Crockett Hopes To Air It Out On Rogers In Regional Semifinal Game

Class 3A Division II

Region III Semifinals

Crockett Bulldogs (7-5)

Vs.

Rogers Eagles (10-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday

College Station High School Stadium, College Station

Coaches

• Crockett: Jimmy Thompson
• Rogers: Darren Anderson

Last week

• Crockett: defeated Clifton, 48-44
• Rogers: defeated Corrigan-Camden, 40-14

Next week

• Winner plays Newton-Franklin winner, Region III championship

Playmakers

Crockett

• QB Case Robinson, Jr., 6-1, 190 (130 of 241, 2,557 yards, 29 TDs, 8 INT)
• WR Alphonso Phillips, Jr., 59 catches, 1,108 yards, 14 TDs)
• WR Lucky Daniels, Soph., 5-10, 161 (28 catches, 750 yards, 8 TDs)

Just the facts

• Crockett has reached the regional semifinals for the first time since 2011. It lost to Tatum in this round and did not put together a winning record the next two seasons.
• Rogers has reached the regional semifinal round for the second straight season. Last year, the team lost to Refugio in this round, 73-72. Refugio went on to become a state runner-up.
• Friday's game will be Rogers' second straight against a District 11-3A Division II team. It defeated Corrigan-Camden, the league's second-place team behind Newton, last week.
• Crockett and Rogers share Corrigan-Camden and Clifton as mutual opponents.
• Corrigan-Camden defeated Crockett, 66-48, on Oct. 10. Rogers beat Corrigan-Camden last week, 40-14.
• Rogers defeated Clifton, 37-6, on Oct. 17. Crockett ended Clifton's season last week in a 48-44 win.
• Rogers allowed 36 points in league play and won the District 10-3A Division II title. The defensive unit is averaging about 14 points against per game.
• A normal night for the Crockett offense is 41 points and its defense gives up 34 points per game.
• Rogers has averaged 26.6 points per night.
• Crockett will drive 85 miles to College Station High School Stadium. Rogers will travel 78 miles.

Key matchup: Crockett's offense versus Rogers' defense. The Eagles have a very strong defense, but the Bulldogs hold an advantage most teams on the level do not. Crockett leans on its passing game whereas most teams in Class 3A either depend on their running game completely or strive for a balanced attack.

Case Robinson and a receiving corps headlined by underclassmen Alphonso Phillips and Lucky Daniels have given opposing defenses fits all season. Robinson has more than 2,500 passing yards and the two receivers account for 1,858 of the yards as well as 26 touchdown connections.

The Bulldogs do run, they've put up 1,832 rushing yards with three runners over 400 yards, but its offensive style is the polar opposite of Corrigan-Camden's run-heavy attack last week in Rogers' area round win. It's just not commonly replicated among teams Rogers has played.

That plays to Crockett's advantage.

Don't be surprised if: Crockett is within striking distance late. The squad is on a five-game winning streak after beginning the season 2-5 and it's been battle tested in tight games against Trinity and Clifton in back-to-back playoff games.

The Bulldogs are an underdog, but they have some unique match ups that could flip the script.