BAKER — Freeport High School's much improved football team will be at Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium on Friday when Baker hosts the Bulldogs in both teams' District 1-1A opener.
Freeport was winless in 2013, but at the 2014 season's midway point, the Bulldogs are 3-2 and have Baker Coach Matt Brunson’s attention.
“Jim Anderson (Freeport coach) has done a great job with that program,” Brunson said. “Freeport fell on tough times last year with the loss of Gabe Moore and some other guys. But now Jim Anderson has raised that program from the ashes and they are back to a contender in District 1-1A.
“They’ve got two or three tailbacks – David Godwin being one – who runs the ball hard. Their quarterback, Dillon Bates, is doing a great job. They’ve got a tight end that had, I think, 10 catches the other night against a good Graceville team that they beat worse than we beat Graceville.”
Brunson, who is 1-2 against Freeport, knows the Gators will have their hands full.
“They challenge you to play your best,” he said. “They are kind of an old fashioned, blue collar I (formation) team, and then they will get in the gun and spread it out a little bit.
“On film it kind of looks like they’ve been tinkering with a 3-3 stack defense. They are coming at you hard and you don’t know where they are coming from. Hopefully, we will get a good read on it and get our snaps and hopefully some of this spread stuff will work.”
Brunson stressed the importance of Friday’s game, as teams only play three district games to determine who will make the playoffs.
“High school football in Florida is the only sport that doesn’t have a district tournament at the end of the year so they challenge you to play your best in these (district) games,” Brunson said. We’ve got Freeport and then Jay and then Northview. You’ve got to play your best in those to be able to advance to the playoffs and our guys fully understand that.
“If our kids don’t get ready to play at a fever pitch, we could get beat. I’m telling you – Freeport is capable.”
WHAT: High school football, Freeport at Baker
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Baker School, Doug Griffith Memorial Stadium
EmailNews Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gators to host Freeport in district opener