The first round of the playoffs was another cakewalk for West Orange-Stark last week. The Mustangs won easily, and Coach Cornel Thompson said there were no injuries in the game. Kavyn Cooper who has been bothered by an ankle injury should be close to a hundred percent as will Justin Sibley from his ankle ailment. Also, defensive cornerback Ja’Vonn Ross has been out with a broken thumb. Thompson informed, “He’s going to be back with us this week.”
The Mustangs will face much better competition against the Sweeny Bulldogs who are 10-1 on the season. Thompson indicated the Bulldogs use multiple sets on offense. The Spread is the primary formation, but the Bulldogs will also lineup in a Pro set, in a two-back offense, and in the Wildcat. They possess good speed at the skilled positions. “They’re one of the better teams that we’ve played this year,” Thompson stated.
The offense is operated by quarterback Joe Effenberger. He is not flashy, but does a good as the field general for the Sweeny offense. Effenberger has completed 46 of 87 passes for 847 with 13 touchdowns. He has thrown only two interceptions. His two primary targets are Justin Clemons with 18 receptions and eight touchdowns and Courtlyn Davidson with 16 catches good for three touchdowns.
When the Bulldogs want to run the football, they call on Cameron Adams who has over 1200 yards and 11 touchdowns. They also use their big fullback Quinton Martin for crunch yards. He has rushed for 809 yards and eight scores.
Defensively Sweeney uses the same alignment as West Orange-Stark. Coach Thompson added the Bulldogs have some very good players on their defense. Matching old country 50 Defenses is how the coach describes the two schools’ on defense. “It ought to be a good matchup,” Thompson promised.
Three players really standout for the Sweeny defense. Linebackers Trey Fields and Trevin Parson were all-district last season. Their performances have not dropped off this season. Another all-district returnee on defense is free safety Blake Benevides. He covers the secondary like a centerfielder in baseball.
The Mustangs have been to this dance before according to Thompson so they will waltz with those who got them here. There will be no changes on defense. A few tweaks may be seen from the Mustangs’ offense. Thompson replied, “We’re pretty much going to do what we do and see if they can stop us and then we’re going to line up defensively to see if we can stop them.”
Sweeny enters the game on a four-game winning streak since its lone loss to Wharton by two points in Week 8. West Orange-Stark is on a five-game winning streak since the loss to Jasper on October 5.
The coach provided that what will be needed to get the Mustangs a sixth straight victory on Friday is winning two of the three phases of the game. He believes West Orange-Stark is excelling in its kicking game. On offense the Mustangs must be able to control the football and take advantage of scoring opportunities.
The biggest concerns are on defense for the Mustangs. Very unusual for the “Chain Gang” this year are the number of big plays it has surrendered, close to 25 of them. Sweeny has definite big play potential which must be neutralized. “We’ve got to keep them from big playing us,” Thompson concluded.
The Area Round playoff game will be carried live on KOGT with pregame at 1:15pm Friday in Porter with kickoff at 1:30pm.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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