WDHS Football Forecast: Taking On Audubon

The football team aims for a second straight win to start the season tonight, as it hosts 1-0 Audubon at 7 p.m. Below is a look at some of the key players and situations to look for in this week’s football forecast.

AUDUBON AT WEST DEPTFORD, 7 p.m.

West Deptford (1-0)

Last week: Won, 56-12 against Sterling.

Last game against Audubon: Won, 41-6. The Eagles scored 14 points in each of the first two quarters to pull away from the Green Wave. Jamil Pollard had a touchdown on a fumble recovery, while Vaughn Scott rushed for a trio of scores.

Key Player: Gerald Towns. With a team full of playmakers, Towns can get overlooked, but the Green Wave would be making a grave mistake by doing so. Mostly used as a blocking back last week, Towns recorded five rushes for 20 yards, but his biggest play came on the defensive side, where he recovered a fumble and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. Look for Towns to make an impact on both sides of the ball again this week.

Three keys to the game:

–Continued use of Cornelius. In his first action as the featured back, Josh Cornelius demonstrated great running ability. On just seven carries, he managed 73 yards and two touchdowns. His power-running was impressive, but he also showed elusiveness and the ability to get outside. He missed most of the second half with a leg cramp, but should be healthy enough run over the Green Wave tonight.

–Slowing down Khaleil Chisolm. The Audubon running back was a force last week, accumulating 159 yards on 20 carries. West Deptford did an excellent job stopping the Sterling running attack, and will need to do the same against Chisolm. Audubon managed just 62 yards of offense from the rest of its team.

–Protect the football. While it didn’t cost the Eagles last week, the team did have a pair of fumbles. As the competition gets tougher, the players must do a better job protecting the football to ensure success.

AUDUBON (1-0)

Last game: Defeated Lindenwold, 10-0.

Last game against West Deptford: Lost, 41-6. Audubon put the ball in the air 36 times and was intercepted three times.

Key Player: Running back Khaleil Chisolm. As documented above, Chisolm was the Audubon offense last week. Audubon will not want to put the ball in the air 36 times again, and to avoid that, Chisolm will have to be productive on early downs. That means he must find his way through a stout defensive line anchored by Pollard.

Three keys to the game:

–Getting help from others: The Green Wave will have to get production from players besides Chisolm to stay competitive tonight. Last week, three other Audubon running backs rushed for a total of 25 yards on 16 carries, an average of 1.6 yards per carry. With the Eagles likely to focus on Chisolm, other running backs will need to produce.

–Force West Deptford into passing situations. The Audubon pass defense was as good as it gets last week, holding Lindenwold's quarterback to five completions on 25 attempts. Even more impressive was the team’s four interceptions. It is highly unlikely the Eagles will put the ball in the air anywhere close to 25 times, but stopping the run on first and second downs could force West Deptford to go to the air more than it may like.

–Survive the first quarter. After the opening few possessions, Sterling was already out of the game against West Deptford last week. For the Green Wave to avoid a similar fate, the team will need to record a few first downs in its opening possession and control some of the clock. Audubon must also make West Deptford work for its points. West Deptford can strike quickly–evidenced by its scoring drives of one, three and plays last week. If that trend continues, Audubon will stand little chance of staying close.