Hixson Bounces Back After 0-3 Start This Season

Hixson,TN-(WDEF) After starting the season with three straight losses against some really good teams, the Hixson Wildcats have gotten their record back to five-hundred.
Tonight, they’ll take a 3-3 record into their big region match-up with cross town rival Central.
Hixson coach Dan Duff knew his first three games would be a challenge, but he also knew it comes with the territory.
Said Duff:”We were coming off two back-to-back region championships. Anybody will tell you this. Anytime you have success like that, and it goes into a scheduling year. There’s not a lot of people that want to play you.”
Marion County, Walker Valley, and Stone Memorial are a combined 18-3. Despite losing those three games, Duff says it raised his team’s level of play.
Said Duff:”Like I said, it raises you up. Shows you some weaknesses that you have. Hopefully by the time you get into your region, you can compete with those teams. I’ve got 35 kids. That’s all I have. But they’re big at heart. They wanted to be successful. They love to play football.”
Then in their fourth game, the Wildcats knocked off East Hamilton.
Said quarterback Ladaquis Word:”Actually we made history on East Hamilton because I think we were the first Hixson group to ever beat East Hamilton.”
Quarterback Ladaquis Word has been a big part of the Wildcats improvement.
Said Word:”We thought coming under center a lot like pro offense and Wing T. Things of that nature. Then he finally got us in the spread. That’s my game, so we started from there.”
Said Duff:”He has really surprised me with the grit that he has the way he runs. I thought one of his best runs was the other night where he just lowered his shoulder and went into somebody. I like that.”
The Wildcats followed up their win over East Hamilton with a shut-out against East Ridge.
Said defensive end Preston Ward:”On defense the ultimate goal is to get a shut-out, and we did it. We showed we could do it, and we showed we have a lot of talent, and we can do what it takes to win.”