ROXANA – Roxana's football team goes into Friday night's home opener against Hillsboro facing a big assignment. The Shells go into the game 0-2 overall and in the South Central Conference, having dropped decisions to Carlinville and Pana, both on the road.
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The Hilltoppers enter the game 2-0, having thrown shutouts at Piasa Southwestern and Staunton, scoring 92 points in their first two games. Kickoff at Charlie Raich Field is set for 7 p.m.
“They've got some good size,” said Shell coach Pat Keith. “We're a younger team than we have been for a couple of years, but the kids have had a good week of practice and they come in every day working hard.”
The key to the game, in Keith's eyes, is to play textbook Shell football – control the ball and sustain drives. “That's something we always look to do,” Keith said. “It's a long season and we've got some time left.
“Being at home and having the support of the community will be a good thing. We'll have our fans backing us and we do like playing at home.”
Joey Johnson leads the Shells in rushing, having gained 79 yards on 15 carries, with a longest run of 22 yards. Jordan Hawkins is right behind with 72 yards on 20 carries so far this year. Johnson has a touchdown for Roxana.
Marcus Hartnett is the Roxana quarterback; he's gone 2-for-15 passing this season for two yards; Johnson and Marcus Nash have caught Hartnett's passes.
“There is a learning curve for our younger players,” Keith said, “but we're always looking to get better each week.”
Roxana will host Vandalia in Week 4 and travel to Greenville for a Week 5 encounter.
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