A glance at the Week 3 matchup between Salem (1-1) and Houston (2-0):
ABOUT THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: Salem fell to 1-1 with a 27-21 overtime loss Friday to state-ranked Reeds Spring. …Starting quarterback Dylan Wisdom broke his thumb the day before the game and only played defense. His replacement, Zak Eplin, was 4-of-9 passing for 70 yards and added another 86 rushing yards and one touchdown. …Senior Derek McClain had 79 rushing yards and a score in the loss. …Salem has defeated Houston 34 consecutive times entering the 2015 matchup. “Everybody has talked about it since I got here last year,” HHS coach Eric Sloan said.
TIGER TIDBITS: How did HHS go from losing 16 straight games entering 2015 to winning its first two games of the season? The offseason. Coach Eric Sloan said 13 players puked the first day. “Summer was not fun. It wasn’t pleasant. It was terrible,” he said. “We’ve asked for so much, and they’ve given us everything we’ve asked for. It’s just special. It’s fun to see the looks on their faces. Now they’re seeing all the sprints, hills and all those days they threw up in the summer are paying off.” Yes, but it wasn’t easy. “We hated every second of it,” senior Matt Knarr said, “but we know it’s worth it.” …Sloan credited his players with calling the team’s two biggest offensive plays. He said Knarr asked for the ball on the fourth-down pass with 1:16 remaining and Chance Hunter wanted the ball on the two-point conversion run with 28.4 seconds left to win the game. “If the kids believe in it, let’s run it,” Sloan said.
MORE TIGERS: Senior linebacker Keegan Spurlin, who missed the season opener, led the Tigers with 15 tackles in his 2015 debut. …Two local businesses – The Eatin’ Place and Medlock’s Body Shop – paid the gate admission for every fan at last week’s game against St. James. “This community is unbelievable,” Sloan said.