Road to the BlueCross Bowl… Highlanders look to keep hopes alive in tough test against Oliver Springs
Published 1:01 am Friday, November 15, 2019
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File Photo/Brandon Hyde Cloudland's receivers lit it up in the first half against Harriman and will need the same effort against Oliver Springs for the Highlanders to advance to next week's quarterfinal round.
BY NIC MILLER
STAR CORRESPONDENT
After an impressive win a week ago against Harriman in the first round of the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl state playoffs, there is no time to look back for the Cloudland Highlanders as they will face a tough test tonight at home against the Oliver Springs Bobcats.
With his team advancing to the second round of the playoffs after a great team effort in round one, head coach Scott Potter spoke on the victory saying, “We came out and did the things we needed to do, especially in the second half. I feel like we struggled a bit in the first half but we made up for it later on.”
But with the state playoffs being a win or go home situation every week Potter is focused on one thing.
“No matter how we did last week, we’ve gotta keep focused and keep our eyes straight ahead to our next opponent,” stated Potter. “It’s going to be a lot tougher this week which means we need to keep that focus more than ever.”
With both he and his team keeping straight on this playoff path, Potter said, “These guys we’re playing this week are very big and very tough; they love to run the ball which means we’re gonna need to be ready for a game where we’re the more physical team up front.”
He continued, “We need to make sure we’re running our offense the right way as well as try and catch them off guard when we can.”
With this game being a pivotal one in the Highlanders playoff path home-field advantage will prove crucial in the outcome of this game.
Potter said, “Oh my gosh, getting to play at home is one of the most important things about this game. We’re used to the weather up here and we’re used to the way our field is.
“Along with that, we’ll be able to have our home crowd which is one of the best things about playing at home.”
Time for kickoff between the Highlanders and Bobcats is set for 7 pm at Orr Field in Roan Mountain.
