By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



Mortimer Jordan isn’t expecting an easy game when the winless Hayden Wildcats arrive in Morris Friday night, according to head coach Greg Watts the Blue Devils coaches and players are expecting to have a pretty good fight on their hands.

“We’re not taking them lightly,” Watts said. “When they play us they’re pretty excited. From what I’ve seen on film, they’re a scrappy bunch that will fight for four quarters.”

The game is a crucial one for the Blue Devils playoff hopes, as they currently sit in fifth place in the 5A, Region 6 standings, one game behind fourth place Gardendale. Only the top four finishers will advance to the state playoffs.

“This is a very big game for us,” Watts said. “We need to win this one and the next one and see if we qualify to keep on playing.”

Should Mortimer Jordan win both of its final region games and Gardendale splits its final two region matchups, the Blue Devils would reach the postseason by virtue of their 24-23 win over the Rockets on Sept. 14.

Watt’s club will face a new look Hayden squad this week, a team which is throwing the ball much more than the one they saw when the two clubs meet a season ago.

This season, 59 percent of Hayden’s yards gained have come via the pass, in contrast to the 2006 Wildcats, who were predominately a running team.

According to Watts, the Blue Devils would prefer the Wildcats to keep the ball on the ground.

“I’m hoping for a low-scoring game,” he said. “We don’t fit into these high-scoring games right now. We’re hoping our defense can bow up and improve this week and play well. We’re hoping to come out on top and maybe have a chance to keep on playing in a few weeks.”

The Blue Devils are coming off a 48-23 loss to region leader Cullman last week. Mortimer Jordan fell behind early in the second quarter and could never catch up.