BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
BEULAH — If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it’s apparently Beau Duck.
Beulah High School’s senior wide receiver and defensive back shined at a doubleheader jamboree held at Sylacauga’s Legion Stadium on Aug. 14, securing an interception and a 62-yard touchdown reception in separate games.
However, the Bobcats as a whole must return to the drawing board after tying 0-0 with B.B. Comer High School and losing 14-7 to Woodland High School during the modified preseason showcase.
While last Friday’s contests were both only two quarters long and featured running game clocks, Beulah head coach Michael Courson said the event still gave his team a good preview of what’s to come.
“Tonight was who’s going to hit somebody, who wants to go out there and compete? That’s kind of what we were looking for, and I think we saw some glimpses of that,” Courson said. “This was a good environment to come out here and do that. We kept everybody healthy, and all in all, we got a lot of stuff on tape we can look at and correct. That’s also what this night was for, and I think we accomplished that.”
On a night that saw much-improved pre-snap operations from Beulah’s offense and a more solid defense, the Bobcats’ reserve defense allowed two touchdowns in the second quarter to Woodland.
Halfway through the second quarter, Woodland’s Trip Morin broke free behind Beulah’s defense for a 67-yard TD reception that tied the game, and then a 17-yard TD reception to take the lead less than three minutes later.
The game against B.B. Comer also ended with some controversy after it appeared senior defensive back and wide receiver Tristen Robinson appeared to snag the game-winning TD.
Game officials ultimately ruled that Robinson’s toe-tapping catch did not count due to him being out of bounds.
While the Bobcats left Sylacauga with plenty to work on, they received a standout two-way contribution from Robinson and a solid performance from quarterback Kason Kalla.
However, the main bright spot was Duck.
In the matchup with B.B. Comer, Duck secured a highlight reel interception with 21 seconds left in first quarter by high pointing a high throw and outmuscling the wide receiver for the ball.
Against Woodland, the 6-foot-2 Duck got behind the defense on a post route and beat the defender to the ball.
That display of speed and athleticism put Beulah up 7-0 with 9:55 left in the second quarter.
As the team’s main playmaker, Courson said the Bobcats will rely on Duck while also finding additional players to step up around him.
“He’s an athlete, and anytime the ball’s in the air, we know he’s going to go compete for it,” Courson said. “He showed that on offense and defense tonight. He’s a guy who shows up for us and someone we can really count on.”
Beulah must do so quickly before hosting LaFayette High School in the Week 1 home opener.
While the matchup between the Bobcats, a Class 3A team, and the Bulldogs, who dropped down to Class 1A this season, appears favorable on paper, Courson said his team must be prepared to deal with LaFayette’s skill position players.
“We have to look for their athletes. We’ll watch film and look at what they do, what they did last year,” Courson said. “[LaFayette head coach Douglas Jones Jr.] has got a pedigree coming from a good program, so I believe they’ll be ready and that it’ll be a good competition. We’ve got to find their athletes and limit them, and figure out ways to attack their defense. So again, it’s just about us lining up and seeing what happens.”
Beulah will host LaFayette at Bobcat Stadium on Aug. 21 at 7 p.m.
