Sophomore running back Corbin Chase looks for positive yardage against the Valley View Blazers in action Friday night. Later in the game Chase would return a kickoff for an 85 yard touchdown, the Mohawks only score of the evening. (Times photos/Tim Blair) [Click to enlarge]

Credit Piggott head football coach Dave Hendrix with being a good study… and that fact is reflected in his approach to the 2008 season. After watching a couple of talented Mohawk teams blast out of the gate his first two seasons on the job, only to fade down the stretch, Hendrix re-thought his approach. This year the Tribe has a tougher non-conference schedule..with the emphasis on improvement not posting useless wins. That was the plan Friday night as the Mohawks opened the season at home against the 4A Valley View Blazers. And at evenings end, despite a 6-21 loss, Hendrix was pleased with the outcome and his team.

"They're a good team, a good football team…and when you think that we have 1,000 students and they have 2,400 it makes a difference," the third year coach noted following the game. "They did a great job tonight, but our kids played great..and I have no reservations about how they played."

The new attitude also showed up in the Mohawks play-calling, as the Tribe barely cracked their playbook. This also reflects the coaching staff's experiences of the past two years, when teams had a good opportunity to scout the Tribe well before conference play began and were ready with a game plan of their own. So far this year the Mohawks have shown very little of their offensive versatility.

With a large and vocal crowd on hand the Mohawks won the opening coin toss, with seniors Daniel Baldwin, Wes Wood and Michael Morgan serving as captains. The Tribe then deferred to the second half and chose to kickoff to the Blazers to get the contest underway. The early going saw both teams try to establish their offensive efforts, but neither squad could move the ball with any regularity. As play progressed the Blazers did get several good runs and they reached pay dirt just before the end of the first quarter as Ron Hubbard scored on a fourth-and-one play from the one. The PAT was good and Valley View took the 7-0 lead.

The Mohawks also had a couple of good opportunities to score before halftime, but were still unable to get their running game on-track. The first drive stalled when Baldwin was sacked one a fourth down play, but the Mohawk defense stiffened and got the ball back a short time later. On the next drive Baldwin was picked-off and the ball went back over to the visitors. That turnover came with less than a minute to go in the first half, and the Blazers chose to take a knee and run the clock out.

On the first drive of the second half the Mohawks fumbled the ball back to the Blazers, and on the following play Freeman took it 25 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was also good, and early in the second half Valley View enjoyed a 14-0 lead.

The Mohawks began to mount a good offensive drive following the second Blazer touchdown, but that ended when a Baldwin to Rob Rice pass was picked-off deep in Valley View territory. The next drive saw the Mohawk defense exert more pressure and stop the Blazers. But the Mohawk's offensive unit still had their issues and continued to have trouble moving the ball..and that would equate to just 91 yards total offense on the night.

The Blazers would score once more in the ballgame, as quarterback Aaron Moore hit running back Jonathan Cole for a five yard touchdown pass. Valley View's John Gay hit the PAT and the score stood 21-0 with 11:48 to play in regulation.

The highlight of the evening came on the following kickoff, as Mohawk sophomore speedster Corbin Chase returned the ball 85 yards for a touchdown. Chase, who led last year's 8-1 junior squad in yardage, took the kick down the sideline in front of the Valley View bench and outran the last Blazer to the endzone. The two-point conversion was no good and the Tribe trailed the Blazers 6-21…which would be the final score.

Later in the fourth quarter Valley View move the ball downfield and attempt a field goal, but that went wide right. They then went on to control the football, and the clock, as they ran off a seven minute drive. Meanwhile the last Piggott opportunity saw the Tribe go four and out.

"Physically we stayed in the ballgame all night," Hendrix surmised after the loss, "but we will get better because we have a good football team." The coach echoed those thoughts to the team following the loss, explaining that "going down the road and beating somebody by 50 wasn't gonna make us a better football team," as he applauded them for their play against the Blazers.

Another goal for Hendrix and assistants Michael Harrell, Shawn Hearn and Alan Rabjohn was to keep the Tribe healthy…and that was accomplished for the most part. The only Mohawk to fall to the injury bug was Zac Howell, who left the game with a knee strain and spent the much of the second half wearing an ice bag on the sidelines.

This week the Mohawks will face another unfamiliar foe as they travel to Caruthersville and take on the Tigers. The Caruthersville squad has lost two close games this year to St. Vincent (Perryville) and Kennett, and are coming off an 0-10 season. But the Tigers should not be underestimated as they always feature good speed and size, they also play in the tough SEMO Central conference. This week's game will kickoff at 7 p.m.

The following week the Tribe will visit the Clarendon Lions for the final non-conference tune-up for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, and will begin conference play at home on Sept. 26, against the Cave City Cavemen.