As we hit the midway point in the high school football season, there is still a lot of ball to be played.
Crestview High School is off to a disappointing 0-4 start. But believe me, nobody is more disappointed than Bulldog Coach Tim Hatten. He is doing everything he can in his vast coaching knowledge and experience to right the ship and get things back on track.
I’m confident Hatten will get the job done, but fans need to be patient. The Bulldogs have been hit by some injuries that have left the Crestview coaches trying to fill in key pieces to what is often a complicated puzzle.
Hatten won’t play the injury card, but it’s hard for me to imagine that Crestview would be winless if JaQuan Daniels and Derian McGee where healthy.
While most local high schools have a similar amount of talent physically, there is a lot more to the game of football than size and strength. Sometimes it’s just a matter of kids figuring things out on their own before good things happen.
In reality, the Bulldogs play a two-game season when they face District 1-7A opponents Tate and Niceville. A win over either team and, at worst, Crestview is back in a shootout for a spot in the playoffs.
Baker, on the other hand, continues to ride a wave that now includes a 14-game winning streak.
The Gators are 3-0 coming off an open date and host Rocky Bayou Christian on Friday before opening district play at home against Freeport a week from Friday.
There is no reason to believe Baker won’t be 4-0 when Freeport comes calling. As I look at the remainder of the Gator schedule, I can easily see them being 8-0 when they host Northview on Halloween night.
If my predictions are correct, the winner of the Baker-Northview game will win the District 1-1A championship. Quite frankly, if the Gators or the Chiefs don’t win the district championship, it will be more than a surprise.
Baker Coach Matt Brunson has the Gators playing at a high level. Brunson, himself a former Gator, understands the Gator players' mindset and what it takes to win at Baker.
Baker players have bought into what Brunson wants to do with everything from the offensive and defensive schemes to how they condition.
It has been 21 years since the Gators won the last of their four state championships. All eyes are on the 2014 Gators to see if this is the year they return to glory.
With a little more than half the season remaining, it will be interesting to see if Crestview can find a way to win and if anyone can stop Baker.
It should be a fun seven weeks until the end of the regular season.
EmailNews Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @BigRandle or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Assessing the 2014 football season thus far