But does that really matter? Not to coach Rodney Southern.
He wants his Tigers to be fully prepared for the style and speed that awaits when District 12-5A play begins next week.
And he figured the best way to prepare for 12-5A was to play three high-quality non-district opponents - Ennis, Round Rock McNeil and tonight’s foe, Mansfield Timberview - who execute and attack in a similar fashion to what Belton will encounter the rest of the season.
“We made it clear to our players on why we did it,” Southern said, referring to scheduling three difficult teams to start the season. “We told them we are going to face teams very similar to those in our district so we’re ready to go when we need to be.”
The Tigers and Timberwolves both hope to avoid 0-3 starts when they meet for the first time at 7:30 tonight at MISD Stadium.
Timberview, which was 9-4 and reached the Class 5A Division II regional semifinals last year, resembles Ennis, which blew out Belton 43-8 in the season opener, and has the speedy playmakers of Bell County rival Temple.
The Timberwolves also run the same multiple spread offense as Killeen Shoemaker and Harker Heights, the Tigers’ first 12-5A opponent Sept. 25.
Running back and Minnesota verbal commitment Eric Stephens is the focal point of Timberview’s offense. Rated the No. 6 all-purpose back in the nation by Rivals.com, the 5-8, 177-pound Stephens ran for 1,906 yards and 23 touchdowns and averaged 9.4 yards per carry last season. For his career, he has amassed 3,553 yards and 33 scores.
Timberwolves coach Terry Cron, a 22-year veteran who is one of two coaches in Texas football history to win state championships at three schools and the only one to achieve that feat in three classifications, said Stephens ranks high on his all-time list.
“I’ve had a lot of good backs but Eric is right up there,” said Cron, who coached Bartlett to the Class A state title in 1992. “(Mart quarterback/defensive back and current Texas receiver) Quan Cosby is the best athlete I’ve ever coached, but Eric is unique and is one of the top athletes.”
Added Southern about Stephens: “He’s really deceptive. He has a quick first step and can change direction as good as any I’ve seen in a while. He has the entire package you would want.”
With the graduation of linemen Jared Edwards (Baylor), Patrick Dvoracek (Utah State) and Bryce Whitney, Stephens is off to a relatively slow start. He has rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in losses to Buford, Ga., and Mansfield Summit.
Quarterback Donte Parker is 27-of-44 passing for 352 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions. His top receiver is Sharman Brown, who has eight catches for 165 yards, including an 86-yard score.
“Skill-wise they are like Ennis and their offensive line reminds me of McNeil,” Southern said. “You’ve got to stop them on the perimeter. You have to get them in second-and-long situations. When they get on the edge they are hard to handle, so we have to do a good job on the perimeter and try and turn the run back inside.
“Defensively, they line up in a base defense (3-3 stack) that’s very similar to us.”
Linebacker Patrick Houston-Cathey and Christian Spears lead a defense that has struggled against the run (224 yards per game) but has shut down the pass, giving up only 89 yards a game.
That might spell doom for Belton, which with quarterback David Ash relies heavily on the passing game. Ash went 13-of-29 for 196 yards and two interceptions in his starting debut against McNeil two weeks ago.
He’ll need plenty of protection up front and big-time performances from receivers Jarrett Crowell, Kevin Thornton and Cole Dominguez if the Tigers plan to keep the score closer than the combined 78-14 in their two losses.
Southern said missed opportunities on offense have hurt his team dearly early this season, but Belton’s not alone.
Overmatched against Buford, Timberview missed an opportunity to seize control against Summit. With the Timberwolves leading 14-10 in the second quarter, Terrance Davis returned a kickoff 84 yards to Summit 5-yard line, but Timberview turned the ball over on a Summit goal-line stand, losing momentum and eventually the game.
“Belton will make us get better, and I certainly know they are capable of beating us,” said Cron, whose team will open District 8-4A play next week at Granbury. “We certainly would like to win this to give us some momentum going into district."
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
