Playoff Berth Up For Grabs Friday Night When San Augustine Travels to Alto

District 10-A Division I

San Augustine Wolves (3-5, 2-1)

vs.

Alto Yellow Jackets (5-3, 2-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Yellow Jacket Stadium, Alto

Coaches

• San Augustine: Donald Hubbard
• Alto: Paul Gould

Last week

• San Augustine: lost 60-21 at West Sabine
• Alto: won 57-20 at Grapeland

Next week

• San Augustine: vs. Cushing
• Alto: at Shelbyville

Playmakers

San Augustine

• QB JaMikel Roberts, Jr., 6-0, 175 (91 of 164, 1,621 yards, 25 TDs, 5 INTs; 103 carries, 848 yards, 8 TDs)
• WR Dez Randle, Sr., 6-2, 175 (41 catches, 875 yards, 14 TDs)
• RB/LB Jeremy Jenkins, Jr., 5-9, 190 (138 carries, 737 yards, 6 TDs)
• WR Jarvis Smith, Sr. (22 catches, 427 yards, 6 TDs)
• WR JD Brown, Jr. (23 catches, 237 yards, 3 TDs)
• OL Jarvis Payne, Sr., 6-2, 315
• OL E.J. Barnes, Soph., 6-2, 270
• OL Y'Venskie Rushing, Jr.

Alto

• RB Jacolby Whitaker, Sr., 5-10, 193 (117 carries, 929 yards, 14 TDs; 8 catches, 66 yards)
• QB Zac Sturns, Sr., 6-2, 175 (51 of 100, 897 yards, 9 TDs, 3 INTs; 108 carries, 703 yards, 7 TDs)
• WR/LB JaVie'Ontae Mumphrey, Jr., 6-3, 215 (7 catches, 196 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Anfernee Black, Sr., 6-0, 200 (9 catches, 185 yards)
• WR/DB Leroy Lewis, Jr., 6-0, 175 (3 catches, 45 yards)
• ATH Jyran Shaw (22 carries, 148 yards, 2 TDs; 6 catches, 66 yards)
• WR/DE Ty Hackett (8 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs)

Just the facts

• San Augustine won last season's meeting against Alto, 49-42.
• The Wolves are averaging 34.8 points and 425.4 yards per game.
• San Augustine was held to 316 yards and turned it over three times in last week's loss to district-leading West Sabine.
• The Wolves' offense is about as balanced as they come, averaging 222.8 yards per rushing and 202.6 passing. However, 25 of their 40 touchdowns have come through the air.
• The combined record of San Augustine's eight opponents -- Tyler Grace, Deweyville, Garrison, Hemphill, Tenaha, Grapeland, Shelbyville and West Sabine -- is 41-23.
• Since dropping to Class A prior to the 2006 season, Alto is 76-20 with back-to-back state titles in 2006 and 2007.
• Alto is averaging 32.3 points and 355 yards per game, while the defense has allowed 20.9 per game.
• The Yellow Jackets rolled up 436 yards of offense in last week's win over Grapeland.
• Alto is predominantly a running team. The Jackets have run 373 plays from scrimmage, 71.8 percent of which are rushes.
• The combined record of Alto's eight opponents -- Elkhart, Groveton, Tenaha, Frankston, Trinity, Cushing, West Sabine and Grapeland -- is 34-28.

Key matchup: Alto quarterback Zac Sturns vs. San Augustine defense. For the second consecutive week, the San Augustine defense must confront a dual-threat quarterback. The Wolves are hoping things go differently this go-round. In last week's blowout loss to unbeaten West Sabine, San Augustine had major difficulty in solving the Tigers' multi-talented quarterback ReShod Williams. The West Sabine signal-caller, mostly known for his dynamic running ability, burned San Augustine for touchdown passes of 40 and 82 yards during a crucial 21-0 run in the first half. The Wolves had other problems on defense, but it was the big plays through the air that changed the complexion of the game.

Alto presents a similar dilemma with Sturns, who has rushed for more than 700 yards on the season, but has proven to be an adept passer as well. In last week's blowout of Grapeland, Sturns threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns on just nine completions. And the Alto quarterback shared the wealth, connecting with three different receivers for the scores and completing passes to five targets overall. And like West Sabine with Nick Williams, the Jackets have another dangerous weapon in the backfield in running back Jacolby Whitaker. The Alto standout is a little behind last season's pace of 2,696 yards and 39 touchdowns, but he's come on of late, which makes Sturns an even bigger threat to opposing defenses.

Don't be surprised if: Another shootout between these two takes place Friday night. While San Augustine and Alto may not combine for 91 points like they did in last season's thriller, both offenses are capable of putting up big numbers. The key will be how well each team defends the quarterback. San Augustine quarterback JaMikel Roberts is having an outstanding debut season as the starter, totaling 2,469 yards and 33 touchdowns through eight games. The Alto duo of Sturns and Whitaker is among the best 1-2 duos in the state in 1A, so each defense will have their hands full. Like most games involving quality teams, the difference could come down to turnovers. However, both quarterbacks have been stingy with the interceptions. Sturns and Roberts have combined to throw just eight picks in 264 passing attempts. Friday's winner clinches a playoff spot, while the loser will still have work to do next week in the regular-season finale.