Rez

Crosby can beat Nederland. Nederland is not invincible. If I were a Nederland fan, I would worry about how they haven't really been tested in district yet. Crosby tends to play well against Nederland. Not saying it will be easy. The road to district championships goes through Nederland, most years.

Nothing but respect for Dayton. They knocked us out the playoffs in 2011 and 2014. I don't know what the series record is, but Dayton is scary, no matter what season it is and no matter what their record shows. PNG wins in a tough game against a team with nothing to lose. Let's hope both teams escape injury free.

I'm excited for this game. Both teams are better than the record shows.

Hahaha Ahh dang I didn't mean that Crosby-PNG is a "rivalry" at the PNG-Ned level. More of the broad definition of the word. Like Vidor's made-up rivalry with Nederland.

Those Crosby football helmets are awesome.

For sure -- I hope it didn't sound like I was correcting you in any way. Trolling Nederland is to be encouraged.

I think Nederland has a point, in that we've struggled in recent years to find wins against them. So with Nederland, they can certainly crow about the last two decades. At the same time, if you are going to care about records at all, the all-time record matters as well. You can't just pull out a slice of history that looks good for you and ignore everything else. In any case, in the PNG-Crosby history, PNG can point to recent history and all-time history. I think a lot of us could agree that there are years we didn't play Crosby where they would likely have have been favored to win, but no one gets points for games that weren't played.

PNG is 10-3 overall against Crosby. 9 of those wins came this century, with 5 of them in the past 10 years. Faircloth is 4-2 against Crosby. Crosby beat PNG in 2007, 2011, and 2013. This is a huge win for PNG, and I certainly thought Crosby was going to win this, but PNG is the big brother in this rivalry, no matter what way you spin it.

This was my comment last Friday on the pre-game thread: "PNG can't count on the same explosive offense as last year. Crosby has shown that it can score quickly, and seems to be the more developed of the two teams when it comes to offensive chemistry and execution. On the other hand, Crosby has shown some vulnerability. Crosby is beatable, and I don't mean that in the "Anyone can technically beat anyone" way. This Crosby team could have lost a week ago, and it looked for a minute like Dayton might make it close too. PNG can win. But... While I will certainly be rooting for PNG, and I think we have what it takes to pull off a victory (despite our offensive struggles, we still have one of the best weapons in the state), I have to predict a Crosby win. This is going to be a good, tough game. And who knows, maybe it will be a key game for PNG in establishing its identity? PNG has shown flashes of being a complete team, and if we can put the pieces together, we will be dangerous. In any case, with what we know about the two teams, I do not think PNG can survive a shootout with Crosby, especially with how quickly Crosby has scored in the second half this season. Hope the Indians prove me wrong." This is the best tasting crow I've ever had.

Glad to be proven wrong. Good job to PNG, good game Crosby.

If we lose by 1, those extra points left on the field are going to sting tomorrow.

Was it blocked again?

Yaaaaa'lllll ... ya'll are ruining a perfectly good smack-talking board. This is a good game, and its going to be soured by weeks of back-and-forth about who said what and who's a racist and who is too sensitive to be on the internet. Here's a novel idea: No one cares about ANY of these comments. Both sides on this thread have plenty to worry about in their leaky defenses and managing to come up with a win in a tough, exciting game. Let's just have the game and shake hands after like good sports.

My hunch (based on ignorance, so I'm sure I'm missing something) is they can replace portions of the field's topsoil/grass pretty easily (with enough money thrown at it). Squares of grass can be cut out and replaced. I'm not sure exactly how it would work. Or, more simply, they are just constantly filling in holes. I'd like to know.

In this day and age where the safety (or lack thereof) of football is so much on everyone's minds, I don't understand there not being a heavy push for Nederland to get turf. Football is dangerous. It is a lot more dangerous when people are slipping all over the place and falling into each other in weird, unpredictable ways after rain (or sprinklers) has turned the field into a soupy mess. In the old days, that was just another aspect of football. Today, wet fields look more and more like an unnecessary risk. I know not every school can afford it, but it sounds like Nederland has had the opportunity to get turf in the past and has chosen not to take it. If you're going to have a football program in 2018, the decision to play on a more dangerous field (to the extent the school can control that/can get the money to fix it) is irresponsible. There is absolutely no justification for putting all those kids at such a risk (additional to the risks the game already presents) if there is an available way to avoid doing so.

