Nacogdoches Aims For 2-1 District Record Against Corsicana

Corsicana Tigers (3-2, 2-0)

Vs.

Nacogdoches Dragons (4-1, 1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Dragon Stadium, Nacogdoches

Coaches

• Corsicana: Steve Hoffman
• Nacogdoches: Bobby Reyes

Last week

• Corsicana: defeated Jacksonville, 30-14
• Nacogdoches: lost to Ennis, 57-26

Next week

• Corsicana: vs. Whitehouse, Oct. 17
• Nacogdoches: at Jacksonville, Oct. 17

Playmakers

Corsicana

• RB Jamaal Adams (87 carries, 543 yards, 3 TDs)
• QB/S Kishawn Kelley, Soph., 6-2, 202 (23 of 57, 331 passing yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 249 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD)
• RB/S JaMicha Polk, Soph., 5-7 (37 carries, 249 yards, 1 TD)

Just the facts

• There's not a lot of history between Nacogdoches and Corsicana. The two teams have played three times since World War II.
• Corsicana holds a 2-1 advantage against Nacogdoches all-time with a win in 1951, a win in 2012 and a 48-41 loss last season.
• In the modern era, neither team has won at home in the series.
• Corsicana is 2-0 against East Texas teams this season. It defeated Lindale and Jacksonville to open District 16-5A play.
• The Tigers will be a staple in East Texas for the full month of October. They will square off with Whitehouse, John Tyler and Lufkin in order after facing Nacogdoches on Friday.
• Corsicana's defense held Lindale and Jacksonville to a combined 37 points.
• Nacogdoches' four-game winning streak was snapped last week at Ennis. It has not lost back-to-back games since facing Whitehouse and John Tyler in Week 9 and Week 10 of the 2013 season.
• Junior safety Brandon Jones, East Texas' leading Class of 2016 player in terms of FBS scholarship numbers, announced Friday he will not need surgery on a torn PCL and could be available later this season. He did not play against Ennis and should be considered doubtful against Corsicana.

Key matchup: Corsicana's offense versus Nacogdoches' defensive front. With Oklahoma State commitment Jaylon Lane and Louisiana Tech target Corey Lane patrolling the skies, the Tigers probably won't be anxious to test the limits of the Dragons' secondary. Ennis exposed the Nacogdoches defensive front for nearly 500 yards of offense last week, most of it on the ground.

Corsicana quarterback Kishawn Kelley has some moves. He has rushed for 249 yards this season. There are four players on the Tigers' team with at least 100 rushing yards.

Nacogdoches will have to prove their performance in Ennis was more of a fluke than a previously undiscovered weakness before Corsicana will have to revise its plan of attack.

Don't be surprised if: Nacogdoches responds in a big way. Timing is not ideal, however. Corsicana has a lot of confidence after grinding wins out against Lindale, 24-23, and Jacksonville last week. The Dragons, meanwhile, need to win the next three games before facing a Whitehouse team that will be desperate after dropping its first two district games when the two teams face off on Halloween night.

Quarterback Hunter McClellan did not play up to his potential last week against Ennis. His numbers through the first four games suggest that was more of a bump than a new standard. Running back Coronado Tolbert is on a major tear as one of just two East Texas players with more than 1,000 yards rushing midway through the season. Tolbert will, in all likelihood, break his junior year rushing mark against Corsicana. He needs 113 yards and averages 202 per game.

Nacogdoches appears to be in good standing if it can slow down the Corsicana run game.