Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

Football: Lexington at Dorman

Site: Dorman. Time: 7:30 p.m.

Lexington notes: The Wildcats (9-3) simply can’t let things get out of hand as quickly it did in a 56-14 loss at Dorman in Week 4. Lexington’s chances of pulling off an upset must start with being successful on the dive play to Anthony Carden in the triple option attack … The Wildcats rolled up 388 yards on the ground in last week’s 49-20 Class 4A Division I playoff opening win over Stratford. Carden had 119 yards and one score on 19 carries in the romp … Lexington is averaging 297.1 rushing yards a game, and 5.8 yards per carry … Carden is up to 1529 yards and 21 TDs on the season … The Wildcats defense needs to be better in the rematch. Dorman, after all, rolled up 490 yards rushing in the first meeting.

Dorman notes: The Cavaliers (12-0) have been on a magical ride in 2008, posting the first undefeated regular-season record in school history. One of the wins was a 35-28 conquest of Byrnes, the top-ranked team in the nation, in Week 9 … Dorman, ranked No. 13 nationally by USA Today, whipped Wando 31-7 last week in the Class 4A Division I playoff opener. It was a typical Cavaliers performance with no headliners as such on offense, and a stellar team defensive effort … Dorman’s strength on defense is speed, not size. The formula, however, has been quite successful. The Cavaliers have allowed more than one touchdown just one time in 12 outings to date. Ryan Pruitt (93 tackles, 9 TFL, 2 interceptions), Malik Crate (84 tackles, 6 TFL, 2 sacks), Kendrick Smith (64 tackles, 12 TFL, 5 sacks), Andrew Bailey (60 tackles, 16 TFL, 6 sacks) and A.J. McLean (5 interceptions) are the prime playmakers … On offense, Dorman disdains the pass. Quarterbacks Johnny Foster and Rob Greene have combined for just 682 yards and six touchdowns. The running game is averaging 290.2 yards per outing and the Cavaliers’ cast of capable running backs has combined for a 7.1-yard per carry average. Ashlin Butler tops the charts with 1579 yards and 13 TDs. Four other runners have gained between 298 and 396 yards. Walt Canty has 352 yards and 15 running TDs on the books. Canty is a top kick return man (two punt return TDs) and had four interceptions on defense.

Series history: Dorman humbled Lexington 56-14 back in Week 4 to improve to 6-0 vs. the Wildcats. Friday’s game is the first playoff meeting since Dorman’s 31-24 win in the Big 16 championship game in 2000.