Bears Try To Avoid Trap Game This Week Against Hermitage

RISON - Fresh off a victory over the defending 8-man state champion Strong Bulldogs, it would be easy for the Woodlawn Bears to overlook this Friday’s South Conference game at Hermitage against a 4-2 Hermit team.After all, Hermitage has struggled with numbers and victories in recent years as evidence by Woodlawn taking a forfeit win over the Hermits last year due to a lack of numbers.But Woodlawn Coach Doug Means said this week sets up to be the perfect trap game for his Bears, especially coming off an emotional win on the road at Strong.“It’s a trap game for us,” Means stated. “This is a team we feel like we should beat, but they’re going to have to get up enough to do something about it.”Before the start of the season, Means said Hermitage had one of the largest rosters in the South Conference. While the roster has dwindled some to injury, he said they have brought up a few freshmen off the junior high team to give them about 19. Woodlawn has 15 on its roster.Means said Hermitage has some “huge big linemen” up front blocking for what he calls three “super fast skill kids” that run mostly out of the I with some shotgun and spread sprinkled in. He said they often have a fullback in the backfield with them.The trigger for that Hermit offense is junior quarterback Carson Curtis, the younger brother of last year’s starter Carter Curtis. Means said he is probably their fastest player and Hermitage’s leading rusher.He said the Hermits like to try to get Curtis outside with a sweep, often trailed by a pitch man. While the pitch man is there, Means said Curtis has, so far, seldom pitched to him but instead looks to get into open space to use his speed.While most of the Hermitage offense goes through the quarterback, Means said they occasionally thrown in jet sweep to the wide receiver.A major factor in shutting down the Hermits this week will be cutting off the edges and forcing the...