Week Three Preview
Bounce Back or Keep Rolling
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
EAST TEXAS – Week three of the 2019 football season will see some interesting matchups as area teams hope to keep on rolling or bounce back from a loss. Both Grapeland and Elkhart sport 2-0 records while Crockett is 1-1 after a heartbreaking loss to Garrison. Lovelady, meanwhile, fell to 0-2 after being dominated by Tenaha.
Crockett Bulldogs (1-1) vs. Grapeland Sandies (2-0) – The Grapeland Sandies have had two convincing road wins to open the season and moved up to #2 in the latest Dave Campbell Class 2A-DII rankings. The Sandies will face their first real test of the season as their neighbors to the south, the Crockett Bulldogs, come to town for and intra-county showdown this Friday.
Crockett is coming off a loss to the Garrison Bulldogs in a game they should have won. Expect the Dawgs to come into the game fired up as they attempt to get back on the winning side of things. The Dawgs have the speed and size to match up with Grapeland who very nearly won last year’s contest against big brother.
Lovelady Lions (0-2) vs. Normangee Panthers (0-2) – While this isn’t a must win for the Lions, it’s about as close as you can get. The Lions are coming off a game against Tenaha where they should just burn the tape and move on.
Aside from Tenaha’s initial score, all of the Tigers’ points came on big plays. Against the Groveton Indians, turnovers killed Lovelady’s chances. If the Lions are to win this game, they need to contain the big play and limit the turnovers.
The Panthers, on the other hand, are coming into the game licking their wounds after relatively close losses to Bremond (12) and Iola (3). Normangee returns seven starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball but features a young QB the Lions should be able to feast on.
Elkhart Elks (2-0) vs. Troup Tigers (1-1) – The Elks are coming off a thrilling 31-28 win over intra-county rivals the Frankston Indians and are now 2-0 on the young season. They need to build off the win and keep up the momentum as they hit the road and travel to Troup for a game against the Tigers.
The Tigers are 1-1 and are coming off of a Regional Semi-finals appearance last year. They have size and speed and will present a tough test for the Elks.
If Elkhart hopes to make a postseason appearance in 2019, this game will do wonders for their psyche as they prepare to enter district play in two weeks.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
