Timberwolves focus on run

May 26, 2011

Lowrey

By DANNY P. SMITH
sdnsports@bellsouth.net

West Oktibbeha football coach Adam Lowrey enjoyed watching the Timberwolves execute the fun and gun offense last season.
Over the spring, Lowrey said West Oktibbeha concentrated more on the run.
The Timberwolves were a passing dominant team last season by throwing for 264.3 yards per game and rushing for 100.9 yards per outing.
Lowrey believes the ability of West Oktibbeha to have a well-rounded attack will lead to more success as it moves forward.
"We really focused on trying to get better with our run blocking and our run game," Lowrey said. "We're headed in the right direction. We got better, otherwise we've got a long way to go."
Von Smith put up huge numbers at quarterback for the Timberwolves last season by completing 162 of 281 pass attempts for 2,910 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Even though Lowrey still likes his signal caller, he has his eye on the skills of a running back.
"Definitely, (Smith) is a major part of what we do, but this year I look for Shun Fair to have a very big year and he's going to really surprise some folks," Lowrey said.
Fair rushed 53 times for 406 yards and four touchdowns last season.
West Oktibbeha finished with a 6-5 overall record in 2010, but failed to make the Class A playoffs.
In the offseason, Lowrey has looked for ways to toughen up his Timberwolves.
West Oktibbeha has already played in a spring jamboree at Scooba and is making plans to participate in a seven-on-seven league in Starkville this summer.
After playing against bigger schools in Saks, Ala., and McLaurin in the Scooba jamboree, the Timberwolves will see teams like Starkville, West Point, Noxubee County and Aberdeen in the seven-on-seven competition.
Lowrey believes the set up serves as a good measuring stick for where his program stands.
"We lost both games (at Scooba), but I can say that Kosciusko lost worse than we did," Lowrey said. "It put in perspective with the caliber of teams we played. We lost them both by two scores and I know for a fact we had a touchdown called back.
"As far as being competitive, we felt better knowing that we can compete. With our guys playing both ways, we need to be in shape and that's an issue we're going to have well-covered before we play this fall."