Coach Tom Shuman
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RHS hosts Eagles in Thursday night TV game
By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
Tonight the Ravenwood Raptors get their big night under the Thursday Night Lights of live TV, when WUXP brings its TNL crew to the Wilson Pike campus. It’s also Senior Night, and the final game in a disappointing season. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Head coach Tom Shuman, however, has spent the week stressing to his team that tonight may be the most important of their 3-6 season.
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“I have really tried to bring home the point to our seniors that this is their last rodeo, their last football game, their last time to play together. It’s also a game that is as much for the parents as a game for the seniors,” he said.
The Raptors host District 11-AAA foe Independence, a team which shares the same record as RHS. Shuman said his team will be ready for them. “We’ve had great practices this week; we have good morale,” he said Wednesday night.
In some of the best news to come out of the Ravenwood locker room in many weeks, offensive lineman and senior Hunter Judson will be back in the lineup, as will senior Drew Hawken. Payne Shanafelt “will be a lot healthier this week, plus other guys that have been playing hurt have gotten much better,” the second-year head coach said.
“We will have a much fuller holster than we have had for a long time.”
The Eagles share the same style of defense that Franklin does, Shuman said, which has helped them prepare. Having Judson back on the line should be a tremendous boost to stopping the Eagles run game. IHS head coach and former Tennessee Titan Kevin Dyson runs a complicated offense, Shuman said, so “we have to be ready to defend lots of offensive looks.”
“Our talent levels are very similar. We feel we have a great chance against them,” Shuman said.
The Thursday night time slot offers some glory, but doesn’t help in game planning, Shuman said. “It makes it difficult. You’re operating on a short week. Of course, this time of year if you’re successful, you’re just continuing what you’ve been doing. But we’ve only scored 7 points in our last three football games. We need any advantage we can get.”
Shuman saved most of his comments about the seniors on his team, a group who has a lot of pride, who have done everything asked of them.
“I really appreciate this group of kids. I really don’t want them to get out of here without a victory.” |
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