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Highly ranked Daniel visits T.L. Hanna

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Preps Editor Keith Farner Talks with T. L. Hanna Coach Kenya Fouch and D.W. Daniel Coach Randy Robinson about this weeks match up of the two schools.

Preps Editor Keith Farner Talks with T. L. Hanna Coach Kenya Fouch and D.W. Daniel Coach Randy Robinson about this weeks match up of the two schools. Watch »

STORY TOOLS

After setting booster club concession records in its home opener last week, D.W. Daniel takes its highly ranked team on the road hoping to play with a better sense of urgency.

Coach Randy Robinson said his Lions didn’t realize until midway through the Easley win last week that opponents will bring some extra oomph to the table the week of their game.

A good example came after Daniel coasted for touchdowns on its first two possessions against Easley, then scratched and clawed to hang on for a 14-7 win.

“Last year we were kind of the surprise team, week after week, no one took us seriously,” Robinson said on a taping for “Hot Routes,” gofridayfootball.com’s weekly preview show. “This year in a jamboree and scrimmage people were screaming ‘They’re No. 1.’ We’re 1-0. Rankings and that stuff don’t mean a whole lot. We’re getting everyone’s best shot, and we need to match that intensity on Friday night.”

There shouldn’t be anyone lacking for motivation tonight when Daniel travels to Hanna in a matchup that pits the area’s best receiver tandem against the area’s best cornerbacks. This may be one of the few times Daniel junior DeAndre “Nook” Hopkins plays cornerback instead of safety.

Hopkins and Virginia Tech commit Jerrodd Williams will square off against N.C. State commit Quinton Payton and Clemson commit Martavis Bryant.

Robinson said Hanna’s big-play capability could test his secondary for the first time this season. Easley, although it had only 21 rushing yards, was content to throw short passes to move the chains. Robinson also noted Payton’s 44-yard touchdown catch against Westside last week when he lunged in between two defenders.

“If we weren’t playing him, that’s pretty to see,” Robinson said. “That’s a challenge for good technique in the secondary.”

The key to limiting Hanna’s offense, Robinson said, could be pressuring sophomore quarterback Dajun Martin, who scrambled for 40 yards on five carries last week.

Martin saw his first varsity action in this game last year, but went 0-for-5 with two interceptions. But after throwing for three touchdowns, and only one interception last week, Martin said he’s come a long way since last season’s start.

“I think I’m a lot farther,” Martin said. “I’ve gotten more comfortable in the pocket, and getting a lot better, and the offensive line is doing a good job of giving me time.”

It was Daniel’s offensive line that helped the Lions rush for 245 yards against Hanna last season. Robinson’s looking for that kind of effort again, and his defensive front to contain Martin and Co.

“We need to be more physical up front. Even defensive line, even though we held (Easley) to 21 yards rushing, we weren’t happy with anything we did up front,” Robinson said. “Defensive line-wise we weren’t very good, and offensive line-wise, we were terrible.”

Senior defensive lineman Michael Stone isn’t too worried about his lineman teammates on offense.

“(Nearly) 380 yards of offense says exactly what they need to say,” Stone said. “They just need to finish.”

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