Tied for fifth in District 25-2A with Rogers, the 1-2 Cougars and 1-2 Eagles seek to make a move upward in the standings when they square off tonight at Merk Field in Rogers.
So how much are both teams in need of a victory now?
“This week not so much,” Maxfield said. “It’s important to win, but there isn’t as much pressure as last week.”
Said Rogers coach John Stillwell: “With an 8-team district, its really hard to tell. To say it’s a must, there are too many games left. It makes us more urgent, more critical defintely, but it’s not the end of the world.”
The Eagles’ defense faces one of its tougher tests of the season against a Cougars offense that likes to spread the ball around with senior quarterback Cap Suddeth. A back up when the season began, Suddeth has emerged, completing 86 of 138 passes for 1,057 yards and 10 touchdowns in less than six games.
“He’s getting better every week and is making better decisions,” Maxfield said.
“He gets rid of the ball quick, takes very few sacks and seems to put the ball where it needs to be put,” Stillwell said.
The Cougars like to throw short passes - screens, slants, curls, hitch routes - to their speedy skilled-position players such as Collin Rabroker, Darrell Whitfield and Ben Guthrie. The trio has combined for 62 catches and 834 yards.
Rosebud-Lott also received a big boost from Brandon Butler last week. Butler rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter.
With Suddeth’s ability to distribute the ball, Stillwell said his defense - allowing just 77 passing yards per game - must be able to tackle in space.
“Their offense is based on getting their athletes out all over the grass,” Stillwell said. “We’ve been getting better each week. Hopefully this week we do it well.”
Florence at Troy
Troy has found different ways to win each district game this season.
Against Jarrell, Jordan Hayes had a touchdown catch and a kickoff return. Jeremy Conrad had a long touchdown run and a punt return against Rogers. After falling behind 14-0 against Lago Vista last week, Conrad’s 76-yard touchdown reception and Hayes’ 81-yard touchdown run, coupled with the second-half defensive effort, kept Troy unbeaten in district.
“I give the credit to our kids for finding a way to win, whether it be a punt return, pass play, a long run,” Troy coach Grady Rowe said about his team that has won games by 7, 7 and 9 points respectively. “I think that says something about their character.”
Expect another close game tonight when 3-0 Troy hosts 2-1 Florence at Trojan Field.
After allowing 237 yards a week ago to Lago Vista’s Devin Brown, District 25-2A’s leading rusher, the Trojans face another test in trying to contain Florence quarterback Blake Brimer, the district’s second-leading rusher. Brimer has rushed for 612 yards and thrown for 570.
“He’s what makes them go,” Rowe said. “They have several threats, but there’s no secret. He’s the playmaker. He’s got great vision in the shotgun and does a really good job running the ball.”
No. 9 Salado at Lago Vista
Salado faces two challenges in tonight’s contest against the Vikings at Lago Vista Stadium.
The Eagles have the daunting task of containing Vikings running back Devin Brown. The leading rusher in District 25-2A, Brown has 163 carries for 1,002 yards, including 237 against Troy last week.
“He’s got some speed and he’s a power back,” Salado coach Jeff Cheatham said. “We’ll have our hands full.”
Cheatham said he doesn’t expect his unbeaten squad to overlook the Vikings and look ahead to next week’s district showdown against Troy.
“They’ve played everybody tooth and nail,” Cheatham said referring to Lago Vista, who has lost its three district games by a combined 14 points. “We know they’re better than what their record shows.”
Academy at Jarrell
If you were to tell Bumblebees coach Royce McAdams that after three games his young squad would be 2-1 in district and tied for third place, he’d be very pleased.
“I’d take that. I certainly would,” McAdams said about his team, which features six sophomores on defense.
The Bees hope to stay in the upper portion of the district standings when they travel to play Jarrell tonight at Cougar Field.
With offensive starters Cody Sultenfuss and Chase Gommert injured, the defense must perform like it did when the Bees shut out Florence in the second half last week.
Jarrell, still in search of its first district win, will rely on quarterback Chris Trevino, who accounted for 216 of the Cougars’ 308 total yards last week.
“He’s real active and does a lot of things well,” McAdams said. “For the most part, they are similar to us. They like to grind it out and keep hold of the ball as long as they can.”
