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Defenses focus on stopping playmakers tonight

When the LaBrae Vikings and John F. Kennedy Eagles square off at LaBrae High School this evening, two of the area’s premier playmakers will be showcased in one of the area’s best Week 2 matchups.

LaBrae’s Tariq Drake and Kennedy’s Jacob Coates have dazzled with their amazing playmaking abilities the past few years. Not surprisingly, those skills came in handy Week 1, as they combined for 324 total yards of offense, plus three rushing touchdowns.

Coates had just two touches on offense, with a 68-yard touchdown reception before half, plus, a 47-yard run, in Kennedy’s 55-0 win at Keystone. Drake, meanwhile, had three carries for 139 yards, including touchdown runs of 59 and 66 yards. He added a team-best five receptions for 70 yards, giving him over 200 yards of offense in the 31-21 win over Conneaut.

When you include special teams, the touchdown number doubles, as Coates had punt return touchdowns of 44 and 34 yards, while Drake’s punt return covered 69 yards.

“LaBrae has a lot of weapons,” Kennedy coach Jeff Bayuk said. “Their quarterback (Carlton Brown), (running back) Arjay Oliver, and of course, Drake.”

Bayuk, who said his Eagles are fighting the “numbers game,” is most impressed with the Vikings’ size, even more so than their talented playmakers.

“What really impressed me is their size up front. They’re (offensive line is) massive,” Bayuk said.

“It’s not like we haven’t seen big teams before, but we don’t have a lot of numbers. We have a lot of concerns, it’s gonna be a tough, tight game.”

Both the Eagles and Vikings face plenty of fierce competition in the coming weeks, as LaBrae will face Lakeview next week, while Kennedy has Crestview, the team that eliminated LaBrae from the playoffs a year ago, in two weeks.

“Every week is a big challenge for us,” Bayuk said. “(But) if you don’t play good teams during the season, you’re gonna have a tough time (succeeding down the road in the playoffs).”

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