In late September, Killeen allowed 392 yards of total offense, 231 in the first half, as Class 4A No. 1-ranked Austin Lake Travis scored on its first four possessions in a 50-9 rout.
The Roos’ defense will be tested by another lethal run-and-shoot offense when Killeen (7-4) battles San Antonio Alamo Heights (8-3) at 7:30 tonight in a Class 4A Division I area-round playoff game at Round Rock’s Dragon Stadium.
“Oh, we’ve seen it,” said Roos coach Sam Jones, whose team reached the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and beat Austin Crockett 34-21 last week for Killeen’s first playoff win since 2001. “We went back (on film) to make sure we don’t do what we did then.
“They throw the football all over the place. We have to play a lot better pass defense, get pressure and try and slow them down.”
The winner advances to face Gregory-Portland (8-3) or Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (9-2) in the Region IV semifinals next week.
Similar to Lake Travis’ attack, the Mules’ offense averages 31.8 points and 379.9 yards per game and is led by Oklahoma commitment Drew Allen, who joins current Rice quarterback Chase Clement and North Texas starter Giovanni Vizza as the latest standout signal-caller at Alamo Heights.
The 6-5 Allen is 196-for-343 passing for 2,482 yards and 24 TDs, with nine interceptions. Nine receivers have at least 11 catches, led by John Cabell (43 catches, 566 yards, five TDs) and Trevor Lovelady (36-493, two).
“His (Allen’s) height gives him a tremendous advantage of seeing the field,” said coach Don Byrd, whose Mules beat Copperas Cove 40-28 to win the 4A Division I state title in 2006. “He has more confidence in what we’re doing and has become a better leader.”
In an effort to help the Killeen defense, a Roos offensive line led by Texas A&M commitment Rhontae Scales needs to dominate like it did against Crockett. Quarterback Michael Cummings ran for 152 yards and Jaquail Haskins had 167 as Killeen racked up 409 rushing yards on 56 attempts.
“The key is in controlling the tempo in the game,” Jones said. “And also the major key is we have to score when we get the opportunity.”
Getting its offense on track might be difficult for Killeen against Alamo Heights’ defense, which gets overshadowed by the Mules’ productive offense. Alamo Heights held San Antonio Brackenridge, which averaged 33 points in the regular season, to 13 points and 219 yards total offense.
“I think they have a very aggressive defense,” Jones said. “They can get turnovers. Sometimes when you have (to prepare for) a high-powered offense, you forget about their defense.”
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
