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Memorial Gears Up For The Woodlands Thursday/BROADCAST HERE TONIGHT!

KFDM COOP

By KFDM COOP
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SFA85

SFA85

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Conroe McCollough not only beat down Katy, but they took out 5 players.  Alexander hasn't shown me anything with a healthy thumb but he kept subing him instead of letting HBIV play uninterupted.  Xbox Kenny and RTG need to start #20 or #15 and run Filer and Sinnet(sp) if they want a chance to pull and upset.....

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KFDM COOP

KFDM COOP

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Titans, The Highlanders set to rumble

By Cody Pastorella

The Port Arthur News

The Memorial Titans are faced with very improbable odds in tonight's 7 p.m. matchup at The Woodlands, a team which just happens to be ranked No. 4 in Class 5A. The odds are so poor for Memorial, comparing the contest to the story of David and Goliath would be unjust to the entire Old Testament.

And there is no sense in sugar coating the circumstances. Port Arthur has not played in three weeks because of Hurricane Ike. The Titans starting quarterback Jareal Alexander has taken approximately 20 snaps in Memorial's first two games because of a thumb injury. There has been little consistency in the 1-1 Port Arthur club which struggled offensively in a 10-7 loss to Central and again in a come-from-behind 22-19 victory over Ozen.

To follow those rough outings, the Titans were forced to cancel games (because of Ike) with Aldine Nimitz and Houston Westbury, and Memorial was also forced to reschedule its matchup with The Woodlands from last Friday to today.

Meanwhile, the Highlanders are 3-0 with a highly impressive resume that includes a 42-0 smackdown over Cy Fair, a 47-0 beating over Katy and last week The Woodlands hammered Clear Lake 31-13.

That was obviously the Highlanders toughest test in their first three games. In fact, The Woodlands allowed Clear Lake to score twice while gaining 385 yards of offense, while Cy Fair and Katy combined for just 279 yards.

All of Clear Lakes offensive production came on the ground, so perhaps the Highlanders' weakness is against the run.

Then again, Clear Lake never throws the ball.

The Woodlands, on the other hand, does throw the ball. And the Highlanders run the ball. They have accumulated 612 yards passing and 494 yards rushing. That adds up for a grand total of 1106 yards of offense in just three games, which is just shy of 370 yards per contest.

The Highlanders run a shotgun-spread offense but have called 73 rushing plays to 46 passing. They will use four wideouts but will also mix in sets with tightends or use packages with two running backs.

The Woodlands uses a 50-based defense, which basically presents six men in the box and five in the secondary. One member of the secondary acts as hybrid player, lining up as a nickelback but is often used against the run as well.

The Highlanders will often put three men on the line, have two linebackers and move their nickelback up. Sometimes they move a linebacker to play as a defensive end, giving them four defensive lineman in certain sets.

Memorial head coach Ronnie Thompson said the Highlanders are very well schemed on both sides of the ball.

"There is a reason for everything they do and their players understand their assignments and they understand what makes their schemes effective. You add that with a large school and deep talent, you're going to have a lot of success. And they have had a lot of success. We have a lot of respect for their team. They don't just hand those rankings out, you have to earn it and they have certainly earned it."

The Highlanders are led by quarterback Andy McCloud who has completed 22-of-37 passes for 543 yards with six touchdowns to one interception. McCloud also has carried the ball nine times for 119 yards and one score.

Logan Rowe and Randy Knust catch most of the passes. Each player has six grabs. Rowe has 236 yards with three touchdowns while Knust has 178 yards and has been in the endzone twice.

Daniel Lasco has done most of the running for the Highlanders. He has carried the ball 37 times for 260 yards and four touchdowns.

Memorial's defense hopes to stay a step ahead of this multi-talented offense.

But Thompson said, "just when you figure out the run, they throw it and then when you are ready for the pass, they run it."

With Alexander back at the helm, Thompson hopes to cause The Woodlands' defense some of that same confusion.

"We know we're going to have to take care of the ball and we know we're going to have to be able to effectively run and pass. I'm hoping Jareal can get it going running and throwing and then we can get the other guys (skill positions) involved."

Thompson added that plan all hinges on how well his offensive line can protect his senior quarterback.

So far this season the Titans have averaged 246.5 yards of offense, while allowing opponents 275 yards per game. Most of what the Titans defense allows comes through the running game.

Port Arthur's biggest struggles on defense have come in its opponents' opening drives.

For example, Ozen produced 76 of its 162 rushing yards on the first drive of the game but managed just 59 yards on the ground in the second half. The story was much of the same against Central. The Jaguars opened the contest with 70 yards, finished the first half with 122 rushing yards but were held to 85 yards in the second half.

"We've been good in spurts," Thompson said. "We've been good in spurts on both sides of the ball, we've just got to get it done on both sides of the ball for 48 minutes."

About The Woodlands and the tough road trip to North Shore (No. 8 in Class 5A and District 21-5A favorite) that will come next week, Thompson said the reason for scheduling elite competition is to prepare for district play.

When: 7 p.m., Thursday

Where: Wood Forest Bank Stadium in The Woodlands

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