Blackcats look to Bounce Back
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Bay City will open the season with new offensive and defensive schemes.
But the biggest change the Blackcats hope to make has nothing to do with the formation they line up in or the plays they call.
Bay City was plagued by mistakes last season as it struggled to a 1-9 record and missed the playoffs for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years.
"People question the discipline," said Bay City head coach Robert Blackmon. "If you go back and look at the tapes, our kids played hard. We just shot ourselves in the foot. There were a lot of questions that I didn't have the answers for.
"Once we started losing, it started piling on top of each other. It's not a discipline problem. It's doing what's right when it's supposed to be done. We're going to pay attention to detail and not let the kids get away with anything. If we take care of the little things, that will take care of the bigger picture."
Blackmon and his staff stressed the importance of eliminating mistakes during the offseason and have continued to do so during preseason practices.
"It's all mental," said quarterback Derek Brown. "We did a lot of things in the offseason with discipline. We'd be sitting in the Blackcat Room listening to the coaches we had to do certain stuff. Just little things like moving your hand to create the foundation of discipline. We really grew together as a team on that."
Brown started as a sophomore, but the offense he runs as a junior will be more diverse.
Brown will be under center and in the shotgun in the offense installed by new offensive coordinator John Launius, who formerly coached at Trinity Valley Community College.
"I like that it's 1,2,3 quick and you get the ball outside to the playmakers," Brown said. "Coach Launius told me that quarterbacks make their money by getting the ball out to playmakers. You don't have to throw a 70-yard bomb to look good, you can throw a 6-yard pass and it will turn into a 70-yard play. It's the little things I might have overlooked in quarterback leadership."
Shawn Woods has taken over as the defensive coordinator and the Blackcats will shift from a 4-3 to a 3-4.
"We've been doing a lot of teaching," Blackmon said. "We've been kind of slowing things down and so we can make sure our kids grasp it. It's getting the kids to understand a lot of concepts."
Blackmon has been pleased with the Blackcats' progress, but is still concerned about the offensive and defensive lines.
"We have the skill kids," Blackmon said. "The offensive line and defensive line are the question marks. We've got to get our kids stronger. We need to get our kids bigger and stronger."
The Blackcats don't want their recent struggles to cast a pall on a program that has produced two state championships.
They are anxious to restore Bay City's tradition of success.
"It puts a little fire under me to strive and do something," Brown said. "When I'm sitting a home and I'm thinking.you got to look at those critics that say Bay City isn't this and that.
"We've got a lot to prove. It keeps you consistently working when you just want to sit down and rest. I think everybody at our school, even our fans and even the band, we all have something to prove. We're Bay City and we're back on the map and we're ready to play football."
Titans, Blackcats set to scrimmage Thursday
Bay City will scrimmage Victoria East on Thursday at Memorial Stadium in Bay City. The junior varsity will start at 5 p.m. and the varsity will begin at 6:30 p.m.