Henderson, Gilmer Set for Pivotal Saturday Night “District of Doom” Showdown in Longview

Henderson Lions (3-2, 1-0)
vs.
Gilmer Buckeyes (5-1, 2-0)

7 p.m. Saturday
Lobo Stadium, Longview

Coaches
Henderson: Dickey Meeks
Gilmer: Jeff Traylor

Last week
Henderson: idle
Gilmer: def. Chapel Hill, 50-28

Next week
Henderson: at Spring Hill
Gilmer: idle

Playmakers

Henderson

• ATH Patrick "Monster" Brown, Sr., 5-10, 175 (29 carries, 177 yards, 1 TD; 16 catches, 280 yards, 1 TD; 1 punt return TD)
• DE Bo Brady, Sr., 6-0, 195 (28 tackles, 8 for loss, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
• OL Nick Siler, Sr., 6-4, 255 (committed to Air Force)
• QB Janson Moore, Sr., 6-0, 175 (45 of 77, 748 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs)
• LB Jamaal Kind, Sr., 5-10, 185 (53 tackles, 6 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 recoveries)
• LB Arqez Walton, Sr., 5-8, 190 (33 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 INT)
• DT Contrell Phillips, Sr., 6-0, 230 (20 tackles, 7 1/2 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
• RB Randy Davis, Soph. (29 carries, 209 yards)

Gilmer

• RB Kris Boyd, Soph., 5-9, 185 (60 carries, 591 yards, 9 TDs; 9 catches, 46 yards)
• ATH Chase Tate, Soph., 5-5, 150 (23 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD; 28 catches, 228 yards, 1 TD)
• QB Tanner Barr, Jr., 6-1, 175 (101 of 179, 1,159 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs; 50 carries, 254 yards, 1 TD)
• NG Xavier Fluellen, Sr., 6-1, 260 (39 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
• RB/LB Josh Walker, Jr., 6-1, 220 (31 carries, 183 yards, 4 TDs; 11 catches, 136 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR/CB Trey Washington, Sr., 6-1, 170 (21 catches, 231 yards, 2 TDs; 23 tackles, 1 INT; committed to SMU)
• LB John McPhearson, Jr. (52 tackles)
• DB Justus Cheatham, Sr. (18 tackles, 3 INTs)

Just the facts

• Henderson averages 25.6 points per game and allows 22.0.
• Gilmer averages 31.8 points per game and allows 24.5.
• Henderson and Gilmer have each lost to private school power Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy, which beat the Lions 56-20 and Gilmer 42-12.
• Henderson's Patrick "Monster" Brown has returned seven punts for touchdowns since the beginning of the 2011 season.
• Brown has offers from ULM and Central Arkansas and has drawn interest from several other schools, including Louisiana Tech.
• Gilmer's Kris Boyd ran for 293 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 17.2 yards per carry, in last week's 50-28 win vs. Chapel Hill.
• Gilmer leads the all-time series vs. Henderson 9-2-2, but the series is 2-2 during the modern era.
• Gilmer won each of the last two seasons, beating Henderson 29-28 in 2010 and 35-20 in 2011.
• Henderson beat Gilmer 14-0 in 1996 and 48-0 in 1997 when the teams shared a Class 4A district.
• Henderson and Gilmer did not play each other from 1934-95.

Key matchup: Special teams units. Think that's a curve ball? Well, maybe it is, but these are two of the best special teams coaching staffs in East Texas. Gilmer coach Jeff Traylor has been known to occasionally throw a surprise onside kick at an opponent -- or unexpectedly go for two after a score -- and steal the momentum. Dickey Meeks and Henderson's staff have done a great job setting up Patrick "Monster" Brown and the Lions' return game, which has yielded almost double-digit return touchdowns during the past two seasons. When two teams are so close from a talent standpoint and sound on both sides of the ball, the third phase of the game often decides the outcome. As far as the offenses and defenses go, after seeing Kris Boyd gash Chapel Hill a week ago, Henderson will be prepared to stop the Gilmer ground game. The same can be said for Gilmer, which will need to keep the Lions from dictating the game's pace on the ground, whether it's senior Diamante Wright or sophomore Randy Davis running the ball.

Don't be surprised if: This is another classic in what has been a highly entertaining, if short, series. Henderson led the 2010 contest at home 28-10 in the third quarter before Gilmer roared back in the fourth for a one-point win. Last season, Henderson jumped on top 14-0 on the road, then suffered seven turnovers as Gilmer once again stormed back for a 35-20 win. These two teams have combined for two state championships since 2009 and are the headlining carryovers from the original "District of Doom" that also featured Carthage from 2010-11. With both teams lossless in District 16-3A play, this game has huge implications on the district championship race. The winner will be a head up on the competition, along with Class 3A's No. 4-ranked Kilgore, which is off this week. Whatever way you look at it, this district appears to be coming down to Gilmer, Henderson, and Kilgore, so Saturday night's game should be great.