I was pretty happy with it. Nice location too, right by the river

What grade is Crosby's new starter in? And am I correct that he finished the Vidor game and played the full game last week as well?

That's terrible. Very sorry to hear that. Good luck to him and his family.

I like the "Who is Hated More" Bowl

Right -- That's a good clarification. The district has a lot of parity, though not necessarily populated by the best teams. Though, at any given point in the season so far, our district has had at least 2 represented in the top ten of Div II, so we definitely aren't the weakest.

Easily one of the toughest districts in the state.

I think Vidor stands a good chance of going 4-3 in District. Barber's Hill, Dayton, Baytown Lee, and Santa Fe look like winnable games for Vidor. Not guarantees, and I think Vidor still has some close games in its future. The biggest obstacle left is Nederland. If Vidor can pull of a Nederland win, we have Vidor going 5-2. But even 4-3 in district, wouldn't Vidor make the playoffs? Based on to-date performance, I am comfortable predicting that Nederland and Crosby finish in the top 2 of the district, with the last two playoff spots being a race between PNG, BH, and Vidor.

If Vidor doesn't make the playoffs it will end up being one of the best teams in the state to only play 10 games. Our district is a buzzsaw.

PNG can't count on the same explosive offense as last year. Crosby has shown that it can score quickly, and seems to be the more developed of the two teams when it comes to offensive chemistry and execution. On the other hand, Crosby has shown some vulnerability. Crosby is beatable, and I don't mean that in the "Anyone can technically beat anyone" way. This Crosby team could have lost a week ago, and it looked for a minute like Dayton might make it close too. PNG can win. But... While I will certainly be rooting for PNG, and I think we have what it takes to pull off a victory (despite our offensive struggles, we still have one of the best weapons in the state), I have to predict a Crosby win. This is going to be a good, tough game. And who knows, maybe it will be a key game for PNG in establishing its identity? PNG has shown flashes of being a complete team, and if we can put the pieces together, we will be dangerous. In any case, with what we know about the two teams, I do not think PNG can survive a shootout with Crosby, especially with how quickly Crosby has scored in the second half this season. Hope the Indians prove me wrong.

Rambling, ill-prepared thoughts ahead: If Vidor can get ahead early and do something to throw off the PNG offense, it could be interesting. If PNG has a few series with dropped passes like against Tomball, and Vidor capitalizes on offense, the game is theirs to lose. But I think Vidor's biggest problem (and also strength, with a new district) is familiarity. Vidor does what I call "playing on the margins" (I don't know if I heard the term somewhere, or if I'm making something up. I think I've heard it somewhere) -- They have an offense that no one (for the most part) else uses, and they bank on the other teams' defenses not being able to prepare in just a week of practice. Navy does it. BYU used to do it in the 70s and 80s, with the air raid. That's why Vidor has kept it close against Crosby the last few times they've played (or every time they've played?), including winning one of the matchups. The problem with that strategy is if the team already knows you, the element of surprise is gone. PNG and Vidor know each other pretty well, so it comes down to offensive efficiency. Vidor's offense is deliberately, and by definition, not efficient (in terms of a points-per-play ratio), because it is designed to drag out the game, slugging out long drives. PNG's offense is built on scoring quickly and often. It is hard for Vidor's secondary to prepare for PNG's receivers because Vidor does not have a corp of elite receivers to practice against, or a QB to replicate what the spread offenses bring. That isn't a criticism though, because Vidor has chosen not to have those things, and to each his own. I guess my point is that choice comes with a cost in terms of familiarity and preparation. I think PNG's receivers will find enough open space and make enough plays to open up the run, and then Vidor is on its heels. Good luck to Vidor in any case, and I'll be sure to tip my hat if I'm wrong and they pull out the win against us. It was heartbreaking to hear about the loss against Crosby. Nothing against Crosby, but that win would have been a shot heard 'round Texas.