Hallsville Seeks 3-0 Start in 14-4A When Bobcats Travel to Sulphur Springs

District 14-4A

Hallsville Bobcats (5-2, 2-0)

vs.

Sulphur Springs Wildcats (4-3, 1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Gerald Prim Stadium, Sulphur Springs

Coaches

• Hallsville: David Plunk
• Sulphur Springs: Greg Owens

Last week

• Hallsville: won 35-13 vs. Pine Tree
• Sulphur Springs: lost 43-7 at Texas High

Next week

• Hallsville: vs. Mount Pleasant
• Sulphur Springs: at Pine Tree

Playmakers

Hallsville

• QB Macailyn Wilder, Sr., 5-10, 175 (76 of 142, 1,249 yards, 12 TDs, 7 INTs; 115 carries, 768 yards, 12 TDs)
• WR Andre Jones, Sr., 5-9, 170 (23 catches, 396 yards, 6 TDs)
• WR Jamil Young, Jr., 6-0, 180 (17 catches, 391 yards, 4 TDs)
• RB Kha'lil Sneed, Jr. (80 carries, 560 yards, 5 TDs; 9 catches, 140 yards, 1 TD)
• DE David Jackson, Sr., 6-2, 205 (31 tackles, 8 for loss, 6 sacks, 10 QB pressures, 2 forced fumbles)
• LB Joshua Martinez, Sr., 6-0, 205 (57 tackles, 8 for loss, 3 sacks, 6 QB pressures, 2 pass break-ups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
• DB Ky-untae Hicks, Sr., 6-1, 175 (39 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 3 pass break-ups)
• LB Dwayne Johnson, Jr. (43 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 sacks, 8 QB pressures, 1 blocked kick, 1 def. TD, 2 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries)

Sulphur Springs

• RB Willy Ivery, Sr., 5-8, 180 (108 carries, 848 yards, 18 TDs; 15 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD)
• QB Larry Pryor, Jr., 6-1, 185 (108 of 173, 1,374 yards, 10 TDs, 4 INTs; 86 carries, 511 yards, 6 TDs)
• WR Alex Burney, Sr., 5-10, 160 (28 catches, 372 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR Isaiah Lacy, Sr., 5-9, 140 (23 catches, 362 yards, 3 TDs)
• DL Cain Cody, Soph., 6-3, 215 (40 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 pass break-up)
• LB Dedric Smith, Sr., 5-10, 180 (66 tackles, 6 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass break-up)
• DB Zach Spigner, Jr., 6-0, 180 (42 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 INT, 2 pass break-ups, 1 forced fumble)
• DB Derick Ingram, Sr., 5-10, 160 (45 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 INT, 1 pass break-up, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)

Just the facts

• Hallsville and Sulphur Springs have met 14 times since 1963 with Sulphur Springs holding a 8-5-1 edge over that span.
• The last four meetings between Hallsville and Sulphur Springs have been decided by 10 points or less.
• Hallsville is averaging 37.2 points and 402.1 yards per game.
• The Bobcats have not won more than seven games in a season since 2003, which was the last time they won a playoff game.
• The combined record of Hallsville's seven opponents -- Whitehouse, Van, Henderson, Lindale, Nacogdoches, Marshall and Pine Tree -- is 22-27.
• Sulphur Springs is averaging 38 points and 439.1 yards per game.
• The Wildcats offense has run 459 plays from scrimmage and averages 6.7 yards per snap.
• The combined record of Sulphur Springs' seven opponents -- Tyler Lee, Sherman, Whitehouse, Paris, Corsicana, Mount Pleasant and Texas High -- is 26-22.

Key matchup: Sulphur Springs' offensive skill-position players vs. Hallsville back-seven defenders. The Sulphur Springs offense has been a two-man show for the most part this season, as the Wildcats have relied on the explosive duo of running back Willy Ivery and quarterback Larry Pryor. The pair has accounted for 94 percent of Sulphur Springs' yards from scrimmage and has combined to account for 35 of the team's 38 touchdowns. Sulphur Springs has other weapons, most notably receivers Alex Burney and Isaiah Lacy, who have teamed for 51 receptions, 734 yards and seven touchdowns. Keeping those players, and in particular Ivery and Pryor, from gashing opposing defenses is a tall order but one Texas High succeeded with last week. Ivery was limited to 97 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries after the senior playmaker came into the game averaging 197.3 in his previous three games. It was even tougher for Pryor, who completed just 10 passes for 39 yards and finished with 46 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

Hallsville may not have the personnel Texas High does on its defense, but a formula on how to shut down Sulphur Springs has been established. WIth Ivery and Pryor accounting for so much of the Wildcats offense, taking just one out of the equation could serve as a big boost for Hallsville's defense. Texas High was able to completely take out both Ivery and Pryor and the Wildcats were limited to season lows in both points and yards (182). It doesn't seem likely that both players will be shut down like that Friday night, but taking away half of the team's offensive production could be enough for Hallsville to escape victoriously Friday night.

Don't be surprised if: Sulphur Springs' offense gets back on track. The duo of Pryor and Ivery is too explosive to be held in check two weeks in a row. In the three games leading up to last week, both players put up monstrous numbers. Ivery totaled 592 rushing yards and 158 receiving with 15 touchdowns, while Pryor had thrown for 796 yards, run for 391 and accounted for 12 touchdowns. Sulphur Springs just ran into a buzz saw last Friday in Texarkana, and has had to sit on that humbling defeat for a week now. The x-factor in this game is Hallsville quarterback Macailyn Wilder, who has amassed 2,017 yards and 24 touchdowns on the year. Wilder's playmaking ability both with his arm and his legs has the potential to allow Hallsville to hang with Sulphur Springs in a possible shootout scenario. Hallsville would prefer to keep the game's pace at its speed, but if called upon, Wilder and the Bobcats offense are more than capable of keeping pace with Sulphur Springs.