CRESTVIEW — What has been a long season for Crestview High School's football team ends Friday night when the Bulldogs travel to Pensacola High School to face the Tigers.
Crestview (2-7) can end the season positively if the Bulldogs can upset PHS (5-4).
“We definitely would like to win and end the season on a good note,” Crestview Coach Tim Hatten said. “We’ve played some good football this year, and we played some good football in the first half against Niceville Friday night. We just couldn’t sustain it in the second half.”
Hatten said the Tigers have the kind of athletes who can cause the Bulldogs some problems.
“They are an athletic team,” he said. “They run around (on defense) really, really good. They can make mistakes and overcome those mistakes with team speed.
“The same on offense, they are a spread team and they do present some problems with the athleticism they have.”
Hatten does see some things the Tigers do that the Bulldogs might be able to exploit.
“There are some things we think we can do versus them,” Hatten said. “We are going to scheme up and go over there Friday.
“Our seniors that have been with us four years will have a good time and finish their careers up. Hopefully we will be competitive and get a win.”
And while their record doesn’t indicate it, Hatten has seen the Bulldogs get better throughout the season.
“We’ve made some progress,” he said. “It’s tough for the fans to see from the stands, but we’ve made some progress. We’ve not won as many games as we would have liked to have won.
“It’s going to be fun playing anybody on Friday night. I’ve truly enjoyed working with this group of kids, even though we’ve not been as successful as we wanted to be. They’ve come to work every day and worked hard, which is a testament to the character of the kids we have.”
UPCOMING
WHAT: High school football, Crestview at Pensacola High
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Pensacola High School
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hatten eyes possibilities as Bulldogs face Tigers