But if coach Rodney Southern molds his Tigers program into the perennial power he’s hoping for, this senior class will be remembered for helping start the building process.
With Belton and Bryan both eliminated from the District 12-5A playoff picture, the Tigers and the Vikings will finish the season with tonight’s 7:30 meeting at Merrill Green Stadium.
The seniors of the Tigers (2-7 overall, 2-4 12-5A) look to end their high school careers with a win, something a Belton class hasn’t done since the Tigers beat rival Temple 27-24 in triple overtime in 2002.
“I haven’t said a whole lot to the kids. These senior kids need to go out and win a football game,” Southern said. “These kids have a chance to finish their careers on a positive note.”
The 18 seniors have a 9-30 record, including 5-20 in district play, in their four seasons with the Tigers.
Linebacker Kyle Voss is one of Belton’s all-time leading tacklers. Defensive back Justin Jefferson batted away Killeen Shoemaker’s potential game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone. Receivers Jarrett Crowell (22 catches, 458 yards, six TDs), Cole Dominguez (19 catches) and James Voytko (11 catches), offensive linemen Connor Middleton and Cody Gangloff and defensive lineman Steven Anderson, among others, have played key roles this season.
“I told some parents these kids have done everything I’ve asked them to do,” Southern said. “They’ve been through a lot and obviously a lot is not good, but they’ve handled it.”
While the 2008 campaign won’t show any improvement in wins and losses after Belton’s 3-7 record last year, the Tigers certainly improved on the field this season and have a promising future.
Sophomore quarterback David Ash leads the area in completions (182), attempts (293) and passing yards (2,290).
Junior receiver Kevin Thornton set a school record with 14 catches against Harker Heights and leads the area with 53. He needs 11 catches to break Darren Brinkley’s record of 63 set in 1993.
Sophomore Jeff Lepak (31 catches, 322 yards) caught a career-high 10 passes in last week’s 46-21 loss to Temple and sophomores Kenny Shuler and Adrian Henderson and junior Anthony Huber (303 total yards, three TDs in the last two weeks) have shown playmaking ability in helping Belton progress this season.
“When you have to do what we’ve had to do and play some young kids, the two things are that we matured, which obviously should happen over a 10-week period,” Southern said. “I think they’ve also understood how to compete. Even when we weren’t in some games, we were still competing and were taking steps to move this program forward.”
After three straight wins to open the season, Bryan has lost four of its last five games.
An untimely fumble against College Station A&M Consolidated, a lack of second-half offense against Temple and an inability to stop Killeen Ellison’s Wing-T offense have left the Vikings out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
“It’s just been frustrating,” Bryan coach Bob Bellard said. “We just went through a string of football games where we had some turnovers that put the other team in position to win.”
Senior running back Monterrell Washington has rushed for 1,072 yards and 16 touchdowns and will be Belton’s main focus on defense. In nine games, only Ellison held Washington under 100 yards and without a touchdown.
The Tigers defense, which allowed 442 rushing yards to Temple and 337 to Ellison, will be tested early and often by Washington.
After Bryan lost starting quarterback Albert Garza for the season against Temple, Kesnick Taylor stepped in last week against Heights and scored the game-winning touchdown. If Taylor and the offense can avoid mistakes, they’ll extend their winning streak over Belton to five.
“This season hasn’t been so much about the opponent we line up against. It’s really about us,” Bellard said.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
