Lufkin Aims for Second Consecutive Big Victory When College Park Visits Friday

The Woodlands College Park Cavaliers (4-3, 1-2)
vs.
Lufkin Panthers (4-3, 2-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday
John Outlaw Memorial Field at Abe Martin Stadium, Lufkin

Coaches
College Park: Richard Carson
Lufkin: Todd Quick

Last week
College Park: lost to College Station A&M Consolidated, 35-28
Lufkin: def. Bryan, 47-7

Next week
College Park: vs. The Woodlands
Lufkin: at Conroe Oak Ridge

Playmakers

College Park

• QB Brett Buckley, Sr., 5-11, 180 (43 of 102, 850 yards, 12 TDs, 4 INTs; 87 carries, 412 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB Connor McPherson, Sr. (70 carries, 574 yards, 11 TDs)
• WR Charrod Henry, Sr., 6-2, 175 (19 catches, 458 yards, 9 TDs)
• RB Nick Black, Jr. (77 carries, 439 yards, 3 TDs)
• LB Austin Fredrickson, Sr. (66 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble, 2 recoveries)
• LB Tristen Newman, Jr., 6-0, 220 (59 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble)
• LB Scott Foster, Sr. (41 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
• LB Jacob McClean, Sr., 6-1, 205 (37 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
• DL Jayvon Jackson, Sr. (33 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
• WR Byron Makel, Sr. (12 catches, 198 yards, 2 TDs)

Lufkin

• QB Tyler Stubblefield, Sr., 6-4, 205 (109 of 187, 1,719 yards, 17 TDs, 10 INTs; 65 carries, 145 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR JaBryce Taylor, Sr., 6-2, 185 (51 catches, 834 yards, 6 TDs; committed to SMU)
• ATH Key'vantanie "KeKe" Coutee, Soph., 5-10, 170 (28 catches, 362 yards, 6 TDs)
• RB Kendrick Mapp, Sr., 5-10, 175 (85 carries, 636 yards, 9 TDs)
• DE Demontrai Lewis, Sr., 6-3, 215
• DT D.J. Williams, Jr., 6-3, 280
• WR Jamal Jeffery, Jr., 5-10, 170
•  OL Erik McCoy, Soph., 6-3, 255
• DE James Moreland, Soph., 6-2, 210
• CB Jomal Davis, Sr., 5-11, 185

Just the facts

• College Park averages 29.6 points per game and allows 22.4.
• Lufkin averages 37.1 points per game and allows 34.6.
• College Park has lost three of its last four games after starting 3-0.
• Lufkin has won the next game after each of its three losses.
• College Park has averaged 23.3 points per game and has allowed 25.3 during its 1-3 stretch since Sept. 20.
• Lufkin has scored 21 or fewer points or 41 or more points in all of its games.
• The Panthers have scored 41, 45, 71, and 47 in their four wins, but 21, 14, and 21 in their three losses.
• Lufkin is 6-0 vs. College Park since 2006.
• The average score in those six games is 44.0-13.7.
• Lufkin beat College Park 45-14 in 2011.

Key matchup: College Park's secondary vs. Lufkin's receiving corps. This is a common theme for teams that play Lufkin, especially squads who enter the game as the underdog, which appears to be the case for College Park. Lufkin senior QB Tyler Stubblefield has a proven receiving corps to throw to, and he's done that all season. JaBryce Taylor is the headliner, the Division I-bound wideout who has helped the Panthers move the chains all season. Then there's KeKe Coutee and Jamal Jeffery, players who are serious home-run threats and stretch the field. College Park cannot completely sell out to stopping the pass, though. If the receivers are covered downfield, Stubblefield has shown the ability to scramble for yardage, and senior tailback Kendrick Mapp helps the Panthers keep their offense as balanced as possible.

Don't be surprised if: Lufkin clinches its second back-to-back pair of victories for only the second time in 2012. College Park has shown it's a good team. A 3-0 start was part of that, but so was pushing an A&M Consolidated team that went four overtimes with Lufkin. That likely means that the Panthers won't have their usual easy time with College Park, which Lufkin has beaten by 31 or more points four times in the last six years. A Lufkin victory would put the Panthers well on their way to a four-game winning streak to finish the season. The Pack should definitely be the favored team in its final two games against Conroe Oak Ridge and Conroe. That would make Lufkin 7-3 overall and 5-1 in District 14-5A, allowing them to ride a positive tide into the postseason.

Note: Lufkin’s athletic training students will host a fundraising event called “Fill The Helmet” for the Gridiron Heroes Foundation on Oct. 26 at the Panthers’ home game vs. The Woodlands College Park. All money raised will be donated to the foundation, which helps young men who receive spinal cord injuries during their high school careers.