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West: Best defense has been good offense
BY Kevin Hageland Staff Writer
After setting a program record for points scored and throttling a McKinney Boyd team that had been 4-1, it’s easy to see how Plano West would be confident.
But Wolves head coach Mike Hughes knows how to ensure his team doesn’t get overconfident.
“All we have to do is go back a week before that,” he said. “We got the ball inside the 30-yard line against Allen five times and only scored once; that ought to bring us back to earth.”
Following the loss to the Eagles, the Wolves players drew a ladder to emphasize a specific focus on each game, or each rung, one at a time.
“A lot of teams would’ve just shut it down after that Allen game,” Hughes said. “But the team and the coaching staff stepped right back up after that game. I think that says a lot about the togetherness and the family environment we are all about here at West.”
If West is a family, then tonight’s game at Clark Stadium could be viewed as a kin clash as the Wolves will face their Plano Senior siblings. That relationship doesn’t stop at proximity as Plano head coach Jaydon McCullough and West offensive line coach Joey McCullough are brothers.
The Wildcats are looking to build a winning streak as they are fresh off a 27-20 victory against Wylie. Plano rolled out a revamped offense last week with junior Murat Kuzu under center.
“Plano has changed offenses and we are largely going off what they did last week,” Hughes said. “But we are also familiar with what they have done the past two or three years and are ready for that too.”
No such radical changes are in store for West, which makes sense considering the Wolves continued offensive efficiency outside of the Allen game.
Senior Michael Pruneau continued to make Division I scouts take notice last week as he completed 70 percent of his passes, throwing for 407 yards and five touchdowns. As has been the case all season, two of Pruneau’s favorite targets remain the senior tandem of Blake Baldridge and Sean Ballard, though sophomore Carson Smith has been pushing to get into that upper tier as well.
The task of racking up yards will be tougher tonight against the Wildcats.
“Plano has a reading defense,” Hughes said. “They aren’t very attacking, but they play with very good technique and don’t give up a lot of big plays.”
While all is well for West’s offense, there is still plenty of defensive unrest.
Lost somewhat in the Wolves offensive outpour against the Broncos was West’s defense giving up more than 580 yards for a second straight week.
“Against Boyd, there were some critical times where we made stops or got turnovers,” Hughes said, “but we are still giving up the big play and I’m not satisfied by that. We’ve gotta have 11 guys flying to the ball, not just a few.”
Hughes mentioned seniors Jackson Jeffcoat, Shanon Adams and Michael Rodriguez as the most consistent defenders this season. Another name to watch is sophomore Grant Cooper, who had two interceptions a week ago.
“[Cooper] is one of those young guys that is a good athlete and has been making plays,” Hughes said.
But those four alone aren’t enough.
“We need some other guys on defense to step up,” Hughes said. “Our special teams and our offense have done well, but we need that third phase to step up.
“We’ve talked about it enough, now it’s time for them to do it.”
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