Even though the Tigers lost both games, Benton coach Caleb Guidry thought his team was making good progress in Week 2 and Week 3 of the high school football season.
“We played seven really good quarters, starting in the second quarter of the Haughton game through the end of the Natchitoches Central game,” Guidry said.
That changed last week in a 38-0 loss to North DeSoto, the Tigers’ third straight.
“We took a huge step backward,” said Guidry, whose team had less than 100 yards total offense against the Griffins.
Thursday, the Tigers (1-3) can get things going in the right direction again when they play the Southwood Cowboys (1-2) at Independence Stadium.
“Now we’re just concentrating on stepping forward on a daily basis,” Guidry said. “We’ve gone back to basics. We’re looking at effort and attitude, taking baby steps forward. That’s our mantra.
“We’ve got to regain our forward momentum and we’re going to do that with effort each and every day, and that’s the only way I know how to do it.”
Last year, Benton also started the season 1-3 and made the playoffs. The Tigers’ three losses this season have come against teams with a combined record of 11-1.
The Southwood game is Benton’s final non-district contest of the season.
The Tigers defeated The Cowboys 21-0 last year and Guidry expects a tough battle Thursday. Southwood has a new head coach in Anthony McClain.
“He’s doing a fantastic job with them,” Guidry said. “They have some good coaches and you can tell it’s moving in the right direction. It’s another tough one for us.”
