Week Two Preview
Time to Prove Yourself
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
EAST TEXAS – After the Week One, the butterflies should be gone and the players should be better prepared when the lights flicker to life on Friday, Sept. 6. While some games were clean throughout, many others were plagued by penalties that had coaches pulling their hair out.
Grapeland Sandies (1-0) vs. Cayuga Wildcats (1-0) – The Sandies were dominant in their 44-9 win over the Milano Eagles last Friday and look to continue that dominance over a Cayuga team they defeated last year by a score of 28-8.
Look for Grapeland to try and get the run game going with Cadarian Wiley while Keizion Ashford and Deco Bryant keep the Wildcats defense from sending the house at QB BJ Lamb who accounted for over 350 yards in total offense last week.
The Grapeland D will have to stop the run if they want to win the game. Cayuga ran the ball 55 times for over 350 yards against the Frost Polar Bears in their season opening 32-0 win. Carson Grasch paced the Wildcats with 106 yards on 17 carries. He scored twice on the ground and once on a swing pass from QB Caden Mullican.
Lovelady Lions (0-1) vs. Tenaha Tigers (1-0) – Even though the Lovelady Lions lost to the Groveton Indians by a score of 53-26, the game was a lot closer than the score would indicate. Penalties, turnovers and a mental lapse in the second quarter doomed the Lions’ chances against the Indians.
Seth Murray looked good at times from his QB position but needs to show a little more patience in the pocket. Slade Murray and Nick Ochoa showed they have enough outside speed to keep the Tigers from cheating up to the line of scrimmage while Josh Martinez led a solid rushing attack.
The Tigers, on the other hand, squeaked out a 15-7 win over the Troup Tigers. It was a stout defensive game on both sides of the ball, but in the end Tenaha was just too much for Troup.
Lovelady is seeking to extract a little revenge after last year’s 14-2 loss. To do so, the defensive line will have to stop the Tenaha run game while the offense plays mistake free.
Garrison Bulldogs (0-0) vs. Crockett Bulldogs (1-0) – The Garrison Bulldogs come a’callin’ as they travel to Monte Jack Driskell Stadium for a dog fight with the Crockett Bulldogs.
Crockett dismantled the Buffalo Bison last week by a final score of 44-21 and shined in all phases of the game. The Bulldogs will have a test on their hands as they take on the #8 team in Class 2A – DI.
Garrison had an open week to start the season and that may well play into the Crockett Bulldogs plans. Crockett has had a chance to work out all the kinks from the week one and should be ahead of Garrison in their development.
Frankston (0-0) vs. Elkhart (1-0) – The Elks got a little payback on the Centerville Tigers last week as they took down the perennial 2A powerhouse by a final score of 34-14. After spotting the Tigers seven early points, Elkhart came roaring back to score 26 unanswered points for a 26-7 lead through three quarters, using a running game that amassed nearly 350 yards and a passing attack that netted 130 more.
The Indians first game of the season was cancelled due to weather. Under new head coach Paul Gould, the Indians should be better than last year’s 1-9 record but still have a ways to go before they return to prominence.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
