Justin Walker began his third season as the starting quarterback for Daniel last week when he led the Lions to a 14-7 victory over Easley. Walker threw for 218 yards on 11-of-15 passing with a touchdown and an interception. This week, Walker’s Lions travel to T.L. Hanna to take on the Yellow Jackets.

DJM: Why did the offense struggle so much last week to put points on the board?

WALKER: Execution once we got down inside the 30. We struggled with execution. We drove the ball down field we just couldn’t put it in the end zone.

DJM: What sort of threat does Hanna pose this week as opposed to Easley last week?

WALKER: They have more weapons. They’ve got two good receivers and I know they like to throw the ball. That’s going to be a test for our secondary.

DJM: What adjustments will the team make as a whole to counter last week’s performance?

WALKER: Pretty much just work harder at practice. We worked pretty hard today so we’re going to be tougher and our offensive line is going to be more physical than last week.

DJM: You personally had a strong game through the air last week. Do you plan on utilizing the passing game a little more this year?

WALKER: I hope so. It depends on how everything goes. If we’re doing good running the ball we’re going to run it. If we need to throw it we’re going to throw it. We’ve got the weapons to do it, so hopefully, we throw the ball more this year.

DJM: Will you only consider this season a success if it ends with a state championship?

WALKER: Absolutely because we’ve got the weapons to win the state championship and that’s everybody’s mind set. Anything short of that is a failure.

DJM: Is there more pressure on you as the quarterback to right the ship and get the offense playing better?

WALKER: Kind of, but there’s pressure on everybody because everybody on the team, all the seniors, got the same amount of leadership that I do. We’re all just going to work hard to keep everybody focused on winning a state championship.