Watertown’s football team brings a 1-1 record into a Badger-Large conference matchup with Janesville Craig on Friday at Monterey Stadium.
The Goslings bounced back from a 35-7 loss to Brookfield East in the opener with a 27-7 win over Reedsburg last Friday. Craig lost to Oconomowoc 47-7 in the opener, then lost to Madison Memorial 7-6 in Week 2. A blocked extra point was the difference in the game.
“We’re not familiar with them,” Watertown football coach Benji Kamrath said. “They made some good improvements from Week 1 and 2. Offensively, they like to run dive option out of a spread look, and use the quick passing game to try to get the ball to their athletes in space. That’s what most teams in high school are trying to do now.
“We have to be solid in our option responsibilities. Stop dive first, get the ball out of the quarterback’s hands, and rally to pitch. We have to make sure what their formation is and that everyone understands their responsibility on that play.
“I feel good about our improvement defensively. I hope we can continue to build on that.”
Craig’s defense has shown a 4-3 base look, which Watertown saw against Brookfield East.
“On both sides of ball, they have good athletes,” Kamrath said. “Holding Madison Memorial to seven points was huge for them.
“We’ll have to be able to mix it up with run and pass again and work on our consistency. I am happy with how we ran the ball against Reedsburg, but there’s more we can do that. It sets up our passing and play action. Three different guys had a number of carries, which helps and keeps us fresh.
“Up front, our guys did a great job. Our guys on the perimeter made plays after the catch. It’s just a matter of learning from the film. Even after a big win, there are things we can always get better at and we’ll try to emphasize that this week.”
