The opening game of the season for the Bridge City Cardinals was a tough one coming on the heels of Harvey and the opponent being the state ranked West Orange-Stark Mustangs. The loss for the Cardinals was compounded with losing starting fullback Andy Lara for about 6 weeks to meniscus surgery and two other players including kicker Alfredo Heraldez with ACL tears.
Coach Dwayne DuBois is getting Bridge City ready to face another state ranked team this week, the Newton Eagles. DuBois describes the Eagles’ offense as versatile. Though based out of the Wing T look they will run the Spread and get into a full-house backfield. Newton runs the toss sweep, the trap, and will throw the ball to receivers in space. “They’re very sound, very solid offensively,” DuBois analyzed.
Fast and quick describes the Eagles personnel on offense. Junior Josh Foster will be at quarterback. He has a host of running backs to hand the ball to including Darwin Barlow who rushed for 1,356 yards last year. A dangerous receiver and runner is Tamuazia Brown.
Newton still uses its Diamond Defense, and Coach DuBois says their middle linebacker is a real gem. Corbin Foster is coming off an all-state season for the Eagles and is one of the top defensive recruits in Southeast Texas. He had five interceptions and five forced fumbles to go with over 200 tackles in 2016.
Joining him in the Diamond are other standouts. James Sylvester anchors one defensive end. Bryson Thomas at the other defensive end had 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss last season. The coach compares the Newton defense to that of West Orange-Stark athletically.
They are very active and will mix things up on defense. Newton will show a zone look, but Coach DuBois expects to see more man-to-man from the Eagles on Friday. “They’re one of the top ranked teams in the state of Texas in their classification and obviously there’s a reason why,” DuBois concluded.
Improvement will be the key for the Cardinals this week. DuBois believes Bridge City should be better in every facet for their second game this season. He points out the week between the first and second games is when most teams make their biggest jump forward during the year.
The Cardinals will need to play well on defense against the potentially explosive Newton offense. Bridge City must move the ball offensively which it did not do well last week against the Mustangs to help the defense out. The kicking game also needs to improve. Coach DuBois summarized, “We’re looking for improvements in all areas. There’s a state ranked team coming to town, but I think our kids will be ready to go and they’ll be ready to compete.”
The Bridge City Cardinals play the Newton Eagles at Larry B. Ward Stadium on Friday night at 7:30.
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