At the beginning of the season, the senior-dominated No. 6-ranked Lions (9-1) had high expectations of following in the 1997 squad’s footsteps and winning the school’s second state championship. They haven’t disappointed, ripping through District 27-A to earn their second straight trip to the playoffs.
“We’re happy with where we’re at but we’re not satisfied,” sixth-year Granger coach Stacey Hunt said. “There’s still a long way to go.”
Granger’s quest for the Class A Division I state title begins tonight when the Lions face Johnson City LBJ (5-5) at 7:30 at Pflugerville Hendrickson’s Hawk Stadium in a bi-district playoff battle.
The winner advance to a Region IV semifinal to play No. 9 Normangee, which received a first-round bye. Along with Granger and Normangee, No. 1 Alto is the only other ranked team in the Division I bracket.
Granger and LBJ (3-1 in 28-A) are familiar with each other.
The two teams squared off in the opening round of last year’s Division I playoffs, resulting in a 26-22 Granger victory. Clay Mazoch’s 5-yard touchdown run with 1:44 proved to be the game winner.
With the Lions returning 17 starters this season, fourth-year LBJ coach Todd Phillips certainly knows what to expect.
“It’s the same team we saw last year,” Phillips said. “Big, powerful, strong, fast.”
The players might be the same, but the Lions have kicked it up a notch.
The offense is averaging more than 49 points and 430 yards per game.
Senior fullback Mazoch leads Granger with 1,211 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns and senior running back Bradley Sims has 1,084 yards and 16 TDs.
Junior quarterback Kenny Sifuentes has accounted for 17 touchdowns and Stephen Brosch has 22 catches for 524 yards and five scores.
The offense has been explosive all season, but it’s the defense that has made Granger a legitimate title contender.
After allowing 38 points in a loss to 2A Blanco and 34 in a victory over playoff-bound Milano, the Lions allowed only 12 points in their last five games, including zero touchdowns in the last four.
“We told them if they want to win a state championship they have to play good defense,” Hunt said. “Like everything else, they’ve responded. If we’re going to be a state championship team, we have to play good defense. They are just focusing and taking more pride in it.”
Hunt said the biggest key for his squad’s improvement is winning the turnover battle.
His defense has recovered 19 fumbles and intercepted 16 passes. Hunt credits his linemen and the emergence of Stephen Pustejovsky and Michael Thornton, along with speedsters Sifuentes, Sims and Brosch, in the secondary. The Lions have only allowed 281 passing yards.
The pass-happy Eagles plan to test the Granger defense.
Led by freshman quarterback Cody Smith, LBJ scored more than 41 points in three of its past four games. Cameron Sasko and running back Cody Atwood have been his primary receiving targets in the spread offense.
“He does a good job of distributing the ball,” Hunt said. “We’ll have to get pressure on him, no doubt.”
Defensive pressure and turnovers are magnified in the postseason. A late interception last season against Iola ended the Lions’ run. Controlling the turnover margin, something Granger has done all season, is Hunt’s top priority.
“In the playoffs, between two good teams,” he said, “turnovers usually determine the outcome.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
