Bobcats welcome 21-3A-leading Tigers

[Bobcatfan4life]

[b]Bobcats welcome 21-3A-leading Tigers

Van Wade
The Orange Leader

ORANGEFIELD —[/b] It will be Orangefield’s turn to take a crack against first-place Silsbee tonight.

The Tigers (3-4, 2-0) will be looking to make it a sweep of Orange County after they defeated both West Orange-Stark (13-7) and Bridge City (28-21) at the friendly confines of Tiger Stadium the last two weeks.

Now the Tigers face an Orangefield team that is ready to battle them head-on after a rough trek to Sour Lake last week.

The Bobcats (4-3, 1-1) fell to Hardin-Jefferson 28-21 in a tight one and would like no better than to pull an upset over the 21-3A leading Tigers.

“It was a tough loss but the kids regrouped well starting on Saturday,” said Bobcat head coach Brian Huckabay. “The kids have really practiced well since Monday and they’re focused on the task at hand.”

The Bobcats outgained H-J 334-301 last week but H-J quarterback Blake Venable’s six-yard touchdown run in the fourth gave the Hawks a much-needed win.

The Bobcats check in with easily 21-3A’s top-ranked offense. The Bobcats are chewing up 408.9 yards a game. Silsbee’s offense is second, averaging 287.8 a game.

The Bobcats also own 21-3A’s top rushing offense, one that has gained 2,544 yards on the ground.

Quarterback Corey Huckabay leads the arsenal with 738 yards and 12 TDs on 107 carries. Evan Guidry has 488 yards and six TDs on 90 totes. Derrick Evans (33-378-4), Chase Parker (41-299-2), Josh Shores (22-217-1), Quinton Evans (29-203-5) and Rylan Cook (34-177-4) have all been factors as well carrying the leather. Huckabay has also passed for 318 yards and three TDs.

Silsbee allows just 257 yards a contest.

“Against a team like Silsbee, you want to get some nice long drives, move the chains and play mistake-free football,” said Huckabay. “You don’t want to give them good field position that they can take advantage of. You always like to pin your opponents deep in their own territory.”

The Bobcat defense, which ranks fourth in allowing 289.3 yards per game, will have to face arguably 21-3A’s most athletic and dynamic player in Silsbee quarterback Jeremy Johnson.

Johnson, who has committed to the West Virginia University, has completed 89-of-164 passes for 1,384 yards and 12 touchdowns. He passed for 227 yards and two scores against Bridge City last week. He also has 246 yards on the ground and five TDs.

He has three outstanding targets in receivers Prentice Lane (21-376-2), Pheal Hill (19-347-4) and Kelson McDaniel (15-342-1).

“Silsbee has some excellent talent and they’re off to a great start in district,” said Huckabay. “There’s such a thin line with teams in this district. Everyone is really competitive and everybody is a challenge for their opponents. To win, you have to be on top of your game each week and that means cutting down on mistakes like penalties and turnovers. Teams that do that are the ones that usually come out on top.”

[Critter]

should be a barn burner........