Badin set to face Taft

Rams must contend with Senators fast defense

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By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer 1:05 PM Thursday, September 2, 2010

HAMILTON — Can Badin High School’s football team take the heat?

Rams coach Bill Tenore is confident, though not certain, that his squad can handle the pressure the Taft Senators will bring tonight, Sept. 3, at Virgil Schwarm Stadium.

“My No. 1 concern is their fast, athletic defense giving us all kinds of problems,” Tenore said. “It seems like every time I watch them, they get faster. Sooner or later, their athletes are going to make a play. We’ve just got to limit those opportunities.”

Badin is coming off a 29-8 victory over Woodward, a season opener where the Rams lost starting quarterback Patrick Coyne to a broken collarbone.

Taft figures to be in a bad mood. No. 1, the Senators took a 37-14 road beating from Cuyahoga Heights last weekend. No. 2, they couldn’t hold a 14-0 lead against Badin last year and lost 17-14 on a last-second field goal.

“No doubt, we felt we should’ve won last year,” Taft coach Mike Martin said. “We’re definitely better than last year. We’ve just got to bring it all together.”

Adolphus Washington, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior, keys the Senators’ 3-4 defense at end. On offense, he’s a tight end and fullback.

Taft will almost certainly blitz a lot, but if it’s not successful, the visitors could pay a heavy price.

“They bring six and seven people on every down,” Tenore said. “When you sell out like that, it’s a gamble. If we can stop their penetration, I think we’re going to have a lot of success.”

Offensively, Taft will line up in the spread and also use an I-formation. Junior tailback Dequan Smith had 142 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in Cleveland.

Martin said his squad was torpedoed by turnovers last week, with senior quarterback Anthony Taper throwing five interceptions.

“If we don’t give the ball back, we win that game with no problem,” Martin said. “For us, every game is a big game. That’s why we’re kicking ourselves after last week. I don’t think we’re going to come out like that again.”

For Badin, senior Jeff Smith will get the start at quarterback in place of Coyne. Tenore said the playbook won’t be shrinking with Smith at QB.

“I don’t think it changes anything,” the Rams coach said. “The more he’s in there, the better he’s going to get. Him staying healthy is the big thing.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rcassano@coxohio.com.

Friday’s game

Who: Taft (0-1) vs. Badin (1-0)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Virgil Schwarm Stadium, Hamilton

Series: Badin leads 4-1. The Rams have won the last four meetings since dropping a 37-12 decision in 1985.

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