Stowers' rain dance might work

[KFDM COOP]

Stowers' rain dance might work

PORT ARTHUR NEWS GAME OF THE WEEK: NEDERLAND AT BEAUMONT CENTRAL

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

BEAUMONT -- Just a block from 11th street at Central's southwest campus corner, a tall, athletic coach could be seen doing a bizarre rain dance Thursday afternoon.

If weather conditions adversely hamper Nederland's multi-purpose offense, Jaguars head coach Donald Stowers would stand to become the primary beneficiary on this homecoming night in Babe Zaharias Stadium.

Nederland (3-1 and 3-0) would love to run off and hide and perform its own outright District 20-4A championship dance in another month. Central (3-2 and 3-1) just wants to smile at the homecoming dance and keep hope alive for a 4A playoff berth.

  They major in defense at Central and they turn quite glitzy on offense at Nederland, so this meeting has been circled on the calendar for months. Stowers and defense majors such as corner Jeffrey Thomas and end Jacoby Hale have been wanting a piece of Nederland's pass-catch tandem of Kirby Bellow and Asa Cardenas. They ruined Central's homecoming night, 40-29, a year ago.

  "They kinda rained on our parade at homecoming so some of our guys want a little revenge," Stowers divulged on Thursday as a light rain started to fall in midtown.

  "It's a pivotal game... If they were to beat us, I'd definitely think they were in the driver's seat to win the district. We feel if we can beat these guys, it will give us momentum and a much stronger chance to have an opportunity to go to the playoffs."

  Given all the numbers as of Thursday, Nederland has moved to No. 1 among 20-4A offenses at 376.3 yards a game. Central currently stands third in total defense allowing 277.8 yards a night. There's about 100 yards' differential in those averages. Therefore, some major team numbers have some changing to do here.

  Stowers nominated three of his defenders this week for the Port Arthur News Super Team and offered no apologies for his defense's averages so far.

  "We're doing OK there," he said. "We held Port Arthur to around 150. West Brook had its lowest output, about 370. LC-M had 190. Lumberton had its lowest output, around 230. I think we could have done a better job of preventing Lumberton from scoring."

  Nederland coach Larry Neumann brings 20-4A's premier passer to I-10 tonight. Kirby Bellow has nine touchdown tosses and only one interception with 44 completions in 84 tries. Neumann was not doing any rain dances of his own, but was mainly wanting his blockers to protect his southpaw junior quarterback.

  "We're going to have to be able to protect him," the Dogs boss said. "Central does a lot of stunts. They bring their linebackers and they try to keep you guessing. They put pressure on you up front.... I'm really pleased with our line to this point. They're starting to think like each other."

  Regardless of Kirby's protection, the Central coach made no bones about his defense's primary responsibility -- stop Bulldogs' bulldozer Wareall Grogan.

  "Our main objective is to stop him," said Central's fourth-year mentor. "They do a good job of throwing but we have a chance if we can stop the run. We want to get them in 3rd-and-long and 2nd-and-long."

  The cooler, wetter weather only further convinced Stowers that his defenders needed to muzzle Grogan first and foremost. Wareall has scored nine touchdowns, rushing for eight yards a pop. Stowers wants his sharp-clawing Jaguars to suffocate Wareall's space.

  "Grogan is a powerful running back and their line does a great job of creating lanes for him," the 37-year-old Stowers mentioned.

Of course Central has an offense and Nederland has a defense, too. But the Jaguars' attack ranks seventh in 20-4A, averaging 242.4 yards a game, while the Bulldogs' defense rates sixth in 20-4A, allowing 331.3 yards a contest. Again that's a wide disparity, too.

  Central's best offensive weapon has been senior halfback Charles Thomas (6-2, 195), with 31 rushes for 311 yards -- or 10 yards a pop. Neumann feels Central sports three excellent running backs -- Thomas, David Mayfield and Nijel Daw.

  Except for linebacker Jordan Landry, the Dogs' defenders have had a hard time earning any weekly Nederland player features in this sports section. A good bit of that exclusion can be traced to the caliber of coordinator Monte Barrow's offense.

  "We're in control of our destiny," Neumann said. "That's where we'd like to stay."

  In order to accomplish such a mission, Larry will not be performing any rain dances at Central's homecoming either.

NEDERLAND AT BEAUMONT CENTRAL

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Babe Zaharias Stadium, Beaumont

Records: Nederland 3-1, 3-0; Beaumont Central 3-2, 2-1

Series: Beaumont Central leads 5-2

Last year: Nederland, 40-29

[KFDM COOP]

Soulja were you dancing with Stowers? 

[Mr. Buddy Garrity]

LMAO!

[BMTSoulja1]

No.  I went to the Rez to get rain dance lessons from the Indian Spirit.  Push comes to a shove, I'll show my moves tomorrow night.   ;D ;D

[obcowboy]

No.  I went to the Rez to get rain dance lessons from the Indian Spirit.  Push comes to a shove, I'll show my moves tomorrow night.   ;D ;D

Well Shake whatcha Mama Gave Ya! ;D