Camden Fairview's defense looks for consistency after Hamburg win

Cardinals head coach Jacob Monden talking to his team after practice
Cardinals head coach Jacob Monden talking to his team after practice

Three weeks into the 2021 high school football season, the Camden Fairview Cardinals (2-1) are feeling positive about their chances for a conference title and a longer postseason trip in the playoffs.

The Cardinals knew they had a talented team on both sides, and Coach Jacob Monden said they feel like they can beat any team on their schedule.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals have a dual-threat O-line that can consistently put points on the scoreboard. The Cardinals averaged 43 points per game in their first three games of the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Monden said knows there is some work to be done, but overall, he said he feels like the Cardinals are on the right path toward contending for a championship.

In the first game of the season, the defense of the Cardinals held the Arkadelphia Badgers' offense to 21 points. Last season, the Badgers averaged 38.4 points per game.

In the following game against their rivals in the El Dorado Wildcats, Camden Fairview's defense knew they would have a tough task trying to suppress the speed and quick plays of the Wildcats' offense. They held the Wildcats to 353 total yards of offense, but 199 of those yards came in the third quarter. The Wildcats would eventually give the Cardinals their first loss of the season with a final score of 40-36.

The Cardinals' secondary was vulnerable due to the quick passing game of the Wildcats. Camden Fairview's defense could not get a consistent pass rush to the quarterback because of the way the offense got the ball to the receivers at the beginning of the play. Camden Fairview's defense was eventually gassed out due to the fast tempo of the Wildcats offense.

Last Friday night, the Cardinals looked to bounce back from their loss to El Dorado in their home game against the Hamburg Lions. The Cardinals' offense was explosive from the beginning of the game as they scored 45 points in the first half. They finished with 52 points overall as they rested their star offensive players after a tenacious first half.

The Cardinals had their biggest rebound on the defensive side of the ball. The defense for the Cardinals completely shut down the running offense of the Lions. They forced five total turnovers from the Lions, with three of them coming from interceptions.

"We just made some personnel moves and moved some guys around a little bit and then you know if we're able to dictate the flow of a game. It helps us with our big kids," Monden said. "Obviously, you know, after the El Dorado game, we put a big emphasis on, you know, really just getting some depth going with her with our front kids and had some guys step up a week ago ... Just looking forward to those guys, you know, as the season progresses, to keep on getting more reps and keep on helping us."

The Cardinals are more focused and aggressive going forward with their defense in practice. They are even more hyped in practices this week as they travel on the road to take on the Watson Chapel Wildcats (0-1) this Friday night.

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