After the Manchester Essex football team suffered its first loss of the season, Joe Grimes says it’s time for his team to use the circumstance as a springboard to bigger and better things.
“We hope the biggest takeaway is that we can rebound from a tough loss like Friday,” says Grimes after the Hornets’ 24-8 loss to Triton on September 27. “We need to look at the film and use it to make improvements and build on the frustration of losing instead of running from it. Our guys did a lot of positive things, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us if we want to slow down a team like Triton. I thought our defense showed a lot of grit and determination all night but we needed better technique and situational awareness out there a couple times that hurt us.”
While the tape will show where the Hornets need to make improvements, they also show some of the positive plays that Manchester Essex can build on for the future. Highlights from the game included Zach Hurd and Gabe Magee making interceptions in the red zone that kept the Hornets in the game on defense, while junior wide receiver/defensive back Charlie Thurlow scored the team’s sole touchdown of the game in memorable fashion.
“Charlie Thurlow caught his first varsity touchdown on a really gritty pass route where he knew he was going to get drilled but he kept his focus and held onto the ball for our lone touchdown of the game,” says Grimes.
Manchester Essex gets the chance to bounce back at home against Brighton on October 1 (6:30 p.m., Hyland Field). On offense, the Hornets need to rediscover the pace and focus they had in their first two games of the season.
“We looked a little lost out there offensively last week, which can happen from time to time,” explains Grimes. “We need to refocus our energy and see if we can get the rhythm back this week against Brighton.”
On defense, the Hornets must account for the Bengals’ powerful ground game while continuing to do the things they did well against Triton.
“Our defense played pretty well, especially up front,” explains Grimes. “We came into the game looking to contain the Triton run attack and I thought we did a decent job there. However, we need to plug some holes in the pass game if we want to be successful this Friday or any Fridays down the road.”
A win would improve Manchester Essex’s record to 3-1 and keep them in the hunt for an MIAA Div. 7 playoff berth.
“We’ve seen before in past seasons and are generally familiar with their attack,” Grimes says of the Bengals. “They are well-coached and we don’t expect many mistakes on their side of the ball. They have shown a powerful running attack that we’ll be ready for, but they are a lot better than their record indicates and we’ll be ready.”
