The 2016 French Camp Academy football team is just trying to take one step at a time.
The Panthers dropped a 40-7 decision to visiting Eupora last week to fall to 0-2 on the season, but veteran FCA head coach Nathan Wright said he definitely saw signs of improvement from his young squad.
"I was proud of our kid’s performance, "Wright said. "They played with a lot more energy Friday night. Had we played with that kind of energy the week before (in a 39-12 loss to Winona Christian) maybe we would have had a real good football game. "We had a much better week of practice and that always make a big difference," he said. "Our knowledge level was improved. You have that learning curve when you have inexperienced guys getting some actual game action. At first they are a little unsure and not as aggressive as they need to be."
He also said he was satisfied with the production he was getting out of the skill positions but was still looking for his offensive line to cement.
"We just have to get better up front," he said. "But we knew the whole time that is where we needed the most work. We are going to hope they can figure it out and we as coaches can coach them up to their best of our ability to give us a chance to win."
Wright said his Panthers were facing a tough foe in the visiting Winona Tigers Friday night. Winona opened the season with a 55-6 win over Montgomery County before falling to Choctaw County 28-14 last week.
"They are extremely athletic and fast," he said. "They can give us some match up problems. But it also helps us playing games like this as we get prepared for the rest of the season."
The lone touchdown for French Camp against Eupora, which fell behind 34-0 at the half, was a 62-yard scoring pass from Colin Perry to Bruce Wood. Bradley McGlothin was good with the extra point.
Freshman Kendall Coleman led FCA in rushing with 31 yard on eight carries, while Holman Edwards had four carries for 17 yards. Colin Perry hit on 4-of-4 passes for 58 yards. Wood had one catch, while Coleman caught three passes.
Coleman and Clayton Leathers led the Panthers with seven tackles each, while Zac Gilmer, and Aaron Witt had six apiece and Skylyr Effler had five.
