It wasn’t the way the Amundsen Vikings football team wanted to begin their 2012 campaign, but head coach Grant Jones saw some good things to come for his team.
The Vikings (0-1) fell to the Plainfield Central Wildcats 42-7 at Jorndt Field Saturday. After letting up 42 points to the potent Wildcats’ offense in the first half, the Vikings shut them out in the second half thanks in part to freshman linebacker Michael Mitchell and freshman nose guard/defensive end Josh Carroll.
“(Mitchell and Carroll) really showed that they can play,” Jones said. “I’ll tell you what, they’re going to see alot more playing time next week.
The Vikings got on the board with about 2:00 left in the fourth quarter with a 24-yard touchdown run from wing back Tyrone Davis. Although the offense came late, the defensive fundamentals were the focus in the second half above all else.
“We told the kids that we have to tackle better,” said Jones. “We didn’t tackle well at all in the first half, and we gave up some touchdowns that we really shouldn’t have given up. We have a young group, so we’ll take a few lumps.”
With Maine East coming up for the Vikings this Friday on the road, Jones knows that Amundsen’s first victory won’t be out of reach if they focus on those fundamentals in practice this week.
“(The focus will be) blocking and tackling,” he said. “That’s just it, the team that blocks and tackles is going to win. That’s the bottom line.”
