(Seguin) – Seguin looks to kick down the door to the second round of the UIL football playoffs for the first time since 1988 when Pflugerville-Hendrickson visits Matador Stadium for a 5A Division I bi-district battle on Friday.
The Matadors (7-2, 6-1) claimed a share of the District 12 championship and bi-district hosting rights last week with a 70-63 road win over Dripping Springs. Seguin has qualified for the playoffs in the last three of Travis Bush’s five seasons as head coach.
Hendrickson went 6-3 during the regular season with one forfeit loss and eight on-field games under 13th-year head coach Chip Killian. The Hawks finished third in District 11 behind Cedar Park and Georgetown, locking up that seed with a 35-21 win over Leander last Thursday.
The Seguin offense has been nothing short of spectacular in 2020, averaging 50 points and 487 total yards per game. The Hawks have been stout in their own right, producing 39 points per outing.
Friday’s matchup will be a showcase of talented skill players on both rosters.
In eight on-field games, Seguin quarterback Micah Rodriguez has completed 75 percent of his passes for 2,122 yards and a school record 31 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Top receiver Tristan Moreno pulled in 55 catches for 977 yards and 12 scores during the regular season, while tailback Marques Washington totaled 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing to go with 27 receptions for 346 yards and four scores.
Hendrickson boasts an explosive senior trio of its own in quarterback Jordan Oldoerp, running-back Jasiya Demps, and receiver Jaden Williams. In six on-field district games, Oldoerp completed 80 percent of his throws for 1,172 yards and 14 touchdowns. Demps ran for 713 yards and 10 touchdowns during that stretch, and Williams totaled 538 receiving yards and eight scores on 29 catches to go with 268 rushing yards and two TDs.
The game could resemble last week’s high scoring affair in Dripping Springs, with the outcome decided by which defense comes up with an extra stop or two and forces the most turnovers. The Matadors scored points against the Tigers after each of their three interceptions, two by linebacker John Michael Mata and one by corenerback Chris Awshah.
Defensive coordinator Nate Langford’s bunch enters the playoffs with 20 takeaways in eight on-field games (13 fumble recoveries, seven interceptions), and Seguin’s season turnover margin is plus-12.
Hendrickson has the ege in defensive experience up front, starting five seniors and two juniors on the defensive line and in the linebacking corps.
“They are a very huge, very talented defensive line that’s given everybody fits that they’ve played,” Bush said of the Hendrickson front. “So again, it boils down to can we establish the run? Can we run the ball effectively, as well as pass protect when we need to run the football?”
The Matadors start three sophomores and a freshman in the front seven, but the juniors in that group – Mata (56 tackles, 2 Int.), Allen Martinez (82 tackles, 10 TFL), and Ian Box (16 TFL, 9.5 sacks) now have two seasons of starting experience under their belts.
Seguin’s offensive line of Henry Cheek, Marco Montemayor, Daniel Gonzalez, Harris Franz, and Martin Ramirez helped the Mats pile up 379 rushing yards against Dripping Springs, including 264 on 30 carries for Washington.
“I think both sides of the ball, it’s going to be getting pressure on the quarterback, and stopping some of their big runs and not giving up the big plays, and then establishing the line of scrimmage on offense,” Bush said.
Friday’s kickoff at Matador Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. The game will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:50 with the season wrap-up edition of the Navarro coaches’ show, followed by live coverage at the stadium at 7:00.