BY DOUG WOLTER
WORTHINGTON -- Gene Lais, head coach of the Worthington Trojans high school football team, has a ready answer for anyone predicting an easy victory for the team on Friday.
“With one win, we can’t be overconfident,” he said.
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It would be hard to blame him if he were overconfident, however. The Trojans’ opponent this week, the Albert Lea Tigers, are not only saddled with an 0-6 record -- they’ve been outscored 287-20, which translates to 47.8 points allowed per game and just 3.3 scored.
Worthington, of course, is 1-5, coming off a 42-13 loss to Fairmont on a slippery, mud-caked Trojan Field. To the Trojans’ credit, they’ve played some very good football teams this fall. Lais says that’s something his team has in common with Albert Lea, which will have home-field advantage in Friday’s contest.
“They do a lot of stuff right,” he said.
The Tigers try to run the football, Lais added. They operate out of the shotgun formation much of the time, and they will throw the football on three-step drops.
Winless teams are always dangerous, Lais pointed out.
Even so, last Friday the Tigers were unable to secure their first win in a 40-8 setback against a Tri-City United squad that used an effective passing attack to pull away after what was just a 13-8 lead late in the second quarter.
Good passing teams have also hurt the Trojans this year, but Lais has been encouraged with a WHS defense that has been performing better in recent games. Players are in a better position to make plays, he pointed out, and on offense the pass protection is improving.
“We’re still striving for that consistency from the first play to the last play,” he said. “It’s kind of just putting together a complete game now.”
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