe Bowers have all proved to be reliable weapons for the Warrior offense. That’s what makes this group so dangerous. Opposing defenses are never safe. Usually when finding yourself getting an offense to third and long, a defense feels a sense of security and confidence, but West Point has shown that when it finds itself in that situation, it has the playmakers all around who can dig out of any hole, no matter the size.
Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the guys up front anchoring the line of scrimmage. It’s imperative for a quarterback to have time to allow his receivers to get down the field and the Warrior line has given Cochran just that throughout this early season. That’s not the only thing they have provided though. Running back Kelton Washington has proven to be a dangerous balance to the Warrior passing attack. Washington has given West Point a “ground and pound” feature that will require opposing defenses to stay honest and keep an adequate amount of defenders in the box. This balanced offense is capable of scoring points at any time, anywhere on the field.
Defensively, West Point has seen two very talented offenses. Both Good Hope and Lawrence County had a quarterback/running back duo that will be among the best they see all year, yet they proved on several possessions that they can get physical and shut an offense down at the line of scrimmage. The Warrior defense has done a great job forcing teams to third downs. On all three levels there are playmakers. Defensive end Ashton Thraikill comes off the edge and has made several big stops. Linebacker Keaton Chappel is all over the place once the ball is snapped and if he isn’t the one getting the tackle you will certainly find him at the ball. In the secondary, Carter Thornton has shown he can make an impact whether it’s coming up for a tackle or defending the pass. The key for this group will be getting off the field on thrid down. The Warrior defense has a lot of potential and I expect it to only keep improving throughout the season.
On special teams, Kicker Logan Selby is making his mark on every game as he is perfect for the season on extra points. In an area where many high school teams lack, West Point will have a tremendous advantage having a clutch kicker. As the Warriors enter region play, look for the impact of the special teams unit for the Warriors.
Coach Farley knows what his team is capable of and has done a great job lifting his guys up through a disappointing start. As he said Friday night, the difference in the outcomes of their games so far has only been about 4-5 plays and he and his staff are laser-focused on cleaning up some of those details that he knows will add up to winning outcomes.
West Point will be looking to get in the win column when it hosts a talented Boaz squad in the region opener Friday night.
Check back for a preview of all this week’s games in Thursday’s edition of The Cullman Tribune.
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