Seguin seeks 2-0 district start vs. Canyon, Friday game to air on KWED
(Seguin) – The Matadors look to notch a win over their former head coach and move to 2-0 in the District 12-5A-Division I football race Friday when Travis Bush and the New Braunfels-Canyon Cougars visit Seguin.
The Mats are 1-2 overall and 1-0 in district play under first-year head coach Craig Dailey after holding off San Antonio-Veterans Memorial 23-21 last Friday at Rutledge Stadium.
The visiting Cougars are 1-3 in Bush’s first season after a valiant comeback that fell short in a 48-45 district opening loss to Dripping Springs.
Canyon has utilized two quarterbacks in Bush’s signature up-tempo offense.
Senior Drew Berry, who ran for 170 yards and a score against Seguin last year, enters Friday with 509 passing yards, 113 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns. Sophomore Duece Adams went 15-27 for 243 yards and produced three touchdowns last week in the loss to Dripping Springs.
The Matadors will also have to account for running-back Cameron Bibins (404 yds., 3 TD) and a group of talented receivers.
Dailey says the experience of years in Bush’s system and last week’s win over Veterans Memorial have Seguin’s veteran defense well-equipped to deal with the Cougars ultra-fast tempo.
“The tempo they practiced at last year, they were kind of used to it, so it really wasn’t nothing new to them,” Dailey said. “I think they know what to expect on that tempo aspect, so I don’t think that will surprise us. It’s just the big play ability that they have offensively. If we make them drive it down the field, almost the same game plan we had with Veterans, we feel like if we make them earn it all the way down the field, then that gives us the best opportunity.”
Seguin’s offensive leaders include sophomore running-back John Jackson (271 yards, TD), junior receiver Devin Mathews (13 rec., 196 yds., 3 TD), and senior quarterback Troy Falgout (361 yds. passing, 4 TD).
The Matadors have turned the ball over 11 times in three games, and at least three times in each game. Seguin hopes to clean that up and finish drives efficiently against a Canyon defense allowing.averages of 37 points and 440 total yards per game.
Friday’s opening kickoff at Matador Stadium is set for 7 p.m. The game will air live on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:15 with the Navarro and Marion coaches’ shows.
Panthers look to extend winning streak in road tilt vs. Buffaloes
(Giddings) – Navarro wraps up the non-district portion of its 2021 football schedule chasing a fourth straight win when the Panthers visit Giddings on Friday.
Last week’s thrilling 29-27 home win lifted Navarro to 3-1 in Rod Blount’s fourth season as head coach and vaulted the team to No. 8 in the 4A Division II state rankings.
Giddings has struggled to a 1-3 start, but coach Wade Griffins Buffaloes picked up their first win last week by doubling up Caldwell 28-14 after losses to Bellville, Columbus, and Taylor.
Senior quarterback Holden Jatzlau leads the Giddings offense with 329 passing yards, 237 rushing yards, and five touchdowns.
Blount compares Jatzlau to Needville’s Bryce Nirider, who had his moments in a 48-28 loss to the Panthers two weeks ago.
“He reminds us a lot of the Needville quarterback,” Blount says. “He’s been a starter, won a lot of games, trying to get the guys around him going, and they’re getting better each week. We’ve got to make sure that we know where he is, and got to make sure that we take our proper steps, because he’s going to be running the zone read and reading us, and make sure we’re in position to make tackles on him every single play.”
The Giddings defense has allowed 38.8 points per game, and will have its hands full with a Navarro offense churning out 407.3 yards per outing and 7.2 per rushing attempt.
Senior halfback Brody Whitson leads that group with 450 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards, and seven total touchdowns. Fullback Cole Mouser (348 yds., 7 TD), tailback Colton Chambers (251 yds., 2 TD), and quarterback Nick Billings (444 total yds., 5 TD) have been valuable weapons as well.
Jaxen Monkerud and Landary Blackburn each have interceptions for the defense, and the Panthers have forced seven turnovers in four games.
Monkerud has proven a capable replacement for the graduated Sebastian Sneed at place-kicker, and showed poise under pressure last week with the game-winning 30-yard field goal in the closing seconds against Cuero.
Friday’s kickoff in Giddings is set for 7:30 p.m. A complete interview with Blount can be heard at 6:15 during the Panther Report on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com.
Marion chases history in district opener vs. Lytle
(Marion) – The Marion Bulldogs can post the first 5-0 start to a football season in program history with a home win over Lytle in the District 14-3A-Division I opener on Friday at Veterans Stadium.
Marion pushed its record to 4-0 in head coach Ryne Miller’s fourth season with a 35-31 come-from-behind win over Hondo on a late touchdown by Aidan Rios last Friday.
Rios enters district play with with 629 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 91 carries. Senior quarterback Tanner Beakley is the other half of a lethal backfield duo, entering Friday with 523 passing yards, 322 rushing yards, and 10 total touchdowns.
The Bulldogs face an 0-3 Lytle team that has only scored 12 points and suffered two shutouts in its first three games.
The Pirates have fallen to Poth 52-0, Skidmore-Tynan 33-12, and Natalia 41-0.
Running-back Luke Estrada and receiver Damien Garcia have produced Lytle’s only touchdowns.
As lopsided as the matchup looks on paper, Miller expects the Bulldogs to as focused and motivated as they would be for any other game.
“I think any time you get into district, it’s a different kind of environment,” Miller said. “It’s almost like the playoffs. Everybody’s back to a zero and zero record. Of course, it being a district game and you’ve been winning, the target is going to be on our back. I think our defense just needs make sure that we stop their run game. They do some different things with a bunch of RPO stuff, but I think if we can stop the run game up front and win the line of scrimmage, our guys will have success on Friday night.”
Marion’s statistical leaders on defense include senior linebacker Trenton Mills (36 tackles, 9 TFL), junior linebacker Kross Kelso (34 tackles, 8 TFL), and sophomore defensive back Chase Hallmark (2 INT).
Friday’s kickoff at Veterans Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. A complete inteview with Miller can be heard between 6:20 and 6:30 during the Bulldog Report on KWED 1580-AM and Seguintoday.com.