District 12-2A D-II Championship Implications at Stake When Unbeaten Corrigan-Camden Visits Groveton

District 12-2A Division II

Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs (7-0, 2-0)

vs.

Groveton Indians (5-2, 2-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Indian Stadium at John W. Reynolds Athletic Complex, Groveton

Coaches

• Corrigan-Camden: Seven Armstrong
• Groveton: Kevin Parker

Last week

• Corrigan-Camden: won 66-8 vs. New Waverly
• Groveton: won 21-0 at Hemphill

Next week

• Corrigan-Camden: at Hemphill
• Groveton: at Anderson-Shiro

Playmakers

Corrigan-Camden

• RB/S Keegan Mitchell, Jr., 5-6, 160 (103 carries, 1,369 yards, 14 TDs; 1 INT, 1 def. TD; 1 punt return TD)
• RB Malyk Johnson, Soph. (73 carries, 615 yards, 6 TDs; 2 INTs)
• FB Carlos Inguanzo, Sr., 5-10, 230 (70 carries, 382 yards, 8 TDs)
• QB Haden Armstrong, Sr., 5-10, 195 (5 of 15, 144 yards, 1 TD; 50 carries, 277 yards, 5 TDs)
• RB Addison Kirkland, Sr. (47 carries, 294 yards, 9 TDs)
• DB LaKendrick Moore, Soph. (3 INTs)

Groveton

• QB Brandon Kemper, Jr., 6-0, 180
• OL Kolton Thompson, Sr., 6-1, 250
• LB Chance Moser, Sr.
• LB Colton Parten, Soph., 6-2, 220
• WR/DB Kelvin James, Jr.
• OL/DL Mason Moore, Sr.

Just the facts

• Corrigan-Camden won last year's meeting 48-34 at home.
• Corrigan-Camden averages 46.7 points per game and allows 17.9
• Groveton averages 28.4 points per game and allows 21.4
• Groveton has won five consecutive games.
• During its five-game winning streak, Groveton has outscored its opponents 166-73.
• Corrigan-Camden has thrown 16 passes all season, an average of 2.3 pass attempts per game. The Bulldogs average 51.2 rushing attempts and 431.9 rushing yards.
• Both teams have played New Waverly. Corrigan-Camden beat New Waverly 66-8 on Oct. 18 after Groveton beat New Waverly 36-32 on Oct. 11.

Key matchup: Groveton's defensive front vs. Corrigan-Camden's rushing attack. A quick look at the stats shows that Corrigan-Camden likes to run. A lot.

The good thing for the Bulldogs -- and the bad thing for their opponents -- is they do it really, really well. Keegan Mitchell is one of East Texas' top rushers with more than 1,350 yards on the season. But as eye-opening as his yardage total may be, it accounts for less than half of Corrigan-Camden's team rushing yardage.

Malyk Johnson, Carlos Inguanzo, Addison Kirkland, and Haden Armstrong have combined for 1,535 yards and 28 touchdowns to give head coach Seven Armstrong a multitude of options for his team's virtually run-exclusive attack.

Don't be surprised if: Corrigan-Camden's running game is too much for Groveton to overcome. Groveton needs a huge game from players such as Chance Moser and Colton Parten, two of the Indians' defensive stalwarts. But even if they come up big, that might not be enough against a Corrigan-Camden ground game that has shown no signs of derailment at any point this season.

Regardless of Friday's outcome, both teams appear to be in good shape for the postseason. But there's no doubt that the winner of Corrigan-Camden at Groveton is District 12-2A Division II's frontrunner for the league title.