Lee Hosts Garland Lakeview Centennial In Must-Win For Both Teams

DISTRICT 11-6A

Garland Lakeview Centennial Patriots (3-2, 0-2)

vs.

Tyler Lee Red Raiders (1-4, 0-2)

7 p.m. Thursday

Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, Tyler

Coaches

• Lakeview Centennial: Kendall Miller
• Tyler Lee: Darrell Piske

Last week

• Lakeview Centennial: lost to Rockwall, 59-35
• Tyler Lee: lost to Rowlett, 54-20

Next week

• Lakeview Centennial: at North Garland, Oct. 9
• Tyler Lee: idle

Playmakers

Lakeview Centennial

• QB Kamron Fields, Jr., 6-2, 163 (78-128, 1,068 yards, 10 TDs, 3 INTs, 55 carries, 372 yards)
• RB Jamil Linwood, Sr., 5-11, 190 (81 carries, 387 yards, 9 TDs)
• WR Kaleb Mcnac, Sr., 5-7, 160 (23 catches, 343 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR Shamond Greenwood, Jr., 6-2, 179 (23 catches, 322 yards, 4 TDs)

Tyler Lee

• QB Chance Amie, Soph., 6-3, 185 (27 of 47, 575 yards, 38 carries, 234 yards, 7 total TDs)
• RB Tavon Wesley, Sr., 5-11, 190 (48 carries, 391 yards, 7 TDs; 4 catches, 70 yards)
• RB/WR Datavion Thacker, Sr., 5-9, 180 (5 catches, 291 yards, 4 TDs; 30 carries, 300 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Isjuwan Barker, Sr., 6-2, 180 (15 catches, 277 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Tyrec Grayson, Sr., 5-8, 145 (15 catches, 423 yards, 3 TDs; 20 carries, 236 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Mason Parker, Sr., 5-10, 165 (8 catches, 40 yards; 18 carries, 121 yards)
• LB Campbell Miller, Jr., 6-2, 245
• DL John Samples III, Sr., 6-3, 250

Just the facts

• This is the second all-time meeting between Tyler Lee and Garland Lakeview Centennial. Lee won last season's meeting, 41-21 in Garland.
• The meeting is the Red Raiders' final Thursday night game. It's Lee's third consecutive game on a Thursday.
• Lee will enjoy its open date next week.
• Centennial and the Red Raiders are winless in District 11-6A competition. They're in a three-way tie for sixth place alongside Garland Naaman Forest.
• With a win, either Lee or Centennial will be one game out of the fourth playoff spot with four games remaining in the regular season.
• The Red Raiders last lost their first three district games in 2013. They failed to make the playoffs with an overall record of 4-6.
• Lee was 1-1 in 11-6A at this point last season. Its head-to-head win against Sachse in the 2014 opener was its ticket into the playoffs, so it's already an uphill battle.
• Centennial finished sixth in the final 11-6A standings last season.
• The Red Raiders are averaging nearly 43 points per game. However, the defense is conceding nearly 54 points per game.

Key matchup: Tyler Lee's offense against Garland Lakeview Centennial's offense.

The two sides will never meet head-to-head, but the key to taking down Centennial is simply to outperform it offensively. Lee has been more than adequate in first halfs. The problem has been sustaining the effort after halftime. The unit has not put together a complete game since beating John Tyler in Week 3. That leaves a struggling Lee defense on the field far too long.

Centennial has an offense very similar to the Red Raiders' with plenty of offensive skill position talent. Quarterback Kamron Fields has broken the 1,000-yard barrier and works with two receivers already above 300 yards apiece, Kaleb Mcnac and Shamond Greenwood. The team has established its running game behind the passing attack with Fields and running back Jamil Linwood just short of 400 yards each entering Thursday.

Lee has an offense that should be able to get the best of Centennials defense, which has given up 48 and 59 points in its first two 11-6A contests. Sophomore quarterback Chance Amie has done fine in replacement of injured starting signal caller Zach Hall, and he has two receivers that have rushed for more than 500 combined yards in addition to more than 700 yards through the air in Tyrec Grayson and Datavion Thacker. Running back Tavon Wesley will break 400 rushing yards Thursday. He needs nine yards.

Isjuwan Barker is the key receiver and has drawn double coverage in all five of the Red Raiders' games.

Centennial will have to give up a matchup in exchange for covering Barker.

Don't be surprised if: Tyrec Grayson and Datavion Thacker hold the keys to a Lee victory. They're going to draw favorable matchups, and they are nearly as capable runners as they are receivers. Running back Tavon Wesley can help set them up with a series of hard runs for positive yardage behind a good offensive line. But Lee's defense will have to support the offensive effort. The magic number of points to win this game, for both sides, probably hovers around 49.