West Orange-Stark and Bridge City hit the road Friday for the Area Round of the football playoffs. The Mustangs will face Robinson in Spring and the Cards play Navasota in Baytown. Both games kick at 7pm.
Robinson defeated Madisonville 60-41 to reach the second round for the first time since 2016. They ran into WOS that year and were soundly defeated 47-14 as the Mustangs went on to win a State Championship.
This season the Rockets come in 9-2 overall and 4-1 in district, finishing behind Waco LaVega in District 12. They only lost to LaVega 31-27.
WOS Coach Hiawatha Hickman said, “Their offense is very explosive averaging 47 points a game. Quarterback (Brice McCurdy #3) is a really good dual threat. He has several big time offers. The running back (Evan Moreno #5) has over 2000 yards. Defensively they use multiple fronts and like to blitz the linebackers.”
The Mustangs come into the game averaging 323 yards per game while the defense is holding opponents to 229 ypg.
The winner gets either Columbia or Sealy in the third round.
Bridge City will travel to Baytown’s Stallworth Stadium to play the (8-3) Navasota Rattlers in the 4AD1 playoffs. The Rattlers finished second behind Stafford in District 12 and defeated North Forest 56-12 last week. The Rattlers come in with the best offense and worst defense in their district.
“The Rattlers are very talented and athletic,” said Coach Josh Smalley. “On offense they have a running back (Kennavion Chappel) that has rushed for around 1,200 yards, a quarterback (Jace Jablonsky) that has passed for almost 3,000 yds. and 37 touchdowns. They have two receivers that have over 50 catches with one of them with 70 plus receptions. They average around 430 yards of an offense and game. One receiver is a sophomore and stands in at 6’5”. They base out of the gun but will show multiple formations. Some unbalanced looks with shifts and motions. Identifying formations and who is eligible for passes will be key for our defense.”
The Rattlers defense has given up some big points in several games this season but Smalley says they’re still a big concern. “On defense they base out of a three man front and are as athletic as they come. Very quick off the ball and play man in the secondary for the most part. Their speed on defense will be a challenge for us for sure. Coach Allen is a friend that I’ve known for a while. He was the head coach at Kirbyville while I was at Orangefield. He and his staff do a great job. We have our hands full but we are excited about the opportunity to compete and represent our community.”
The winner will play in the third round against the winner between Kilgore and Stafford.
Other Friday Playoff Games
PNG vs Ennis, Fri, 7pm, Montgomery
Memorial vs A&M Cons, Fri, 7p, Deer Park
Hardin vs Hitchcock, Friday, 7pm, LaPorte
Newton vs DeKalb, Fri, 7pm, Tatum
Silsbee vs LaVega, Fri, 7pm, Jacksonville
United vs College Station, Fri, 7pm, Channelview
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