Rogers coach Jeff Walker has bluntly said he wants to see his team play with “fire.” Troy coach Grady Rowe is interested to see how his team fares after spending its bye week focusing on the problems that led to the Trojans’ Week 1 loss to Grandview.
Troy (1-1) hosts Rogers (2-1) at 7:30 tonight at Trojan Field in both teams final non-district game.
There’s little surprise to what the Eagles and Trojans want to do. Both teams want to line up and simply run right at the other.
That’s why Walker believes this game is just what the Eagles need before district play begins.
“We need somebody to hit us in the mouth,” Walker said. “It’s going to be a good barometer to see where we’re at before the open week.”
It’s also a good test for Walker’s Slot-T offense. In Rogers’ two wins, the offense has averaged nearly 400 yards on the ground.
Wingback Jordan Sebek has led the way with 410 yards and six touchdowns on 44 carries.
Rogers’ offense faces a tough test against Troy’s experienced defense. The Trojans have eight starters back and have allowed 129.5 rushing yards in two games.
Rowe said the key to going against the Slot-T is not forgetting about the deep pass.
“They want to control the clock, then hit you with the play-action pass,” Rowe said. “We can’t get caught up in the backfield action. We have to have a lot of discipline on defense.”
With a week off since a loss to Grandview, Rowe said they didn’t begin preparations for Rogers until this week.
The much-needed break gave Troy a chance to work on the problems, like staying on its blocks on offense, that plagued the Trojans against Grandview.
“We were able to focus on the basics more than normal, just focus on the Troy Trojans,” Rowe said.
When running smoothly, the Trojans’ offense is tough to stop. Five players have rushing touchdowns, led by senior Jeremy Conrad, who had two scores in Troy’s opening win over Whitney.
Salado seeks to rebound from rare regular-season loss
ROBINSON - The Salado Eagles saw their 16-game regular season winning streak end last week.
But that hasn’t been Salado’s (2-1) focus as it prepares for tonight’s game against Robinson (0-2) at 7:30 at Rocket Stadium.
“The biggest thing is it’s the last week before district,” Salado coach Jeff Cheatham said.
For Salado to have success before starting District 25-2A play, the Eagles have to eliminate the mistakes, such as turnovers and penalties, that cost them a win against McGregor.
Those mistakes overshadowed strong performances by quarterback Garret Ward and receiver Clayton Whitmire. Ward threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 171 yards. Whitmire caught both of those touchdowns and finished with 77 yards on four catches.
The Eagles moved the ball against McGregor, but too many promising drives came up empty, especially in the second half.
Salado might not have that problem against Robinson. The Rockets’ defense has allowed an average of 422 yards and 43.5 points per game. They gave up 239 yards on the ground alone in last week’s 38-7 loss to China Spring.
With dual-threat quarterback Ruben Martinez, the Rockets have the potential to give Salado’s usually strong defense trouble. Martinez rushed for 85 yards on 21 carries and was 12-of-17 passing for 126 yards with an interception.
“(Martinez) is a good athlete; he can hurt you with his feet and throwing the ball,” Cheatham said. “They spread the ball around, have a lot of tradition.
“We’re going to have to make sure we show up with our ‘A’ game.”
Surging Jarrell hosts 10th-ranked Blanco
JARRELL - The Jarrell Cougars face quite a test tonight as they wrap up non-district play.
Jarrell (2-1) hosts Class 2A No. 10 Blanco (3-0) at 7:30 tonight at Cougar Field seeking its third straight win. After dropping their opener to Crawford, the Cougars beat Thorndale and Thrall in dominating fashion. Doing the same against Blanco won’t be so easy.
The Panthers’ defense has allowed just eight points this season, which came on a fourth-quarter touchdown in a Week 1 win over Luling. They’ve allowed an average of 224 yards in those three wins.
Blanco goes up against Jarrell’s offense, which has run over opponents in its last two wins. The Cougars rushed for 757 yards against Thorndale and Thrall.
For Jarrell, the key to its success has started up front.
“Our offensive line has been playing really well,” first-year coach Ricky Taylor said.
Junior running back Aaron Mueller has led the Cougars’ rushing attack with 233 yards and five touchdowns in the last two games.
Blanco has a strong rushing attack of its own.
The Panthers rushed for 451 yards and seven touchdowns in their 55-0 win over Florence last week. Running backs Kevin Gray and Layton Dworaczyk combined for 277 yards and five touchdowns.
“They’re very strong and they’re good,” Taylor said. “They run a Wing-T set and they’ve been in it since those kids have had a football put in their cribs."
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
