Two playoff games on Thursday and three on Friday for our area teams.
The 9-4A D2 Champs from West Orange-Stark will play Wharton (6-4, 3-3) on Thursday at Randall Reed Stadium in New Caney.
The Tigers, out of 10-4A D2, finished fourth behind Columbia, LaMarque and Sweeny. They feature a 1000 yd. passer and rusher, outscoring their opponents 381-192.
What does WOS Coach Hiawatha Hickman say: They’re very athletic. QB is fast and has a good arm and they’re big on the defensive line.” The winner will play Robinson or Madisonville. They play on Friday at 8pm.
Deweyville will play the Grapeland Sandies at Doggett Stadium in Beaumont (formerly The Butch) on Thursday at 7pm. First off, what is a Sandie? The school uses a tornado as their mascot. The name “Sandies” is linked to the sandy soil that is common in the area.
Grapeland finished second behind undefeated Mt. Enterprise in 11-2A. They’re located just north of Crockett in Houston County. They score a lot of points but also give up a lot of points (514-409). They sport a 1500 yd. RB, an 1800 yd. passer, and a 1000 yd. receiver.
Deweyville’s Brandon Prouse says: “They have some very athletic skilled guys on offense. The RB finished third in the 100 at the state track meet last year. We have to contain the run and play very physical on both sides of the ball. ” The winner plays the winner between Bremond/Simms Bowie. They play Thursday at 7pm
On Friday, Bridge City will host their first ever playoff game after winning 10-4A D1. They’ll host the 6-4 Chapel Hill Bulldogs out of Tyler at 7:30pm at Larry Ward Stadium. The Dogs finished fourth in 9-4A behind Kilgore, Lindale, and Pine Tree.
BC Coach Josh Smalley says: “Not sure you can narrow them down to one big concern. First of all, they are truly battle tested. They’ve played teams like Gilmer, Carthage, Kilgore, Lindale, Pine Tree etc.. They have run the gauntlet. They have a pedigree of winning. They have been in the state finals and semi finals. They are extremely well coached and you add size and athleticism, they present and tall task for sure. But it’s what makes playoff football in the state of Texas so great. I love our kids and coaches attitude and approach all week. I believe in our kids and know they are gonna go compete and make our community proud.” The winner faces either North Forest or Navasota. They play Thursday at 7pm.
The Orangefield Bobcats (8-2) travel north to play Diboll (4-6) in Jasper at 7pm. The Lumberjacks are coached by former Bobcat boss Blake Morrison. Diboll was the third place team out of 9-3A behind undefeated Fairfield and Westwood.
Second year Bobcat Coach Jeff Breaux says: “They’re a big physical team. Coach Morrison is a defensive guy so we expect them to play hard on that side of the ball. We need to prepare for a physical game up front. For us, I feel like we’ve been in a good groove. We’re hitting some big plays and the defense is flying around.” OF is expected to have star RB Mason Manning back after a week off and QB Carson Gonzalez is ready to play after being a victim of a targeting call last week. The winner will play Franklin or Halletsville.
LCM will travel almost 200 miles to Kilgore (9-1) on Friday at 7pm. Kilgore lost their season opening game against Carthage. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 393-111. They lost to Celina in the State Championship game last year.
LCM Coach Eric Peevey said: “Kilgore is a very fast, physical, and disciplined football team. On offense they are balanced and explosive, scoring on the ground and through the air. Defensively they have the best nose guard we have seen all year. He started against us 3 years ago as a freshman.” The winner will play either Stafford or Wheatley.
-Gary Stelly, KOGT-
Other Area Playoffs
Silsbee vs Sweeny, Thurs, 7pm, LaPorte
Lumb vs Pine Tree, Friday, 7:30, Lumberton
H-Fannett vs LaMarque, Friday, 7pm, Pasadena
PNG vs Nacogdoches, Friday, 7pm, PNG
Newton vs New Diana, Thurs, 7pm, Timpson
Memorial vs Galena Park, Thurs, Pt. Arthur
Hardin vs Crockett, Friday, 7:30, Randall Reed
Kountze vs Arp, Friday, 7:30, Shelbyville
East Chambers vs Westwood, Friday, 7pm, Navasota
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