Wildcats to host Lions in big region showdown

The Enterprise Wildcats (4-1, 1-1) will host fellow Class 7A, Region 2 foe Prattville Lions (4-2, 2-1) on Friday, Oct. 2, as the region games only get bigger and more important.

Enterprise’s game with Prattville is the first of four straight region games – three of which will be played at home – for Enterprise and head coach Rick Darlington is preaching its importance.

“This is a big, big game,” Darlington said. “This is a really big one for us. If we win this game it gives us really good momentum going into three more region games in a row, and if we lose then we’re scratching and clawing to stay in that upper tier of the region.”

Darlington said that he feels that the Wildcats “snuck” their way into the upper tier of Region 2 last season but games against teams like Prattville are the games that Enterprise needs to win to remain there.

“Now we need to win some games like this to establish ourselves as an upper (tier) team,” Darlington said. “When you look at Central, we knew we were a little over matched. We battled but we made too many mistakes to win the game. So, this game is big for us.”

Enterprise is coming off a 43-22 win over Carroll last week, while Prattville fell to Hoover 28-6. Enterprise and Prattville’s lone mutual opponent thus far is Dothan, who Enterprise beat 42-13 and Prattville knocked off 35-0.

“They’re good and they’re talented like most of the teams in our region,” Darlington said of Prattville. “They’re good both throwing the ball and running the ball, they do a lot of (run-pass option) stuff and they’re a good power running team.

“They also do a good job with screens and defensively they have talented linebackers and defensive linemen. They run a 3-3 defense and they like to blitz. They’ll be tough, there’s no doubt.”

Senior Enterprise athlete Josh McCray – who has netted more than 900 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns this year – left the game against Carroll with an upper torso injury, but Darlington said he is expected to be fine going forward.

The big concern for Enterprise remains the run defense, after giving up two runs of more than 78 yards against Carroll last week.

The way Carroll spread out the formation meant that Enterprise’s defensive line and linebackers had no deep safeties back to help if a runner got loose, making sound technique and fitting the right gaps paramount for the front seven.

“Defensive line is an area that we have to continue to improve and our linebackers have to play better, too, and they can’t freelance or not read their keys or fit their games where they need to. That’s not how football works.”

Correcting that issue – and any issue with the defense – are reasons why Darlington had faith in bringing defensive coordinator Jed Kennedy to lead that group.

“I went out and got the best defensive coordinator I know,” Darlington said. “I don’t tell him what schemes to run or whatever. My input on defense has generally been about fundamentals, alignment, reading keys and that sort of thing.

“I don’t tell him to play this front or that coverage. For me to dictate that to Jed and to the staff would be very presumptuous on my part. As hard as I work on offense year round, they work just as hard on defense. They are doing zoom calls and phone calls with coaches across the country and college coaches to help out with different things. They work so hard to come up with ideas. It’s not like I have some first year coordinator in there that I have to spoon-feed stuff to,” Darlington emphasized. “I have the best guy I know and he’s been doing it for a while and has had great success, so he runs the defense.”