KFDM COOP Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 Memorial may dodge Bruins’ Michael Game of the Week: West Brook at Memorial By Cody Pastorella The Port Arthur News West Brook's Christine Michael went left, middle, right, through and around Memorial's defense last year. He dusted the Titans for 156 yards and four scores, helping the Bruins to a 42-21 victory over Port Arthur in 2007. Two years ago, Michael scored six touchdowns, with two going for more than 65 yards. If you’re counting, that’s 10 TDs in two years against the Titans. Michael has been virtually unstoppable in his three years with the Bruins' varsity and it seems he has only gotten better with each season. So far in 2008, he has accumulated 628 yards rushing on 65 carries and has tallied 11 touchdowns. He has also caught 10 passes for 123 yards and another score. He is averaging a little more than 10 yards per touch, which is bonkers good since 10 yards moves the chains And all this comes after a year in which he won the Willie Ray Smith award for his excellent 2007 season. About the only thing that has slowed Michael is Hurricane Ike. Because of it, West Brook has played only four games. Memorial head coach Ronnie Thompson said Michael is Beaumont's version of Jamaal Charles. Not trying to compare the two backs' skills, Thompson said the simplest way of describing Michael is just to say that he is the best back the area has seen since Charles left for the University of Texas. So how are the Titans going to stop Michael? It is quite simple really, since Beaumont head coach Craig Stump said his all-star running back probably won't even step on the field. Michael, who is leaning toward Texas A&M or LSU as his future home for college football, suffered an undisclosed injury (nothing too serious it seems) last week in WB's 20-13 win over Baytown Lee. Not that Memorial coaches want to see Michael injured, but they certainly figure to be happy to not see him when the Bruins roll into Port Arthur for tonight's 7 p.m. kickoff. Not only has Michael torched the Titans the last two seasons, the Bruins as a whole have dominated the series since Stump took the job in 2005, beating the Titans 44-26 that season, 56-41 in 2006 and 42-21 last year. Memorial has not topped WB since it won 28-0 in 2004, which was Charles senior season. On top of Michael being out, the Bruins' quarterback Christian Louis was banged up against Lee. Stump said Louis will start tonight, however. But Stump said two-way player Jordan Garrett will be out, along with three other defensive starers. Garrett is one of Louis' top receivers and also picks up some carries for the offense as well. His absence, along with Michael, will leave Jeremy Cooper to carry the load in the rushing attack. Cooper has 152 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns this season. The Titans will hope to keep playing defense like they did against Baytown Sterling last week. Port Arthur allowed only 149 yards of total offense in the 17-10 loss to the Rangers. Defensive coordinator Curtis Viola's bunch only allowed 39 yards on the ground, which marks the second fewest rushing yards in a game in Memorial's school history. Injuries or not, Thompson and Stump said neither of there respective teams would be making excuses tonight. Stump said injuries are apart of the game and that other guys will just have to step up and fill the voids. Meanwhile, Thompson, who coached Stump at Thomas Jefferson, said he knows his former quarterback will have his team ready regardless of who is injured. "That's a great team. They execute very well at all phases of the game. That's a sign of great coaching and the discipline from players who understand what it takes to win," Thompson said. On the other side of the injury bug, Thompson added that his quarterback Jareal Alexander played his first full game last week. "He still made some mistakes but the last three games have been like his preseason. He has thrown some interceptions but he was trying to get the feel for the game back. I think he is there now. We looked a lot better as a team last week," said Thompson, who added that he understands what a win against WB could mean to his program. "Winning tomorrow night is certainly not impossible. It's hardly impossible. And I think winning could really heal a lot of wounds instantly." The Titans currently sit in last place at 0-2 in District 21-5A. Baytown Lee and Channelview, which Memorial still has yet to play, each are 0-2 as well. Thompson figures the Titans will need to win two of their last three games to crack the fourth and final playoff spot this season. Memorial is also hoping to turn around a three-game skid and 1-4 start to the season. With the ugly start, Memorial is only in front of Channelview with total offense for the district. The Titans are averaging 228 yards per game while giving up 251. Port Arthur is second to last in total defense in league standings. Meanwhile, WB is on top of the district in total offense, piling up 428 yards per game. The Bruins are allowing 245 yards a game. When: 7 p.m. Where: Port Arthur Memorial Stadium Records: West Brook 4-0, Memorial 1-4 Series: 4-2 West Brook
Bucof2010 Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 Why not let him rest against a team they should handle easily?
Guest BIG HOUSE Posted October 24, 2008 Report Posted October 24, 2008 COOP... I'm SURE YOU KNOW who WON the WILLIE RAY SMITH AWARD last year..Right....he wasn't from Westbrook........CODY HUSSEY....#5----L-TRAIN ENGINEER.....
Recommended Posts