CRESTVIEW — If Crestview High School football coach Tim Hatten is perplexed by the Bulldogs' inconsistent play, he can only hope opposing coaches are equally confused by his team's unpredictable play.
“You watch us play Friday night (losing to Pine Forest 33-7) and it almost becomes comical if you are trying to play us,” Hatten said. “But if you watch the two weeks previously, you get a little worried.
“So if I’m looking at film on us, I don’t even know what to think. I think we have to be just depending on who shows up as to what kind of game we will have. We could get beat by two touchdowns or play a game when you have a chance to win by four (touchdowns). You just never know.”
The Bulldogs (2-7, 0-0) could use the element of surprise Friday night when they travel to Tate (7-2, 0-1) in a key District 1-7A game.
A Crestview win assures the Bulldogs of their first playoff appearance since 2010. An Aggie win and Crestview will have to beat Niceville on Halloween night to force a district shootout to determine who makes the playoffs.
Hatten knows that all the difficulties of a tough season will be made easier with a win over Tate.
“As we’ve been talking about our season all year long when we’ve faced different obstacles, it’s always been, ‘You know what, we haven’t played a district game yet,’” Hatten said. “So now it’s time to play a district game. We are still going to have a few people out (with injuries), but I think we are going to get a few people back.
“We will have to wait and see how it all works out.”
Hatten said the Aggies run a spread offense and, depending on the situation, will put three or four men up front on defense.
In the end Hatten said the Bulldogs need for something good to happen early in the game to give them a lift.
“We are not a team that is just overflowing with a bunch of confidence,” he said. “We’ve got to score early and play from that (lead) side. We can’t afford to be down several times and try to play catch up ball. We just aren’t real good at that.”
UPCOMING
WHAT: High school football, Crestview at Tate
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Aggie Stadium, Tate High School, Pensacola
EmailNews Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hatten: Bulldogs 'not a team overflowing with a bunch of confidence'