Orangefield played the district leading West Orange-Stark Mustangs last week. The Bobcats lost but played hard for the full 48 minutes of the game.
Coach Josh Smalley is proud of the effort given by his Bobcats. When the score got out of hand the players did not quit and continued to compete. Smalley replied, “The good news is we didn’t get any major injuries or anything, so now we get to move on to a big game this week.”
This Friday marks the renewal of the Bayou Bowl as Orangefield plays Bridge City. The Spread Offense of the Cardinals is led by their dual threat quarterback Ethan Oceguera. He can throw the ball from anywhere on the field and is a dangerous runner which the Cardinals have some designed runs for him.
As further evidence of his multiple talents, Oceguera is ranked third in the district in passing yards and seventh in rushing yards. He has accounted for ten touchdowns throwing and running the football. Oceguera is actually a triple threat as he even does the punting for the Cardinals with the leading average per kick in the district.
Sophomore JimSharon Bearden has taken over as the starting running back for Bridge City. Bearden has gained 281 yards good for two touchdowns.
A dangerous corps of receivers is available for the Cardinals. Tight end JT Fielder leads the district in catches with 17, six of those for 51 yards in Bridge City’s last game. Austin Richardson has eight receptions half of which have been for touchdowns. Joey Murty, Blake Moore, and Kyler Garlaska are also targets for Oceguera’s passes.
Bridge City is well balanced offensively led by Oceguera. “They’re not just a one-man show, he’s got some weapons with him, they’re very good offensively, so it’s a huge challenge,” Smalley admitted.
Both the Bobcats and the Cardinals surrendered 51 points last week. Coach Smalley believes the Bridge City defense will be much tougher this week against Orangefield.
The Cardinals base out of the 3-4 or 50 much like West Orange-Stark. Against the Bobcats, Smalley anticipates Bridge City loading the box as it did in its game with Hardin-Jefferson which also runs the Slot-T like Orangefield. The 6-2 look or goal line defense with two inside linebackers is expected from the Cardinals on Friday night.
It all starts according to Coach Smalley with inside linebacker Harrison Gauthier. From watching film, the coach said Gauthier is always around the football and is not scared to go in to make a tackle.
At safety Sam Carpenter flies to the ball. The other inside linebacker Julian Dillow and outside linebacker Trey Hebert both get to the ball well. Isai Cantu anchors the defensive front for Bridge City.
The defense for the Cardinals is very aggressive, and they like to blitz linebackers to get penetration. Smalley emphasized, “They’re very well coached, and you can tell they play with a lot of desire and a lot of heart.”
It has been seven years since the last Bayou Bowl. As important as winning the trophy will be, the positioning for playoff seeding is significant according to Smalley. Getting a win after the loss last week is important for the Bobcats as the game does have playoff implications on the line for both teams.
The Bayou Bowl is always big between the two schools and their communities. The last one was in 2013, so none of the current Bobcats or Cardinals have played against the other since their little league football days.
Smalley reminded the keys to this game will come down to the same factors like any other. “Who we’re playing with the Bayou Bowl and it being Bridge City that adds a little extra excitement to the community and to the kids, but we’ve got to find a way to kind of put that stuff aside and just realize at the end of the day we’re trying to win a football game and it doesn’t matter who we’re playing we’ve got to play the best we can,” Smalley concluded.
Orangefield will host Bridge City in the Bayou Bowl at F. L. McClain Stadium. The game will be carried live on KOGT with the kickoff at 7:30 PM.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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