TIPTON - Tipton coach Tony Braby has told his team to keep their chins up and to keep working hard.
The Cardinals (1-6) lost their sixth game in a row last week with a 43-6 decision against Cole Camp. Tipton looks to get back in the win column as they get ready to face the Santa Fe Chiefs (2-5).
"It all comes down to the playoffs anyway regardless of what your record is," Braby said. "So we've got an opportunity to play a couple of teams that seem to be a little bit more in our realm of records. We play Santa Fe this week and they got two wins and Concordia next week and they got three wins at this time."
Braby wants the team to remain positive for the remainder of the season.
"You want to work towards getting some momentum possibly with the last couple of games going into the playoffs, and if you can pick up another win there you got three wins at the end of the season and maybe that momentum will carry in to the following season," he said. "I told them don't think of it as being almost over, think of it as getting ready to turn the corner and taste some success. It doesn't take much to wipe out a terrible season and the fact that you possibly might win one, two, or three games in the end will make us feel like the season was not a loss in itself."
This week will be the first time this year the Cardinals will be facing a team with a losing record.
Tipton's offense has struggled since their 60-16 loss Sept. 6 to North Callaway . Since that game, the Cardinals have not scored more than eight points in a game, that coming in a 37-8 loss to Windsor.
Tipton has scored six or fewer points in the last four games.
Braby said the tough opponents and their defenses have been a part of the struggles on offense. But he noted the team has had some opportunities and has been able to move the ball up and down the field at times.
"But that always seems to coincide with a turnover. So we get momentum and then it is just taken away," Braby said. "That has played a part in not being able to get as many points as we would like."
Braby said the team has had things that worked well against those tough defenses and the Cardinals feel good about their passing game.
"I am hoping that what we did that we had success in with the tougher schedule that maybe that will help produce some first downs and some scores and get us some confidence early in the game," he said.
Braby said Santa Fe does not throw the ball a lot and the Cardinals will get more men in the box in order to help stop the run.
"We want to try to take away their running game and force them to throw because I don't think it is a strong part of their offense," Braby said. "If we can slow their run game and make them struggle a little bit with that then I think it is going to help us out."
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Tipton is fifth in the Class 1 District 2 standings with 21.43 points. The top four teams in the district host the first round of the postseason.