Brody Baker – Sports editor
Maxwell Watson – Staff writer
For the first time in five years the scoreboard at the end of a home football game didn’t favor the Dragons.
“We all could have played better as a team. We just made mistakes on both sides. We got close to the end zone, we just needed to finish our drives,” junior Logan Parks said.
Instead of letting the loss get them down and take away their momentum, the team is using it as fuel for their next games.
“It definitely drives us for the next games, we knew that we didn’t play our best,” Parks said, “We just have to keep moving forward and work our butts off and get better everyday.”
Moving forward means relying on an offense that has shown dominance through its first four games. Parks has been a major reason why. Averaging a staggering 179 rushing yards per game and having eight touchdowns already. He changes how opponents align defensively, a change that junior Rhys Ragan is using as a great advantage.
“When Logan starts doing his thing, what I’ve noticed is that teams have to pay more attention to the box. They can’t just let him constantly run for nine yards a carry. That brings safeties and linebackers closer to the line, which opens up so many opportunities for me and my receivers,” Ragan said.
Despite the open passing lanes, Ragan remains one of his own toughest critics. Currently completing 61.1% of his passes, the quarterback is focused on fixing errors and protecting the football.
“Knowing what I can do, 61 percent is not where I want to be,” Ragan said “I know I’ve made some really bad decisions that have hurt us in a couple of games, and those are plays I wish I could have back. I think I just need to stay consistent, stop trying to force the big play and live to fight for another play.”
Head coach Kyle Ralph sees that same need for consistency as Ragan continues to develop.
“The biggest thing now for his growth is going to be decision making, just playing within the system. But he’s done better at that as well,” Ralph said.
The improvement isn’t limited to the quarterback position. Up front, an inexperienced offensive line has helped create opportunities for Parks while learning to work together.
“I think an inexperienced offensive line is growing as they play. I think they’re trying to gel together a little bit,” Ralph said. “So I think as the offensive line plays a little more, they’ll get better and better.”
While the offense works to finish more drives, junior Sam Hirschy has been making it difficult for opponents to finish theirs. Leading the team in sacks and quarterback hurries, Hirschy has given the Dragons a disruptive presence on defense.
“He’s big, he’s physical, he plays really, really hard. He’s obviously a talented kid, but when he’s on the field, he plays with relentless effort,” Ralph said.
For Ralph, the early games have shown a team still learning what it takes to play consistently.
“So I think we’re doing a good job of that right now overall, but we still have a lot of growth that we’ve got to do and show,” Ralph said.
The Dragons will look to continue that growth when they host Greenfield-Central, entering the matchup with a 4-1 record and a 3-0 record in conference play.
