- Will Tigers star quarterback David Ash's ankle be good to go?
- Cove coach Jack Welch faces his close friend and former defensive coordinator, Belton coach Rodney Southern.
- Will the perennial powerhouse Bulldawgs lose two games in a row for the first time since 2003?
- Is the District 12-5A championship potentially on the line?
No, tonight is all about the Tigers.
They proved in last week's 28-0 thumping of College Station A&M Consolidated that their program has quickly risen to contender status. Belton (6-0 overall, 3-0 in 12-5A) looks to prove its program belongs among the elite when it meets reigning league champion Cove (5-1, 2-1) at 7:30 tonight at Bulldawg Stadium.
"Obviously the way everybody looks at it, if you beat Cove you 'have arrived,'" said third-year coach Southern, whose six wins this year match his total from his first two seasons in Belton. "But whether they are better than A&M hasn't been decided.
"Obviously four wins should get you in the playoffs. That's riding on it and I don't ignore that. That's a big first step because that gets our first goal."
The Tigers, who have routed their opponents by an average score of 37-10, haven't reached the playoffs since 2003, but a win tonight would nearly lock up a berth. It would also give them a two-game cushion over the Bulldawgs with just three games remaining.
Bryan's 34-20 win over Cove last week spoiled any chance of these two teams being unbeaten. That loss handed the Bulldawgs their seventh regular-season defeat in six seasons, but they won't be pushing any panic button yet.
Consider: When Cove reached the Class 4A Division I state championship games in 2006 and '07, the Bulldawgs didn't even win their district, and last year they dropped a league game but still advanced to the 5A Division II state semifinals.
"A must-win is when you're around the 4-3 mark," Welch said. "Because if you're 4-3 it could come down to a tiebreaker. Every game is critical in getting to the playoffs. The situation right now is we're 2-1 and we have a shot at the playoffs. That's our main goal over a district championship."
Belton likely will go into its biggest test of the season thus far without junior Ash, who is a game-time decision after suffering a high ankle sprain two weeks ago. Backup Jonathan Paysse managed the Tigers' offense last week against Consol, completing eight of 22 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns while the offensive line paved the way for Anthony Huber's career bests of 28 carries, 123 yards and three total touchdowns.
What won't be forgotten soon is how the area's fourth-ranked defense held power-running Consol to one first down and 55 total yards. A similarly stingy effort will be needed to slow down Cove's trio of backs - Brandin Byrd (587 yards, 10 touchdowns), Brelan Chancellor (421, three) and William Wright (263, six).
"Figuring out when they're going to do what they're going to do (is the biggest key)," Southern said of Cove. "They are formation-oriented. It looks like they run a bunch of different plays, but it's pretty much the same ones run out of 14, 15, 16 different formations."
In the past two weeks, Cove's rushing game has been held to a season-low 149 rushing yards against Bryan and 150 in a 24-10 win over Temple. Against the bigger Vikings' offensive line last week, the Bulldawgs allowed a surprising 470 rushing yards on 66 attempts in wet conditions.
Mistakes caused by inexperience also have plagued Cove during that stretch.
Against Bryan, it lost two fumbles, dropped passes, couldn't convert on two fourth-downs plays, missed an extra point and a 37-yard field goal and failed to make two third-down stops on the Vikings' game-clinching drive. Against Temple, the Bulldawgs fumbled six times, losing two, and quarterback Cody Vaughn threw an interception.
"We're playing the youngest football team we've played with in years," Welch said. "I'm pretty enthused about our football team - probably more excited now than I've been in a couple of years. Although we're struggling in a sense, they're good young kids that are working their tails off with great attitudes. If we can keep that focus as young as we are, we're going to be pretty salty in the end."
Last year's game was viewed as a complete mismatch, with six of the Bulldawgs' top players sitting out, but that won't be the case tonight. From hoping to escape last year's matchup without injuries, Belton's mentality has already developed into that of a successful program.
Said Southern: "We're going in there to win the game."
Now the Tigers must do it on the field.
- HISTORY -
Belton leads the all-time series 17-8, including 11 wins in the first 12 meetings from 1968-82.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
