Big Blue wary of unpredictable Senators

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By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 11:48 PM Thursday, September 9, 2010

HAMILTON — Hamilton High School football coach Bob Jacoby knows what the schedule says, but he still isn’t sure which team his Big Blue will be facing tonight at Virgil Schwarm Stadium.

“It’s just a matter of which team shows up,” Jacoby said in reference to the up-and-down Taft Senators, who exhibited both traits last week against Badin.

Taft jumped out to a 20-0 lead against the Rams, then collapsed and fell behind 25-20 before rallying to pull out a 26-25 victory.

“They’re just so hot and cold,” Jacoby said. “They play in spurts. There are times when they do some really great things, and a lot of that has to do with their athleticism. That’s the scary part about them, how athletic they are. They can hurt you on any given play.”

Adolphus Washington, a 6-foot-6 junior with multiple offers from Division I BCS programs, is the Senators’ primary weapon. And despite his large, imposing frame, he’s sometimes difficult to locate.

“They play him everywhere,” Jacoby said. “Sometimes he’s at tight end, sometimes wide receiver, sometimes in the backfield. I don’t know that there’s a set offensive pattern they run. It’s just one of those deals where they’re trying to feature certain athletes and get them the ball in certain situations, and usually it’s No. 11 (Washington).”

Both teams bring 1-1 records into the game, but Hamilton comes in fresh off a disappointing 29-7 loss to Moeller, while the Senators return to Schwarm Stadium for a second week in a row riding high after the comeback against Badin.

“That game was big for our kids to understand that even if you blow a lead, you can still come back and fight to pull a win out,” Senators coach Mike Martin said. “One of the things I preach to these guys is character and fortitude, and they show a lot of it.”

Hamilton will need to show some bounce-back ability as well after turning the ball over five times and allowing a touchdown on a special teams breakdown against Moeller.

“We had real high expectations for that game and didn’t even come close to performing like we think we’re capable of,” Jacoby said. “I think it burst their buble a little bit and it took some wore the first couple of days to get their heads screwed back on right.

“We’ve been working on the fundamental problems that cost us that game,” Jacoby continued. “I think our guys are hungry to come off that Moeller game and play a good, solid football game. I’d be very surprised if we don’t perform really well.”

Today’s game

Who: Taft (1-1) vs. Hamilton (1-1)

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Virgil Schwarm Stadium, Hamilton

Series Note: Hamilton has beaten Taft each of the last three years, outscoring the Senators by a combined 61-23.

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