Douglas football tries to rebound

The Douglas High football team will look to rebound from a shaky 38-15 season-opening loss to Reed as the Tigers travel to Bishop Manogue Saturday afternoon for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

Manogue presents a pretty tough test in week 2, coming off a 10-2 regional runner-up finish last season and a dominating 41-6 season-opening victory over Damonte Ranch last week.

The Miners' Josh Dupree ran for 196 yards and two touchdowns last week to lead Manogue. In total, the Miners ran for 287 yards as a team.

Douglas, on the other hand, is coming off a big loss to perhaps the top offense in the region. Reed piled up 375 yards of total offense, 205 of which came through the air.

The Tigers rushed for 206 yards on 44 carries by a number of different backs and quarterback David Laird completed 10 passes for 81 yards.

Douglas was called for eight offside penalties and a number of illegal substitution plays (i.e., too many men on the field), costing them 75 yards. With another week of practice under their belts, the Tigers should be able to curb those penalties and improve.

Reed is a multi-dimensional offense that spreads out the passing game and balances the run pretty effectively. That annually tends to force the Tigers out of their effective 5-3 defensive base.

Against Manogue, primarily a running team, Douglas should be able to settle in to what they do best and key on the Miners' talented runners. The Tigers should be able to get a better picture of where they are defensively this week.

As for the offense, quarterback Laird settled into a fairly solid rhythm through the second half of the Reed contest. He pulled the ball down and ran with it several times. He gained a total of 21 yards, showing he can be a mobile threat when he has to be.

He could have thrown for well over 100 yards if a couple of balls had not been dropped and if a would-be 17-yard touchdown pass hadn't been called back on a hold.

Running wise, Douglas was able to move the ball effectively after a tough first quarter.

The Tigers also showed off several variations of the option during the third quarter last week, which gave Reed fits. That could become a larger part of Douglas' game plan as the season rolls along.

First-team all-league center Mike Colyer has been suited up for practice this week after sitting last week out with an injury.

His addition to the line should be a huge boost for the Tigers.