High School Sports

The Frankston football team began the season 0-2 under first-year head coach Sam Wells, but has won four straight games.

Last week, the Indians defeated Troup 24-14 in their District 19-2A opener. The other wins came against Quitman (21-7), back-to-back Class A Division I champion Alto (34-14) and Hemphill (28-18).

This week, Frankston travels to unbeaten West Rusk.

Staff writer Shane Stark spoke with Wells on Tuesday.

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What has been a key reason for the winning streak?

Me coming in late and everything, we kind of got a late start. Everything was new for the kids. Finally we figured out what's going on. The kids figured out what's going on. The kids have really bought into (our program) and have done a great job.

What were some changes you guys made?

It's not a wholesale change. There were four overall changes, just for (the players) to fit in where we need to have them. The main thing is the kids buying in and believing what's going on, and getting after it.

We run a different offense. They ran the I; we run the split- back veer. On defense, they ran a 4-3 and we run a 3-5-3. There were some big changes in there. We had to replace some of our offensive linemen from the year before, so that was a big transition for some of those kids. They were still learning what's going on Friday night.

In what areas has the team improved?

Defensively, we improved as far as tackling. It just takes a while to get them out there and get them into the new (regimen). The big thing is they were a little confused to start with, so we kind of simplified things. They've become aggressive, and that's the name of our defense. Offensively, it's just a scheme thing. The kids are starting to understand what's going on and learning their roles and understanding what they need to do.

How big was the Alto win?

It was a huge win for our program. Anytime you go to Alto and win it's big. At the time they were ranked No. 7. We played unbelievable. At that time we were 1-2. I don't know if people gave us a chance to beat Alto. That's when things started clicking. The week before we played well defensively. In the Alto game, we started clicking in all phases.

How about winning the district opener?

That's huge. When you start district 1-0, that's a big plus and you put yourself in a good spot, especially in a six-team district. Everybody in our district is tough. It's a battle every week.

How do you see the district shaping up?

Right now, Arp is definitely the top dog. They are rolling through everybody. They are doing a good job as usual. I think everybody else is pretty even still. Us and West Rusk are 1-0. Troup and Garrison are still solid ball clubs. Even Elkhart; they're 3-3 (on the season). Anybody is capable of beating anybody. You have to come out with your guns loaded every week, that's for sure.

How do you match up against West Rusk?

They're definitely a solid team. We are going to have to play a good defensive game and get them into long situations. They're good on defense as well. We are going to have to play a good game in order to be successful.