Chesnee poses formidable test for struggling Blackburg
By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Sports Editor larry@gaffneyledger.com

"Defensively, Chesnee is playing very good." - Mickey Moss

Sports miracles aren't granted everyday. Appalachian State beating powerhouse Michigan. The New York Giants derailing the Patriots' hope of a perfect season.

The Blacksburg Wildcats (0-3) beating Chesnee might not fall into that category. But first-year Blacksburg coach Mickey Moss knows his team must elevate its play significantly to beat the host Eagles today.

"Defensively, Chesnee is playing good," Moss said. "Chesnee is as tough a defense as we have played so far this season. I am really impressed with their defensive line. They have a couple big guys that are tough to block. It's going to be a real challenge for us on offense."

The Eagle defense returns eight starters, including defensive linemen Randy Peterson and Todd Carter and linebacker Dustin Gardner.

"Our main focus is to stop the run," Chesnee coach Brent Bridges said.

And the Eagles have done just that, giving up only 95 yards rushing a game.

But the 2-0 Eagles are formidable on offense, too.

Four-year starter Cedric Proctor is blossoming into a bigtime quarterback. He threw for 240 yards in a week one victory over Chase High School and 165 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-0 shutout of Landrum last Friday.

"Offensively, their quarterback Cedric Proctor is very talented and athletic. He has the ability to turn a busted play and make it into something big," Moss said.

But Moss said he is more concerned about his team's play.

"We are not playing very good on either side of the ball right now," the Blacksburg coach said. "We play in spurts where we do good for a series or two. Then we go into the tank. We have got to become more consistent. We've had opportunities to win. We have turned the ball over too many times and that has hurt us."

Moss acknowledges Blacksburg is in process of building a football program.

Practice habits are one area where the coach would like to see immediate improvement from his players.

"We need to have good practices during the week," he said. "When a player misses a practice, it puts them behind for the rest of the week. We have not gotten to the point where we are having three to four good practices a week. If we can get more of our players to work hard every practice, we will see good results on Friday night."

Injuries and illness on both the offensive and defensive lines have prevented the Wildcats from playing with more consistency.

"We are having to mix and match along the offensive line," Moss said. "This has made it difficult to develop the chemistry you need in order to play consistently."

Sophomore Chase Hames will see more playing time at running back against Chesnee. Coaches hope Hames can translate his playmaking ability on defense to help the Wildcats offense become more productive.

His older brother, Chris Hames, has been Blacksburg's most productive player on offense. Hames has caught seven catches for 122 yards this season.

Ultimately, Moss said the game's outcome will turn on the ability of Blacksburg to cut down on mistakes and play more consistently on both sides of the ball.

Blacksburg defensive lineman Marquis Steadman forced two fumbles in last week's game against Indian Land. Defensive end Ryan Green recovered a fumble in the end zone for one of Blacksburg's touchdowns in the 24-14 loss.