No. 3 Tenaha Tigers (1-0)

vs.

Bullard Brook Hill Guard (1-0)

7 p.m. Friday
Herrington Stadium, Bullard

Coaches

  • Tenaha: Terry Ward
  • Brook Hill: Bobby Brasher

 

Last week

 

Next week

  • Tenaha: vs. Shelbyville, Sept. 12
  • Brook Hill: at Alto, Sept. 12

 

Playmakers

Tenaha

  • RB/DB Cobe Caraway, Sr., 5-8, 170 (19 carries, 200 yards, 3 TDs; 2 tackles, 1 PBU)
  • QB/DB T.J. Thomas, Sr., 5-8, 160 (7 of 11, 119 yards, 2 TDs; 8 carries, 23 yards; 8 tackles)
  • WR/DB D'Andre Thomas, Sr., 6-1, 170 (5 catches, 107 yards, 2 TDs; 3 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 PBU
  • LB Da'Marcus Perry, Sr. (15 tackles, 1 sack)
  • WR/DB Markevaus Reed, Sr., 5-11, 155 (8 carries, 90 yards, TD; 10 tackles)
  • OL/DL Blane Cummings, Jr. (11 tackles)
  • TE/DE Andy Ward, Soph., 6-1, 185 (7 tackles, 1 for loss)
  • DB Seth Wyatt, Sr., 5-9, 140 (9 tackles)

 

Brook Hill

  • WR Seth Brasher, Jr., 6-2, 181 (10 catches, 211 yards, 4 TDs)
  • QB Grant Hanks, Sr., 6-2, 165 (18 of 29, 441 yards, 6 TDs)
  • WR Jacob Dumesnil, Jr., 5-10, 180
  • RB/LB Tyrone Brown, Sr., 6-2, 200
  • RB Gabe Lucio, Sr.
  • LB Malik Alley, Sr., 6-2, 220
  • WR/DB Chase McDermott, Sr., 6-0, 180
  • LB Blake Maddox, Sr., 6-1, 210

 

Just the facts

  • This is the first-ever meeting between Tenaha and Bullard Brook Hill.
  • Tenaha and Brook Hill are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in this week's ETSN.fm East Texas Class 2A/private schools poll.
  • Cobe Caraway rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 10.5 yards per carry, in Tenaha's season-opening win over Joaquin.
  • Tenaha has lost 12 games total in the last five seasons, eight of which have coming during non-district play.
  • Since 2009, Tenaha has compiled an overall record of 56-12.
  • Brook Hill quarterback Grant Hanks passed for 442 yards and six touchdowns in leading the Guard to a season-opening win over Edgewood last week.
  • The Guard's 2014 non-district opponents combined to go 28-9 in 2013.
  • Brook Hill's overall record since 2009 is 47-18.

 

Tenaha's Cobe Caraway runs with the ball during the Tigers' 39-9 win at Joaquin on Friday night. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
Tenaha's Cobe Caraway runs with the ball during the Tigers' 39-9 win at Joaquin on Friday night. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
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Key matchup: Brook Hill passing game vs. Tenaha secondary. When a quarterback throws for more than 400 yards and six touchdowns like Brook Hill senior Grant Hanks did a week ago, that will get the attention of the next week's opponent. The question immediately becomes "how do we stop them?" Friday night's game figures to be one of the most exciting and compelling in all of East Texas, and the game within the game -- Brook Hill's receivers and Tenaha's defensive backs -- will take center stage. What makes this matchup even more interesting is the contrasting styles of offense Tenaha's defense will have gone up against the first two weeks of the season. Last week's opponent, Joaquin, is about as one-dimensional as it gets with running the football. Joaquin attempted just five passes last week, completing only one, and it went for negative yardage.

Bullard Brook Hill QB Grant Hanks. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
Bullard Brook Hill QB Grant Hanks. (Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)
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While Brook Hill is more than capable of running the ball with either Gabe Lucio or Tyrone Brown behind a solid offensive line, most of the big plays in the Guard's win last Friday came through the air. Hanks threw touchdown passes of 27, 8, 39, 9, 70 and 61 yards. Six of Hanks' 18 completions went for touchdowns, and the touchdowns accounted for 214 of Brook Hill's 442 passing yards. And while Tenaha's secondary wasn't tested in the passing game last week, it's full of talented athletes. Cobe Caraway, a bona-fide star on offense at running back, ended up breaking up two of Joaquin's four incompletions from his strong safety position. D'Andre Thomas, who caught two touchdowns on offense last week, also had a pass defended vs. Joaquin at cornerback. Meanwhile, the combination of T.J. Thomas and Markevaus Reed are sure tacklers in the secondary, which could come in handy against a Brook Hill receiving corps led by junior Seth Brasher, who caught 10 passes for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener.

Tenaha's D'Andre Thomas runs with the ball during the Tigers' 39-8 win at Joaquin last Friday night. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
Tenaha's D'Andre Thomas runs with the ball during the Tigers' 39-8 win at Joaquin last Friday night. (Ray Jackson, ETSN.fm)
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Don't be surprised if: Both teams continue to put up big numbers offensively. That's no knock on either defense, but more a testament to the talent and explosiveness Tenaha and Brook Hill posses on the offensive side of the ball. Brook Hill threw at will against a good Edgewood team that went 8-2 in the regular season last season, and figures to be a strong challenger again in District 6-3A Division II. Meanwhile, Tenaha showcased big-play potential both on the ground and through the air. Caraway, who was one of the fastest competitors at the second annual ETSN.fm + APEC Football Recruiting Combine over the summer, is a threat to take it the distance every time he touches the ball. His three touchdowns last week covered 60, 2 and 42 yards. Meanwhile T.J. Thomas completed touchdowns to D'Andre Thomas from 55 and 20 yards. As referenced earlier, Brook Hill is by no means a one-dimensional offense. It simply took what the Edgewood defense was giving it. If Tenaha does a better job in pass coverage, the Guard is more than capable of picking up chunks of yardage at times with the ground game.

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