Fulton looks to jump on Father Tolton early

Fulton quarterback Evan Gray tries to break a tackle during the season opener against School of the Osage.
Fulton quarterback Evan Gray tries to break a tackle during the season opener against School of the Osage.

FULTON, Mo. - Fulton coach Blake Logan is imploring his Hornets to throw the first punch when they host the winless Father Tolton Trailblazers tonight at Robert E. Fisher Jr. Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Fulton (1-1) has yet to score first in either of its games and fell behind by two touchdowns to School of the Osage in the season opener before mounting a comeback.

In last week's matchup at Versailles, the Tigers struck first and held a two-point lead before senior quarterback Cameron Vaughn orchestrated a successful two-minute drill to give the Hornets a 20-15 halftime lead.

Fulton went on to pick up its first win of the season 47-23, but when facing Tolton (0-2) tonight, Logan is hoping to not let a desperate opponent gain early confidence.

"We had a talk with the kids and we told them that we wanted to score first. We want to make sure we jump on them quick," Logan said. "A team that's 0-2, they're hungry and ready to get a win.

"They're on the road, they're going to do whatever they can to try to score first and get the momentum."

The goal of establishing early dominance may fall on the shoulders of the Hornets' defense. After wearing down late against Osage, the unit bounced back with a strong second-half showing against Versailles.

"We didn't make many adjustments at the half except move a few outside linebackers inside, but I don't think that that was the big thing," Logan said. "I thought a lot of it was mentality. We explained to them that (Versailles) wanted it more and they were playing more physical, and with a chip on their shoulder.

"We said it was all up to them, so they came out in the second half and played with a different mentality, which is what I thought was the biggest thing."

The Trailblazers surprised everyone when head coach Chad Masters opted to start 6-foot-5 junior quarterback Robert Hunter instead of returning starter Steven Devine. Devine, a senior, broke school records last season by throwing for 2,100 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Masters' gamble almost paid off in the season opener as Hunter went 21-of-41 for 273 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in a 25-19 double-overtime loss to South Callaway, ranked seventh in Class 2.

The Tolton offense was shut out in a 22-2 loss at Lutheran: St. Charles last week, but the Hornets will be prepared to see both quarterbacks in tonight's game. Hunter is the more polished pocket passer, but Devine possesses dynamic athletic ability and has more experience.

"Devine's a good player that they want to get the ball to and they want to groom Hunter at quarterback for the future," Logan said. "Both of them have good arms and they have the potential to make plays if we don't get after them.

"They can stretch the field and make us pay, so hopefully we can get good pressure with the D-line."

While the Trailblazers try to sort out their quarterback dilemma, their defense has quietly performed solid so far despite allowing 23.5 points per game. Fulton's up-tempo, spread attack might be the most challenging Tolton has faced to this point, especially with the play of the offensive line.

Behind the effort of seniors Nate Schtuzenhofer and Colton Bristol, and junior Shane Edwards, the Hornets are averaging a gaudy 257.5 yards rushing. The coaching staff was unsure of what to make of the unit during the offseason, but through two games they've already begun to exceed expectations.

"They're really competing with each other to see who can get the most pancakes and whose doing the best job in protection," Logan said. "They're having a lot of fun and they love playing with each other.

"It's fun to see, because that's basically the JV line that struggled at the end of games against the same kids they're pounding now."

The superb performance up front has allowed Vaughn and junior tailback Taeon Logan to showcase their big-play ability. Vaughn already has multiple runs of 50 yards or more, along with four rushing touchdowns, while Logan is averaging 7 yards per carry and has two touchdowns as Fulton's feature back.

 

The Trailblazers seem capable against stopping the run after they kept the run-heavy South Callaway offense in check and will mostly likely bring an extra defender in the box to force the Hornets to beat them through the air tonight.

After Vaughn's performance last week against Versailles, the Hornets are confident they'll be able to adjust to any defensive look Tolton throws at them.

Vaughn completed 10-of-12 passes for 114 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Senior wide receiver Makygh Galbreath was his favorite target with eight catches for 97 yards and two scores.

With his improvement in the pocket, Logan believes Vaughn is up to the challenge of beating teams with his arm.

"I see them trying to load the box like Versailles did and we'll be ready for it," Logan said. "He's starting to play with more confidence and we have playmakers on the outside that are ready to make plays if they do load the box.

"They have some good athletes in the secondary and they're a good defense, so they'll give us a challenge."

Against the Trailblazers' Cover-4 scheme, Fulton senior wide receiver Tre Vaughn could have his breakout game tonight. An all-state selection last season, Vaughn is second on the team with six catches for 60 yards.

Logan knows he has the pieces to generate big plays on the ground and through the air, and it will come down to execution when facing such a disciplined defense.

"We're going to try and take what they give us. If they want to run two high (safeties) and don't want to load the box, we'll run the ball," Logan said. "If they want to stack the box, we'll make them pay through the air.

"It's just one of those things where we have options to do whatever and we just want to get the ball to our athletes in space."

Related media:

Fulton Hornets Football Podcast [Father Tolton preview, Sept. 1, 2017]