Lufkin Takes Three-Game Winning Streak into Home Meeting Against Conroe

Conroe Tigers (3-6, 2-3)
vs.
Lufkin Panthers (6-3, 4-1)

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

Coaches
Conroe: Roger Holtkamp
Lufkin: Todd Quick

Last week
Conroe: lost to College Station A&M Consolidated, 51-14
Lufkin: def. Conroe Oak Ridge, 24-0

Playmakers

Conroe

• QB Stedman Bell, Jr. (126 of 215, 1,971 yards, 9 TDs, 5 INTs; 94 carries 387 yards, 5 TDs)
• RB Larry Day, Sr. (111 carries, 642 yards, 8 TDs; 26 catches, 363 yards, 2 TDs)
• WR Karl Smith, Jr. (28 catches, 426 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Lamar Hernandez, Sr. (13 catches, 323 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Markelle Lee, Sr. (22 catches, 340 yards)
• DB Auther Harris, Jr. (2 INTs)
• RB Darius Nelms, Jr. (28 carries, 166 yards, 2 TDs; 14 catches, 216 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Cyle Davis, Jr. (14 catches, 259 yards, 1 TD)
• DB Kurt Lynch, Sr. (1 INT)

Lufkin

• QB Tyler Stubblefield, Sr., 6-4, 205 (126 of 212, 2,101 yards, 22 TDs, 12 INTs; 72 carries, 181 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR JaBryce Taylor, Sr., 6-2, 185 (60 catches, 1,107 yards, 9 TDs)
• RB Kendrick Mapp, Sr., 5-10, 175 (109 carries, 795 yards, 11 TDs)
• DE Demontrai Lewis, Sr., 6-3, 215
• CB Jomal Davis, Sr., Sr., 5-11, 185 (3 INTs)
• LB Kevin Moore, Sr., 6-0, 215
• DE James Moreland, Soph., 6-2, 210
• DT D.J. Williams, Jr., 6-3, 285
• OL Dominick Hall, Jr., 6-1, 265
• K Luis Garcia, Sr., 5-10, 175 (9 FGs, 36 PATs)

Just the facts

• Conroe averages 27.9 points per game and allows 39.3.
• Lufkin averages 36.0 points per game and allows 27.7.
• Four of Conroe's six losses have come by at least 19 points.
• A&M Consolidated, which beat Conroe by 37 points last week, lost 71-68 in four overtimes to Lufkin earlier this season.
• Lufkin has won three consecutive games by a combined score of 111-14.
• Lufkin's 24-0 win vs. Conroe Oak Ridge on Saturday was called during the second quarter because of weather.

Key matchup: Conroe's secondary vs. Lufkin's passing game. Lufkin quarterback Tyler Stubblefield and receiver JaBryce Taylor have been one of the most prolific pass-catch duos in East Texas this season. Taylor ranks third in the region in receptions and is second in receiving yards. He's been Stubblefield's go-to receiver since the get-go, and that shouldn't change at this point in the season. Lufkin faces a Conroe defense that has struggled mightily at times. Conroe has yielded 51 or more points three times and 42 or more points four times. That's a bad sign against a Lufkin team that has scored 40 or more points five times in nine contests.

Don't be surprised if: Lufkin rolls into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak. The Panthers have already clinched a playoff berth -- along with district mates A&M Consolidated and The Woodlands -- and could clinch District 14-5A's No. 1 Division II with a victory. There's the possibility that would steer the Pack clear of defending Division II state champion Spring DeKaney. All of that gives Lufkin a lot to play for, not to mention a potential 14-5A tri-championship with Consolidated, which is off this week, and The Woodlands, which plays Conroe Oak Ridge (1-8, 1-4). Conroe still has a shot at the playoffs, but a convincing Lufkin win would also mean the Panthers were playing their best football of the season at the perfect time. Lufkin suffered through some bumps during the non-district schedule, then got pushed around at home against The Woodlands in October. But winning cures all ills, and a four-game winning streak, the district's top D-II playoff seed, and a piece of a league title would remedy all of the disheartening feelings the Panthers might have felt earlier in the season. Lufkin's passing game and athleticism on both sides of the ball make the Pack a team that not many schools want to see on the other sideline come the postseason.