KFDM COOP Posted November 13, 2008 Report Posted November 13, 2008 Mustangs face familiar foe in Coldspring Van Wade The Orange Leader WEST ORANGE — Win or go home. That’s the theme this week as Texas high school football teams hit the playoff fields. That’s certainly the case at West Orange-Stark where the third-ranked District 21-3A champion Mustangs (8-0) are preparing for the Coldspring Trojans (6-3), District 22-3A runnerups. The two squads will duke it out Saturday at 6 p.m. at Deer Park’s Clyde Abshire Stadium in the 3A Region III Division II bidistrict playoffs. “It’s that part of the year where everyone you face is pretty ‘dad-gum’ good,†said long-time Mustang head coach Dan Hooks. “From here on out, your level of play has to reach its peak or you’ll find yourself back at home in a hurry.†This will mark the second straight season that the Mustangs and Trojans have hooked up in the same round. Coldspring coach Bryan Barbay, son of Newton legend Curtis Barbay, has done an excellent job of turning the Trojans’ fortune around, leading them to the playoffs two straight years and improving on last year’s 5-6 mark. The Mustangs downed the Trojans 51-14 in last season’s encounter, outgaining the Trojans 427-218. However, don’t let that score fool you. “That final score, it was very deceptive,†said Hooks. “They got after our tails that first half. It was 12-7 at the half. They turned the ball over three quick times in that third quarter, giving us good field position and we took things over from there.†The Trojans have outscored opponents 280-189 this season. They fell to 22-3A champion Cleveland (9-0) 42-18 for the district title. That game was tied 12-12 at the half. The Trojans’ other two losses came in non-district at the hands of Crockett (21-6) and Diboll (40-36). who are both in the playoffs as well. Coldspring beat their other four 22-3A counterparts by a margin of 168-52, including a 47-20 win over Liberty last week. Coach Hooks doesn’t expect anything fancy from the Trojans, just hard-nosed football. “They’re going to line up and come right at us offensively,†said Hooks. “They have a big old back, a fast back and a quarterback that likes to run more this time around. This year, they’re also not afraid to throw it a little bit.†The Trojans feature running back James Scott. Scott isn’t the “speed back†like Coldspring had in Zavious Johnson last year. Johnson rumbled for 139 yards on 21 carries in the loss to WO-S. However, he’s a 200-pound-plus back that runs with a bowling ball style. Then there is tailback Andrew Leigh, who was the 22-3A 100-meter champion last spring. Quarterback Chad Allen has also been explosive on bootlegs and such. The Trojans will face perhaps the hottest defense around these days. The Mustangs have allowed just 107.8 yards a game this season, just 35.5 on the ground. They’ve given up just 41 points all season and have yet to allow a point in the third period. In the span of the last two 21-3A games, WO-S has given up a total of just three first downs. “Coach (Cornel) Thompson has our defenses’ ears pinned back and getting after it,†Hooks said. “I couldn't be prouder of those kids. They’re not the biggest unit you’ll see but they’ll get after you. You’re not going to run around us, you have to go through us. We’ve been able to stuff the run all season, whether you try to go north and south or east and west.†Hooks and staff have no qualms on how games will get tougher after going through a relative easy 21-3A. “The kids understand that the competition is fixing to get a lot steeper,†Hooks said. “You’re facing teams that are physically stronger and faster than what you usually see in the regular season. Playoff games, they always speed up and you have to be prepared for that. We’ve had excellent practices this weeks and the kids know what to expect.†The Mustang offense is pumping out 376.5 yards a game. Not bad at all, considering all the times the Mustangs found the end zone in 21-3A play via special teams, interception returns and fumble returns for scores. WO-S put together a school-record 617 yards in the 67-0 win over Orangefield last week. Senior quarterback Ortavious Hypolite leads the way with not only his skills but his tremendous leadership as well. Hypolite has completed 71-of-112 passes for 1,110 yards and 11 touchdowns and has been picked off just once. He’s also rushed for 542 yards and 10 TDs on 82 carries. Senior tailback Quintavious Garrett has bulled his way to 748 yards and 14 TDs on 110 totes while receiver Trey Franks leads the way with 28 receptions for 524 yards and four TDs. “Offensively, we’ve been moving the ball well, scoring on big plays but also sustaining some nice, long drives,†said Hooks. “Coldspring will come at us defensively, similar to what Newton and Kirbyville does. Coach Barbay didn’t fall far from the tree. He thinks a lot like Curtis (Barbay). They’ve got some outstanding athletes that can do things on defense and they’ll mix it up. The key for us is not turning the ball over. We’ve been good at not putting the ball on the ground for the most part. Turnovers will get you this time of the year. That’s what helped us win the game against Coldspring last year.†The WO-S-Coldspring winner will face Caldwell (6-3) in the area round next week.â€
Guest Jags Posted November 13, 2008 Report Posted November 13, 2008 Coldspring will make it close for a while.
jr1979 Posted November 13, 2008 Report Posted November 13, 2008 i believe that will happen also, if we let them hang around.
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