Lawrence County (4-1) coach Jesse Anderson is hoping his team puts together some old-school, grind-it-out, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust type drives Friday night when they visit the Collins Tigers.

Anderson knows that, sometimes, the best defense is good offense, and that will be a key to stopping a high-powered Collins team.

“We’ve got to keep their offense off the field,” said Anderson.

The 2A Tigers (3-1) are coming off a 12-3 season in 2017 in which they lost to Taylorsville in the south state finals.

The only loss for Collins this season was a five-point defeat to Jefferson Davis County.

Five different running backs have at least 20 carries this season for the potent Cougar rushing attack. Junior Kylan Cooper leads the team with 508 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Sophomore Tae Cole is second on the team with 279 yards this season.

The Daily Leader Defensive Player of the Week — Jerome Dudley — leads a Cougar defense that was dominating last week in a 28-0 win over Franklin County. The Lawrence County defense has caused 11 turnovers this season and has given up one touchdown in its last three games combined.

The Tigers and Cougars kickoff in Collins at 7 p.m.

Story by Cliff Furr