“I didn’t realize how inexperienced were as far as how many guys who played didn’t have that Friday-night experience under their belt,” he said. “Things happened before the game that they hadn’t experienced before. We had turnovers on two of the first four plays. I think it was overwhelming a little bit for some of the guys who hadn’t played on Friday. I didn’t think about that going into the game.”
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Playing a high-caliber team such as Centerville didn’t help. The Elks jumped out to a 16-0 lead, and while Fairfield fought back to a 16-16 tie, the Indians couldn’t maintain the momentum and came away with a 30-23 defeat.
“When you play a good football team or a team that comes from a great program, those problems are magnified,” Krause said. “One we get that first one under our belt, we’ll settle in and see if we can make improvements in the kids’ mental psyche.”
Krause and the Indians can learn how much progress the’ve made Friday when they travel to Northmont for a 7 p.m. game at Good Samaritan Stadium. The Thunderbolts also are coming off a mistake-ridden loss. They committed five turnovers in a wild, physical 45-36 setback at Winton Woods.
“We felt like we had a chance to be explosive on offense before that game,” Northmont coach Tony Broering said. “We knew it was going to be a tough, tough game. Winton Woods has some very talented players, and when you turn the ball over five times, that’s not the best for anybody. That’s the reality of high school football. We’re working hard this week to clean that up.”
This is the fourth consecutive season that Fairfield and Northmont have met in Week 2, and the Indians have won two straight after the Thunderbolts won in 2014. The Indians are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since the 2008 team finished 1-9.
Sophomore wide receiver Jutahn McClain scored all three of Fairfield’s touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving — against Centerville, while junior quarterback Jeff Tyus threw for one touchdown and two interceptions. Krause was most impressed with junior inside linebacker Del Thomas, who racked up 16 tackles, 13 of them unassisted. He was one of the few Fairfield rookies who wasn’t nervous.
“He was a (junior varsity) kid last year as a sophomore, but it didn’t seem to bother him,” Krause said.
Thomas and the defense will be tested by Northmont’s spread offense, which last week was led by junior quarterback Miles Johnson, who finished 22 of 48 for 255 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. Senior wide receiver Jabari Perkins caught three of Johnson’s touchdown passes and six overall for 89 yards.
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“I thought a lot of guys really stepped up,” Broering said. “We have some really good returning players. This senior class was sophomores when I took over, and 10 started. Perkins played well. (Senior offensive linemen) Jalen Hinton and Cameron Rucker played well. They’re seniors. They’ve been playing for me for three years. I expect them to play like that.
“A couple of kids in the junior class played well. (Defensive back) Jestin Jacobs had a big interception. (Defensive lineman) Gabe Newburg played well. (Defensive back) Danny Lewis might be the best athlete of all of them.”
The Thunderbolts didn’t lose anybody to injury against Winton Woods, but they were banged up enough to be unable to go live in practice this week, Broering said.
“I think everybody is available,” he said. “A couple of kids were limited in practice. Most of them were out there (Tuesday). Combined with the fact of losing and getting banged up, it’s been a tough couple of days, but the boys usually bounce back better than the coaches.
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“Fairfield is a bigger, stronger, faster version of Winton Woods. We haven’t had much contact, so it’s kind of hard to mimic that kind of physicality. We’ve stressed valuing the ball. Give credit to Winton Woods. They created some of the turnovers.”
Krause expects Fairfield to still be without senior running back Taimar Boykin and junior offensive lineman Wade Bullock.
“Boykin may be back in a couple of weeks, but Bullock is going to be out for a while,” Krause said.
Friday’s game
What: Fairfield (0-1) at Northmont (0-1), 7 p.m.
Where: Good Samaritan Stadium, 4916 National Road, Clayton
Last year: Fairfield won 27-13
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