CTCS’s role will be reversed at 7:30 tonight as the heavy underdog and No. 7-ranked Lions meet third-ranked Dickinson Pine Drive in a TAPPS Six-Man Division I state quarterfinal at Panther Stadium.
According to sixmanfootball.com, the 9-0 Eagles are 39-point favorites to advance to next week’s state semifinals to face either No. 1 Rockwall Heritage or No. 6 and injury-riddled Bulverde Bracken Christian, which has lost four starters.
If CTCS (6-5) is to pull the upset, it must stop the Eagles’ versatile lineup and their all-everything freshman star, Keenon Ward.
“We feel the personnel they have is different than anyone we’ve seen,” Lions coach Jeremy Wentrcek said. “We feel like Ward’s the central figure of their offense. We’ve spent a lot of time on containing him. It is a completely different style of ballgame and different style of offense than last week.”
The 5-8, 160-pound Ward accounts for 74 percent of the Pine Drive offense and is 56-of-83 passing for 1,192 yards and 22 touchdowns, with two interceptions. He has also rushed for 1,770 yards and 28 TDs and averages 17.2 yards per carry in leading an offense that averages 69.2 points per game and has scored 80 or more three times.
“He (Ward) is just very rare,” said Pine Drive coach Wayne Ware, who is Ward’s uncle. “He is blessed with a lot of talent. He has those rare skills like when you’re watching Michael Vick on television.
“He’s very quiet and humble. Everyone on the team knows everything goes through Keenon.”
Ward just might be the missing piece the Eagles - who advanced to the state semifinals in 2007 - need as they seek to capture the school’s first-ever state football championship.
With several key upperclassmen such as senior Joshua Gibson (885 rushing yards, 17 TDs) and junior Austin Flores (15 catches, 353 yards, five TDs) returning from last year, Ware said his team would view this season as a failure if it doesn’t produce a title.
In order to keep those aspirations alive, Pine Drive must stop the Lions’ rushing offense, led by Jeremiah Bergert and Caleb Paschall.
“Their sweeps (concern us),” Ware said. “And they like to play-action pass off of that.”
Bergert has rushed for 972 yards and 16 TDs and Paschall has 705 and 13 scores. Both will need huge performances tonight for the Lions to keep their season going.
“Offensively, we have to have sheer execution and not make mistakes, because they score four or five touchdowns on special teams and defense,” Wentrcek said.
“Defensively, we’ve got to contain Keenon Ward. We can’t let him get out in the open field with grass in front of him and we can’t let receivers behind us, because he’ll air it out 40-50 yards.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
