Rivals Van, Lindale Clash in Hopes of Getting Back on the Right Track

VAN VANDALS (1-1)
AT
LINDALE EAGLES (1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Eagle Stadium, Lindale

Coaches
Van: Jared Moffatt
Lindale: Mike Meador

Last week
Van: lost to Hallsville 38-13
Lindale: lost to Carthage 38-21

Next week
Van: vs. Kaufman
Lindale: at Hallsville

Playmakers
Van

• RB Matt Savis, Soph., 5-8, 165 (39 carries, 287 yards, 4 TDs)
• QB Garrett Smallwood, Sr., 6-0 185 (22 of 48, 185 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs; 25 carries, 132 yards, 1 TD)
• DT Syd Moore, Sr., 6-1, 260 (21 tackles, 2 tackles for loss)
• WR Carson Rucker, Jr., 6-3, 215 (6 catches, 31 yards)
• DL Bryce Krumvieda, Sr., 6-1, 220 (26 tackles, 1 tackle for loss)
• RB/LB Hunter Hopkins, Sr., 6-1, 190 (7 carries, 89 yards, 1 TD; 18 tackles, 1 tackle for loss)
• WR Rigo Lemus, Sr., 5-9, 170 (5 catches, 25 yards)

Lindale

• QB Josiah Johnson, Sr., 5-10, 170 (132 passing yards; 34 carries, 226 yards, 3 TDs)
• RB Trey Acy, Sr., 5-8, 180
• RB Demarcus Lynch, Sr., 5-8, 165 (36 carries, 141 yards, 1 TD)
• OT Justin Young, Jr., 6-3, 275
• OT D.J. Williams, Jr., 6-3, 265
• WR Trenton SirLouis, Sr., 6-2, 165 (4 catches, 79 yards)
• K Luc Swimberghe, Sr., 5-11, 190

Just the facts

• After an impressive debut win over Pine Tree, the Vandals were outmatched by Hallsville last week. Van, expected to have one of the area's top offenses, was held to less than 300 total yards.
• Senior quarterback Garrett Smallwood, who eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark in 2011, has struggled early. He completed just 12 of 30 passes for 89 yards last week.
• Syd Moore, who is being recruited by a handful of Division I colleges, has yet to record a sack after posting eight sacks with 34 tackles for loss as a junior.
• Lindale broke through against defending champion Chapel Hill in its season opener, but couldn't built on the momentum with its big loss on the road at Carthage.
• Quarterback Josiah Johnson, the Eagles' leading receiver in 2011, leads Lindale in rushing through two games.
• In last season's meeting, Lindale outlasted its rival Van, 50-43. The Eagles led by as many as 19 points in the second half, but Van evened the game with a Smallwood TD pass midway through the fourth before Lindale answered with the game-winner on the ensuing drive.

Key matchup: Lindale offensive line vs. Van defensive line. The Eagles controlled the line of scrimmage in their win over Chapel Hill, rushing for 358 yards. It was an entirely different story last week against Carthage's massive defensive front. Van poes a similar challenge with Syd Moore and Bryce Krumvieda patrolling the Vandals' D-line. Johnson hasn't attempted very many passes through the first couple of games, so it's clear Lindale would prefer to rely on its three-headed monster of Johnson, Trey Acy and Demarcus Lynch in the backfield. If Van can slow the Eagles' running game, it will force Lindale to step out of its comfort zone and attempt to make plays through the air.