The West Orange-Stark Mustangs won their fourth straight game last week. The Mustangs moved to 2-0 in district with their 54-7 victory over the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks.
Coach Cornel Thompson was not pleased with how the game finished. The Mustangs were shutout in the fourth quarter and surrendered a late defensive touchdown to Hardin-Jefferson on an interception that cost the Mustangs the opportunity for another shutout.
The coach was especially happy though with the performance of his sophomore quarterback Keyshawn Robinson who started the game and played only the first three quarters. Thompson praised, “I thought he played pretty good for a kid that was thrust into the quarterback role because of our other quarterback getting hurt, I thought he did an admirable job for a first time to go in there and win the football game. I was proud of his performance.” Robinson is expected to get the start again Friday night.
The competition gets tougher this week when the Mustangs face the Silsbee Tigers. Thompson evaluated the Tigers who are really multiple on offense. They run the I-Formation or will shift into the Spread.
Silsbee has a couple of bona fide stars on offense. Dre’lon Miller is a standout in basketball for the Tigers and is an outstanding athlete who also excels all over the gridiron. He is a wide receiver who is a threat deep for passes and will also get the football on reverses and other running plays.
The primary running back is Marquis Dodd who is in his first season as a starter for the Tigers. Thompson is impressed with Dodd’s hard running style which makes it difficult for tacklers to bring him down.
Like every year when West Orange-Stark plays Silsbee there will be plenty of athletes on both sides that can break away for long touchdowns on any play. “It ought to be a heck of a game,” Thompson predicted.
Silsbee has some talented players on defense as well, that Coach Thompson identified starting with Dre’lon Miller who is also special in the secondary for the Tigers. Another leader in the Tiger secondary is Kevin Martin at cornerback.
One Tiger that will be hard to miss is junior Jayron Williams who has started at linebacker since he was a freshman. He will be in the middle of the Silsbee defense and probably in on many of the tackles of Mustang ball carriers.
Kadin Stone plays at defensive tackle for the Tigers. He was seriously injured in last year’s game with West Orange-Stark, but has recuperated. Thompson added, “I’m glad to see him back on the field this year playing the game of football, I think he’s a good player too.”
This contest is a big step for West Orange-Stark if the Mustangs want to be one of the contenders not only for the district championship, but also a team to reckon with in the post season. Thompson is hoping the Mustangs will perform for the full 48 minutes against a quality opponent like the Tigers.
The game will feature two of the top three teams in the preseason forecasts for the district. Just like West Orange-Stark, Silsbee is well coached. “This game will probably end up determining who the district champ is,” Thompson concluded.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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