As Plattsburg's players started to relax toward the end of their second practice Monday night, first-year coach Andy McNeeley tried to find a motivator.

"Forty-two points per game last year in districts?" the 29-year-old bellowed as the first-team defense worked against a second-team offense. "You're on a three-game losing streak. It's unacceptable."

Clearly, McNeeley knows where the Tigers' weakness was last year. In three district losses, Plattsburg surrendered 34, 54 and 48 points.

Yeah, it was in one of the toughest districts in Class 2. But McNeeley knows how talented this squad is, and the players want to avoid a repeat.

"Like he said, 42.5 points in three games is not good," senior wide receiver/defensive back T.J. Apple said. "He’s wanting to fix that, and I think he’s going to get the job done. He’s going to push us to get the job done."

McNeeley’s first move in his first 11-man head coaching job switched Plattsburg’s offense from the wide-open spread of the past two years to a power-running, option attack — harkening back to Plattsburg’s glory days.

With the spread, Plattsburg went 12-8 overall under coach Karl Asbury but has not won a district game since 2005.

“We switched out to the spread, and not too many people thought that was right,” Apple said. “It worked for a little bit, but when it came down to the money rounds, it didn’t really work at all.”

It should be an interesting change.

Taylor Davis, a senior entering his third-year as starting quarterback, led a potent offensive attack for two years but looks forward to the switch -- especially the chance to run it more. Running back Erik May -- a second team All News-Press performer as a junior -- has shaved 20 pounds off of his 245-pound frame but is still a load coming out of the backfield.

The receivers? Well, they know what the score is when it comes to increased blocking duties.

"Obviously you love to catch the ball. You've got to be the star, right?" Apple said. "But me and our receivers are looking forward to blocking and doing what it takes to get the big wins."