Dylan Gale + Jansen McCurdy Hope to Lead White Oak to Third Round of the Playoffs

Class 2A Division I Region III
Area Playoff

White Oak Roughnecks (9-2)
vs.
Grandview Zebras (8-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Van Memorial Stadium

Coaches
White Oak: Gerry Stanford
Grandview: Casey Walraven

Next week: Winner plays Newton-Teague winner in a 2A Division I Region III semifinal.

Playmakers

White Oak

• QB Dylan Gale, Jr. (113 of 210, 2,109 yards, 22 TDs, 8 INTs)
• WR Jansen McCurdy, Jr. (43 catches, 1,134 yards, 16 TDs)
• RB Hunter Owens, Sr. (190 carries, 1,012 yards, 11 TDs)
• ATH Darion Barr, Sr. (88 carries, 547 yards, 5 TDs; 21 catches, 141 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Gabe Michael (26 catches, 499 yards, 3 TDs)

Grandview

• QB Ryan Breton, Sr. (176 of 244, 2,617 yards, 31 TDs, 9 INTs; 113 carries, 507 yards, 5 TDs)
• RB Jordan Martinez, Soph. (145 carries, 1,241 yards, 24 TDs; 20 catches, 271 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Colby Lee, Jr. (79 catches, 1,155 yards, 13 TDs)
• WR Bailey Smith, Jr. (31 catches, 426 yards, 5 TDs)
• LB Caleb Armstrong, Sr. (127 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles)

Just the facts

• The last time White Oak was in the second of the playoffs was 1998, a season which was ended by Daingerfield, 33-14.
• The Roughnecks average 32.3 points points per game on offense, while the defense gives up 21.7.
• White Oak has won five straight since a 28-21 loss to Tatum, outscoring opponents by an average score of 42-17.
• The two teams that defeated White Oak (Bullard and Tatum) are a combined 15-5.
• Grandview's high-powered offense is averaging 45 points per game, while its defense is limiting opponents to only 16.4.
• The Zebras' two losses this season (Lago Vista, Lorena) came by a combined nine points.

Key matchup: Grandview quarterback Ryan Breton vs. White Oak defense. The White Oak defense will have its hands full against Grandview's dynamic, dual-threat quarterback. Breton has totaled 3,124 yards of offense with 36 touchdowns. The Zebras are fairly balanced on offense, averaging 264.7 passing yards and 210.8 rushing yards per game, but Grandview's bread-and-butter is its passing attack, which has been held under 200 yards just once this season. Even when he's not making plays through the air, Breton has shown the ability to make things happen with his feet. The best comparison to Breton among the quarterbacks White Oak has faced this season is Tatum's Darian Brooks, who rushed for 138 yards and passed for 93 with two total touchdowns. If White Oak is able to hold Breton to similar numbers, the Roughnecks stand a good chance of coming away with a victory.

Don't be surprised if: There a lot of big plays made by both teams in the passing game. Both Breton and White Oak quarterback Dylan Gale have excellent targets at receiver. Colby Lee leads the Zebras with more than 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns. Meanwhile, White Oak's Jansen McCurdy has over 1,100 yards and 16 TDs, averaging more than 26 yards per reception. Needless to say, the pressure will be on both teams' secondaries.