The Red Ledger: The Tigers have standout players on both offense and defense in Demarcus Ayers and Daeshon Hall. What is the defensive strategy to shut down Ayers?

Head Coach Matt Green: “Shutting down Demarcus Ayers will be a very difficult challenge for our defense. He likes to run the ball so one thing we will do is try to give him reads where he will hand the ball off rather than keep it himself. Otherwise, I just think you have to contain a player like Ayers. He is very talented and he will make some yards. Our goal is to be great tacklers when he has the ball, and we want to hit him hard when he does carry the ball. This will take a toll on him and hopefully by the second half he will not be as productive.”

The Red Ledger:  What is the offensive strategy to avoid Hall and who will be protecting Sells/Saffle?

Green: “Daeshon Hall is another talented defensive player for Lancaster that we must account for every play Friday night. He is a big young man (6’6″ 220lbs) and he can be a dominant force if we don’t get him blocked. Our strategy will be to double team him as much as possible and run away from him if the situation allows for it. I also believe our tempo will be a big factor in controlling their entire defense. We want to get as many plays as possible to wear their defense down in order to take away some of their speed and aggressiveness.”

The Red Ledger: Travis Stewart’s predictions call for Lancaster making it to the State Championship game, how will this affect the Leopards as they face off against the Tigers?

Green: “Our team knows that Lancaster is a very good football team. We also are used to being picked as the underdog and that is fine with our boys. I think the newspaper pick will motivate our kids to play hard and prove that we are capable of playing with any team, regardless of their state ranking or tradition.”

The Red Ledger: While the Tigers are a strong team, they have lost this season unlike the Leopards. What did the loss to Red Oak say about the Tigers and will the Leopards be trying to do things similarly to Red Oak?

Green: “The loss to Red Oak definitely proves that Lancaster has the ability to lose to anyone. That was a game that was dominated by both teams defensively, and it shows that their offense can be held in check. Our defense has played exceptionally well in big games and we will need that type of performance Friday night in order to beat the Tigers.”

The Red Ledger: Because of the break, the Leopards have been on a somewhat different schedule than usual. Will this break in routine have any effect on the team?

Green: “Our routine will be a little different than normal, but overall, we will still have morning practices and treat the week identical in terms of weights, film, and special teams. Our goal as a coaching staff if to make the week as similar to a normal week as possible. While the schedule will not be identical, I do not anticipate any negative effects from the slight change.”