WEIRTON - Two weeks ago, Cameron and Weirton Madonna were feeling pretty good about themselves. While there is nothing to suggest the Dragons and Blue Dons still don't, both are coming off tough losses that showed there is still plenty of work to be done.
Weirton Madonna was undefeated before Wheeling Central took it to the Blue Dons on their home turf. While they were sitting home during the bye, Cameron, which had reeled off two straight victories after a season-opening loss to Bishop Donahue, was drubbed last week at home by Beallsville.
''We are dinged up a little bit,'' Cameron coach Jim Rogers said. ''Beallsville was real physical but we are ready for Madonna.
''We've seen them on film three times and we know how good they are. They do a lot of good things.''
Those good things are mainly run by quarterback Ross Comis. The sophomore has thrown for 166.6 yards per in the three games while also averaging 55.3 yards on the ground.
Most of the rushing attack is in the form of Christian Roe with 95.3 yards per game.
''Comis is a threat to run it at any time,'' Rogers said. ''They block so well for him and Roe. We expect them to be ready to rebound.''
For Cameron, Rogers thinks the biggest obstacle his team faces is a good start.
The Dragons didn't have it against Bishop Donahue or Beallsville and found themselves in a big hole early.
''They onside kicked us and we never got out of the gate,'' Rogers said of Beallsville. ''Their passing game is so precise and it pained me to watch it on film. We were a step behind on coverage every time.
''We know we are going to have to correct that in a hurry because we have our work cut out for us with Madonna.
''The most important thing going is to not have a slow half. We did it against Beallsville and look what happened. We need to gain confidence, especially on that first drive.''
In order to do that, much will depend on quarterback Ryan Hughes and a talented running back combination of Andrew Hale, Austin Warsinsky, and Clayton Ward.
''We got to see Cameron against Bishop Donahue and then against Notre Dame and they have vastly improved,'' Weirton Madonna coach Doug Taylor said. ''They are like us with their spread offense. We are getting better running it, putting more on the quarterbacks and our wide receivers with the hot calls.
''Our line is also getting more chemistry.''
Much like Rogers, Taylor is hoping his team gets off to the fast start and isn't sluggish coming off a week's rest. Against a fast Dragons lineup, the last thing the first-year coach wants to do is play catch-up.
''I really hate bye weeks in the middle of the year, but especially coming off a loss,'' Taylor said. ''We took the time to work on technique, game situations, stuff like that.
''It's always a concern that you might come out flat so we have been getting after it. Their team speed might give us some problems so we are going to have to put pressure on the quarterback. We can't let him have all day. We'll mix our coverages and try to get him uncomfortable.''
