TIPTON, Mo. - After suffering a 41-8 loss to Liberal and a fourth straight defeat, the Tipton Cardinals are looking for answers when they host the Lincoln Cardinals in Kaysinger Conference action tonight. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Head coach Tony Braby wants the team to fix its tackling problem.
"We missed a lot of tackles," Braby said. "We definitely did not bring our A game (against Liberal). We are going to do some tackling against some stand-up dummies, something that will give us a better chance of success."
Braby said he feels his players will put the lopsided loss behind them and will be ready to go for their game against Lincoln (5-0), which is ranked No. 5 in Class 1 in this week's Missouri Media Rankings.
Braby thinks Lincoln will try to run the ball, as that is the focal point of their offense.
"They want to eat up the clock," Braby said. "They don't take a lot of chances. They wait for you to make a mistake."
Lincoln is coming off a narrow 14-12 win at home last Friday against Marionville. The Cardinals averaged 46.3 points per game through their first three contests, but they have been held under 21 points in each of their past two games, which includes a 20-14 win two weeks ago against Windsor.
Despite losing six all-district players from last year's team that reached the Class 1 semifinals, the Cardinals bring back a pair of key pieces to this year's squad on both sides of the ball.
Derek Stephens had carried the workload as running back on offense. Earlier this season in a Week 2 win against Appleton City, Stephens piled up 225 yards on 16 carries, scoring five touchdowns in a 42-0 victory.
The Cardinals also bring back first-team all-district linebacker Dominic Simmons. Senior end Caleb Smith and senior linebacker Clayton Kreisler have also been big contributors this season on the defense.
Braby said Tipton (1-4) is going to need to limit its mistakes and play smart football if the Cardinals are going to have a chance to win. Braby said tackling well is going to have a big impact on the game's outcome.
"We are going to have to tackle," Braby said. "We've got guys that at the point of attack, we've got guys making contact with the runner, and we are just not finishing it. If we tackle well, we will force them to have to throw."
Lincoln has won 23 consecutive regular-season contests, last losing to Cole Camp during Week 9 of the 2014 season. Tipton's last win against Lincoln came one week later in the first round of districts, a 30-8 victory at home.