Dadeville looks to build on win

In a matter of 48 minutes last Thursday, a huge monkey came off the back of Dadeville’s football program.

And this was a big monkey — more than a year’s worth of losses and heartbreak. But just like that, it was gone following a 15-6 win over rival Reeltown. It was Dadeville’s first victory since beating Central-Coosa in the seventh game of the 2006 season.

“It was a definitely a big monkey off our backs,” Dadeville head coach Richard White said. “It had been a rough one for us with a 14-game losing streak.

“So that was just a big win to get, and also to get it over our rival like that.”

Following the win, Dadeville’s players, fans and coaches celebrated into the night.

But White made sure that jubilation was gone from his team once Monday’s practice rolled around.

“It was tough. They came back and were not focused at all,” White said. “It took half that practice before we got their attention and got them settled down.”

White had good reason to bring his troops back down to earth.

While the win over Reeltown was big for morale, there are at least nine more games for the Tigers, including a tough Class 3A-Region 3 schedule that starts Friday with a trip to Montevallo.

“This is a team that put 46 points on the board last week,” White said. “We had to get these guys ready on Monday because Montevallo is a tough, athletic team.”

In last Thursday’s win over Reeltown, Dadeville was able to take advantage of six turnovers. In fact, 12 of the Tigers’ points came directly from Reeltown miscues.

“Field position was huge,” White said. “We played some really good defense and were able to have the ball inside the 20 quite a bit.”

While White was pleased with the opportunities his team made for itself, he was disappointed in the inability to put touchdowns on the board. Instead of touchdowns, kicker Kyle Caldwell hit three field goals — including a late kick that put the Tigers up by 9 points.

“If we could have just put some TDs on the board it would have been a much larger gap for us to work with,” White said.

Being able to convert those offensive chances is something White knows will have to improve — especially when his defense is tasked with stopping an offense like Montevallo’s.

Montevallo won its opener, 46-41, over Calera last Friday using a spread offense White knows will be tough to stop.

“Their thing is speed,” White said. “They have four great athletes. Their quarterback is good and they have three wide receivers that catch everything thrown their way.

“They’re a scary team.”

The Bulldogs are led on offense by quarterback Kevin Callender who took the team’s first snap of the season 75 yards for a touchdown.

Wideouts Jajuan Fulgham and Deonte Lilly provide the main passing targets.

tpeavy@oanow.com | 737-2568