Game preview: US Grant at Southeast

US Grant at Southeast
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: CB Speegle Stadium

Why US Grant could win: There’s a lot of excitement around the Generals with their new, young, energetic head coach, Matt Miller, and there’s some blossoming talent on the team. If Miller can put the pieces together on defense to give the new offense time to find its rhythm, this team has a chance to win a few.

Why Southeast could win: Since the spring, coach Michael Branch has been focused on building back Spartan football on fundamentals, and it seemed to show through last week with their performance at the All-City Preview, especially on defense. The offense has a good run-pass balance and quarterback Jay Gogue is a playmaker.

Quote: “We’ve just got to get a little more consistent. But I think we’re improving. We’re tackling a whole lot better than we did last year, so I’m happy about that.” – Branch

Key matchup: Grant passing game vs. Southeast secondary. The Generals are transitioning to more of a passing offense, but running the ball still looks to be the team’s strength. So if they can find some success throwing the ball, it could open up the run game even more. But throwing won’t be easy, especially with safeties Gogue and Nelson Williams — two of Southeast’s top defenders — patrolling the back end.

The pick: Southeast 27, Grant 21. I think Grant will win some games this year, but I also have seen a lot of improvement from Southeast over last year’s team. If the Spartans weren’t stuck in perhaps the state’s toughest district, they’d be a playoff contender. But getting to the top four in 5A-1 is a steep hill to climb.

– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com