Lindale Hopes to Keep Impressive Defensive Stats Low Against Van’s Dynamic Offense

Van Vandals (2-0)

Vs.

Lindale Eagles (1-1)

 7:30 p.m. Friday

Eagle Stadium, Lindale

Coaches

• Van: Jared Moffatt
• Lindale: Mike Meador

Last week

• Van: def. Spring Hill, 46-7
• Lindale: lost to Carthage, 22-13

Next week

• Van: vs. Brownsboro, Sept. 19
• Lindale: Open week

Just the facts

• The two teams have met 18 times since 1986. Lindale holds a 14-4 advantage.
• Lindale and Van are meeting for the fifth consecutive season. None of the past four games have been decided by more than 14 points.
• Lindale defeated Van last season, 24-21.
• The last time Van visited Lindale, in 2012, the Vandals walked out with a 27-13 win.
• Van has outscored opponents 84-14 this season, allowing just one touchdown to both Palestine and Spring Hill.
• Lindale has not given up more than 22 points through its first two games.
• Van has the game's lone college football target thus far. Senior defensive lineman Brice Borgeson holds offers from Northwestern State and Sam Houston State.
• Van senior running back Matt Savis has 147 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns through two games. He entered the season with more than 3,000 career rushing yards.
• Van picked up votes in the latest Associated Press Class 4A poll.

Playmakers

Van

• DE Brice Borgeson, Sr., 6-3, 225 (16 tackles, 2 sacks, 5 TFL)
• RB Matt Savis, Sr., 5-10, 190 (147 yards, 5 total TDs)
• OL Wyatt Santos, Sr., 6-2, 318 (offensive lineman MVP at ETSN.fm Football Recruiting Combine)
• QB Peter Maddox, Sr., 6-0, 180 (300 passing yards, 4 passing TDs)
• Hunter Redmond, Sr., 6-1, 152 (32 tackles, 6 TFL)
• WR Layton Myers, Sr., 5-10, 160 (6 receptions, 68 yards)
• IR Luke McGowan, Sr., 5-9, 176 (5 receptions, 54 yards)
• WR Andrew Platter, Sr., 6-1, 180 (5 receptions, 73 yards)

Lindale

• RB Aaron Jackson, Sr., 5-10, 170
• QB Kam Neely, Jr. 
• ATH Kolton Pierce, Sr., 6-1, 183
• LB Stephen Clemmons, Sr.
• LB De Jackson, Sr., 6-0, 195
• ATH Tayton Williams, Jr., 5-7, 160
• OL Colton Moore, Sr.

Key matchup: Van's offense versus Lindale's defense. The Vandals are deep for a Class 4A team, especially on offense with three receivers averaging a tad more than 10 yards per catch. Van quarterback Peter Maddox has done a nice job of spreading the ball around, and the squad has enough options it will be difficult for any team contain all the aspects of its balanced game.

Fortunately, for the sake of a promising game, Lindale has strong defensive backs. Kolton Pierce is a very valuable piece to the Eagles' puzzle with elite high school speed. He'll probably be most noticeable Friday in a defensive back role covering one of Van's outside receivers.

De Jackson is emerging as a top-end linebacker in East Texas. He has guided Lindale to two very good defensive performances. The Eagles held Chapel Hill to 17 points the week before Chapel Hill lit up Whitehouse for 42 points in a 52-42 loss.

Van has the potential to break the Eagles' defensive ceiling of 22 through two games. Running backs Matt Savis and Alphonso Thomas will force Lindale to respect the Vandals' run capability.

At that point, it's up to key Eagles running back Aaron Jackson, athletes Tayton Williams and Pierce as well as quarterback Kam Neely to make plays against Van's defensive unit.

Don't be surprised if: the game lives up to the hype. Lindale and Van are separated by a 15-minute drive. The players are uniquely familiar with each other and there has been a lot of interaction between the two sides for months. This is the only chance the two teams will have against each other since they play in separate UIL classifications. The losing side will have to deal with it for another year.