As a 6-0 start slipped to an 0-3 slide through October, a Week 10 win was not enough to save the Spartans’ season as they finished 7-3 and missed out on the playoffs.
Alexander won six consecutive games to start the 2011 season, but with a loss to upset-minded Wellston at home, the cards started to fall.
In the following two games, the Spartans were blown out by county foes Athens and Nelsonville-York by a combined score of 93-7.
During Alexander’s October slide, coach Sean Arno explained how difficult it is to keep a team focused with the limited time teams have to prepare.
“There’s a very fine line and fine balancing act on how much you do week to week,” he said. “What you put in and what you can and cannot do and when you start to see tendencies in Week 5, 6, 7 of a team, they can’t reinvent themselves offensively overnight. It doesn’t happen.”
Senior quarterback Trey Bennett finally had a consistent position on offense in 2011. Bennett had played numerous positions previously, including running back and wide receiver, but found his niche at center this season.
“He’s been a good player for us,” Arno said. “He’s worked hard and he played so many different positions. I think it’s helped him this year to be stronger as a player.”
Bennett finished conference play with 268 yards passing and three touchdowns. He was Alexander’s leading rusher against conference foes with 53 carries for 275 yards and seven touchdowns.
In a Week 6 game against Vinton County, Bennett scored seven total touchdowns in leading his team to a 53-15 victory.
The Spartans finished the season tied for 15th place in Division V, Region 19.
During the high point of their season, the Spartans seemed almost unbeatable, outscoring their first six opponents by a combined score of 306-57.
On the season, Alexander still finished well above its opponents in scoring with a ratio of 341-177.
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