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Ravian Pierce
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Football Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information

Bears visit #14 Jones County

The schedule does not get any easier for the Bears as they try to get back in the win column Thursday night in Ellisville against the 14th-ranked Jones County Bobcats.
 
The Bears head to Ellisville at 1-3 following last week's 55-30 home loss to Northeast. Jones County comes into the game at 3-1 after dropping a 27-22 decision at Co-Lin.
 
The Bears had perhaps their best offensive performance of the season against Northeast, totaling 375 yards of offense and putting 30 points on the board, but it was not enough.
 
Asked what the Bears will have to do to get a win over the Bobcats, head coach Tucker Peavey said, "I think we've got to continue to improve on offense and we've got to eliminate the unforced errors-the penalties, the fumbles, the errant throws. Defensively, I think we've just got to play what we're supposed to play and everybody be in the right place and by physical about what you do. If we can correct those things, then certainly Jones County is a team we can beat. If we don't, they're a good football team and they'll be able to take advantage of it."
 
The Bears will face a Jones County team that is giving up less than 200 yards of offense. In order to get by that, Peavey said the Bears will have to "execute (and) be very disciplined on assignments."

"They've got good personnel on defense," Peavey said of the Bobcats. "They do a lot of stuff that can confuse you. If you pick it up, you've got a chance to do good things." Peavey said one of the big keys to the game will be the Bears' front "recognizing what they're trying to do and (having) everybody on their guy" which will give the Bears a chance.
 
Despite the Bears' struggles thus far, Peavey does not give this game any more importance than any other. "All of them are important," he said. "Sure, it's a division game and certainly we want to win it. But, we want to win the next game. That's the mentality we've got to have-don't worry so much about the other people; let's make sure we're doing what we're supposed to do and then we'll let the chips fall where they may."
 
What will the Bears' defense have to do to stop the Bobcats' offense that comes into the game averaging 161 passing yards and 214 on the ground?
 
"I think, like any other week" defensive coordinator Kelby Bowman said, "whether it's peewee football, junior high or high school, college or NFL, when you prepare for an opponent and they're averaging those kinds of yards, especially on the ground, you have to first try to stop the run."
 
Bowman said, "We have to be keyed in this week on the run. They've got a good running back (Scott Phillips-5 9", 199-averaging 105.5 yards per game and has 7 touchdowns). Our kids just have to prepare themselves and make sure we stay sound on our responsibilities on defense and get lined up correctly and we have to make sure we tackle."
 
Despite Phillips' numbers to this point, Bowman said the Bears will not be focused solely on the freshman. "They have other running backs, also, that fill in," Bowman said. "The kid (Phillips) is a good running back, but I know they have some good, quality back guys that you can't lose focus on."
 
"The fact of the matter is," Bowman said, "you have to stop the run first and you have to be prepared for the pass on passing downs and that's a part of football-you have to stop both of them. Because if you stop (only) one, then they'll beat you on the other."
 
The game is set for a 7:00 kickoff at Jones County's Bobcat Stadium. The action can be heard on the radio on WAKH 105.7FM (K106) on the internet at southwestbearathletics.com and k106.net and on smart phones (download the k106 app).
 
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