Talking on this week’s Hornet podcast, Coach Zac Harrell said mistakes kept Athens from a win at Kaufman, but he praised his team for fighting to the end and looked ahead to Friday’s game at Palestine.

Recap of Kaufman Loss

Athens nearly doubled Kaufman in total yards Friday night and played solid defense, but too many mistakes turned into a 14-13 loss on the road.

Coach Harrell said the Hornets moved the ball well and kept fighting even when errors piled up.

“Our guys kept fighting. They never panicked. They kept playing the next play. And, again, almost had a chance to win it. Almost gave ourselves a chance to win it at the end,” he said.

Non-district games don’t count toward the playoffs, but Harrell said they provide lessons that will pay off later. He reminded his team to ignore outside criticism and not let a loss divide them. “If you stick together and believe in one another and believe in this building, we can ... use it to make us better,” he said.

Spike Rule Explained

Many fans had questions about the final play, when Athens appeared ready for a potential game-winning field goal but instead was flagged as time expired.

Coach Harrell explained that a spike requires a clean snap. If the snap is mishandled, it cannot be spiked into the ground. “The snap can’t be on the ground and then you pick it up and spike it. It turns into intentional grounding if you do that,” he said.

The Hornets’ snap was low and to the left, forcing a bobble. Officials made the correct call. Coach Harrell said it was his responsibility to have the team better prepared for that situation. “Bottom line is it’s our job as coaches to have them prepared to execute in that moment. We weren’t. So we've got to do a better job,” he said.

Coach Harrell said he was disappointed the Hornets didn’t get the chance to try the field goal, but called it an experience the team can learn from when district and playoff games arrive.

Scouting Palestine

Athens now heads to Palestine, a familiar opponent for the Hornets.

Coach Harrell said Palestine is still adjusting to a spread offense under second-year coach Manny Reyes, but has dangerous playmakers including a talented running back and a cornerback committed to Texas Tech who also plays receiver.

Defensively, Coach Harrell said Palestine is one of the better units Athens will face.

“Their defensive line, I think, stands out first. They’ve got two really good ends. They’ve got a really strong defensive tackle, and then in the secondary they have, I think, the best corner in the state of Texas that I’ve seen. He’s extremely talented. So their defense is really good,” he said.

Palestine switches between four- and three-man fronts without substituting, which will test Athens’ offensive line. Coach Harrell expects the Wildcats to mirror Kaufman’s approach: take away the deep ball, shorten the game, and force the Hornets to execute consistently.

Keys to Victory

The word of the week is "Intent Focus." Harrell said effort is never in doubt for the Hornets anymore, but focus is what will fix the costly mistakes.

Win the turnover battle. Athens has five turnovers in two games and has not forced one.

- Focus on details. Players must execute their assignments cleanly, snap after snap.

- Tackle well. Athens cut its missed tackles from 38 in Week 1 to 19 in Week 2. The team goal is fewer than 15.

- Limit self-inflicted mistakes. False starts, dropped passes, and bad snaps have stalled drives. “It hasn’t been the defense is better than us. It’s simply been internal errors,” Harrell said.

- Start fast. Athens has fallen into early holes both weeks. Harrell wants a sharper first quarter to set the tone.

This Week

- Friday, Sept. 12 – Athens at Palestine, 7:30 p.m.

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