FRIDAY NIGHT PREVIEW: Campbell County vs. Karns

When: Friday

Where: Campbell County High School; L. Hope Dossett Stadium

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Records: Karns (1-2, 1-0 District 3-AAA) at Campbell County (1-2, 0-1)

Previous meeting: Karns, a playoff team from 2011, toppled Campbell County last season with a 35-0 victory. It was Campbell County’s second loss of the season in District 3-AAA.

Last week: The Cougars didn’t have their best week in Week 2. Again, Campbell County was its own worst enemy. With a 36-0 loss to Anderson County, the Cougars found that the loss of Ethan Simpson wasn’t only in yards, but in leadership as well. Campbell County couldn’t find a rhythm offensively with different mishaps of snapping the ball, fumbles, and an interception. However, the defense had one of the best showings of the season thus far, taking Anderson County’s worst blow and fighting it off.

Karns got off on a good start in District 3-AAA. The Beavers rolled Clinton for their first win of the season, 45-24. Karns followed their quarterback Matt Nauman to beat the turnover and penalty plagued Dragons.

Keep an eye on: This one should turn out interesting. With the Cougars hungry for their first District 3-AAA win, look for it to come to the wire. Campbell County will have to figure out the snap this week. Without the snap, the offense couldn’t find a rhythm. Simpson is still missed on the offensive side of the ball, as Campbell County couldn’t find their running game against the Mavericks. Without the run, the passing offense slumped as well (6-of-12 for 65 yards). Look for Paul Courdle to play a bigger role in the Karns game, as it should be a different pace than the Cougars saw at Anderson County.

The defense will be key for the Orange and Blue. Against Clinton, Nauman had a big showing. On 14 carries, the speedy quarterback went 159 yards with scores of 14, 15, and 6 yards to lead Karns. He also tossed 8-of-13 for 115 yards through the air, racking up 274 yards on the night. Campbell County will have to look to get to the quarterback in order to stop Karns. They did a good job of that against Anderson County, gaining three sacks on the evening.

However, Nauman isn’t the only threat. Desmon Rhea is also a threat offensively. The speedy back went 111 yards on 20 carries, as Karns gained 300 yards across the ground. The Cougar defense will have to be top notch to stop this double threat offense. It should definitely be an interesting one.