CRESTVIEW — Two high school football teams heading in opposite directions will collide Friday night when Crestview hosts Navarre.
The Raiders (3-0) are riding high and Bulldog Coach Tim Hatten found it hard to see a weakness in the team.
“We’ve got a tough ball game coming up Friday night with a team that hasn’t been beat and is really sound in all phases of the game,” he said. “Any mistakes by us will be multiplied by them.”
The mistakes the Bulldogs (0-3) have continued to make are what concerns Hatten the most.
Against Rickards last week Crestview had a blocked punt that set up a touchdown, a misplayed effort on what should have been a punt that set up a second Raider touchdown and an interception that was returned inside the 10 to set up a third Rickards TD in a 28-12 loss.
To make matters worse the Bulldogs only had 158 yards in total offense.
“If we are going to be a competitive program in 7A football, you don’t make mistakes like that,” Hatten said. “It doesn’t matter how much talent or lack of you have, you don’t survive.”
Hatten said Navarre runs a spread offense similar to that of the Bulldogs.
“They do the same things we do,” he said. “They take advantage of the numbers you give them. They are sound in what they do.
“They are very sound in the kicking game. They are coached very, very well and they play hard.”
Three games into the season Hatten doesn’t think the Bulldogs have been competitive, but he’s determined to change that.
“We have to reexamine who we are doing things with and how we are doing them,” Hatten said. “We have tried to make adjustments and move people around. We will continue to do that.
“We cannot accept what we are getting in a performance Friday night. We just can’t do it. I’m not going to do it.”
Rusty Moorer relieved starting quarterback Corey Armstrong in the second half against Rickards and had moderate success. Hatten didn’t tip his hand on which quarterback will start against Navarre, but he did say both Armstrong and Moorer will see playing time.
“We are going to play it by ear and see what happens,” Hatten said of who will start at quarterback. “There are other places we can use both of them. Rusty can be a good slot receiver.
“I think we need to get the ball in Corey’s hands carrying the football some. He runs really, really well. We have to make sure they are both on the field and they both have to contribute.”
Hatten is the first to admit he doesn’t like being 0-3, but he does enjoy the work involved in getting a team better.
“I enjoy the scheming and moving people around and the challenge of trying different things,” he said. “It kind of broadens your scope as a coach. And this season we’ve been broadened, I can tell you that.
“We are going to get better. Better might not mean enormous wins, but we’ve got to get better.”
The bottom line is Hatten wants to see improvement from week to week.
“I saw somebody say something, ‘Progress not perfection,’ ” he said. “That’s something I read in an email. We are not striving for perfection right now, but we are trying to make progress.
“If we are not making progress I’m disappointed.”
UPCOMING
WHAT: High school football, Navarre vs. Crestview
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Crestview High School’s Jack Foster Stadium
EmailNews Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hatten: We are going to improve