Lugoff-Elgin hopes to build confidence after breaking losing streak
Lugoff-Elgin coach Matt Campbell hopes Friday’s win over West Florence doesn’t become a rare occurrence.
Campbell, the first-year coach, wants his team to build upon the 13-3 victory, which snapped the Demons’ 18-game losing streak dating to 2013.
“Winning one game, everyone thinks it is a coincidence. It is our job to go out, show that it isn’t and we are a different team,” Campbell said. “That we are going to improve every week and continue to work hard. There are a lot more wins in our future.”
With a bye this week, the Demons will get extra time to enjoy the win, but Campbell doesn’t want his team to let up on its enthusiasm and work ethic, which he said was at his best all season in the week leading up to the West Florence game.
Lugoff-Elgin was coming off a 43-0 defeat to Nation Ford on Sept. 4, its worst loss of the season, and Campbell made personnel changes, mainly on defense. The former South Carolina and Carolina Panther moved six players from offense to also play defense.
The defense gave up the fewest points since shutting out White Knoll in 2009. Lugoff-Elgin’s defense came up big on two occasions, holding West Florence to an early field goal and then forcing a turnover with the Knights on the Demons’ 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter.
“Defense, several times they bowed up and gave us what we needed,” Campbell said. “They had a stop at the 1-yard line. That is character and that is how you define your team with players that are going to do it.”
The Demons’ schedule gets tougher with the remaining seven games against teams that are ranked or were ranked in the Midlands Top 10 at some point this season.
Still, Campbell says the team has something going into the second part of the season it lacked previously – confidence.
“I have known all along this group was capable of winning games. It is just a matter of confidence. And the only way to develop confidence is to win games or play games close that you have an opportunity to win,” Campbell said. “They showed the effort, dedication and the work. I told them this is what we expect of you and this is what we know you are capable of. You need to raise your own expectation levels and expect it from yourself every day and every week.”