PREVIEW: Grapeland + Lovelady Meet With District Title On Line

DISTRICT 12-2A DIVISION II

Grapeland Sandies (6-1, 3-0)

vs.

Lovelady Lions (5-1, 2-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Lion Stadium, Lovelady

Coaches

Grapeland: Wayne Mahaffey
Lovelady: Jon Lowery

Last week

Grapeland: def. Colmesneil, 61-0
Lovelady: idle

Next week

Grapeland: idle
Lovelady: at West Hardin, Oct. 26

Players to watch

Grapeland

QB Rick Frauenberger, Sr., 6-4, 180 (85-of-136, 1,666 yards, 20 TDs, 8 INTs)
WR/DB B.J. Howard, So., 6-0, 165 (28 catches, 551 yards, 8 TDs)
RB/LB Josh "Bear" Ackley, Sr., 5-9, 170 (48 carries, 528 yards, 9 TDs; 84 tackles, 11 for loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 2 blocked kicks)
LB/WR James Lee Coleman, Sr., 6-1, 170 (67 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 sack)
OL/DL Chancellor Francis, Jr., 6-2, 165
LB/WR Cooper Sheridan, So., 6-0, 165 (91 tackles, 12 for loss, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
DL Lane Dreher, Sr., 6-2, 255 (64 tackles, 18 for loss, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery)

Lovelady

RB Tim Johnson, Sr., 5-9, 172
WR/DB Jay Thomas Robinson, Sr., 6-2, 160
WR/DB Michael Price, Sr.
DL Greyson Bachynsky, Sr., 5-11, 195
LB Deontrae Hawkins, Sr., 6-2, 168

Just the facts

This is the 49th meeting between the Lions and Sandies. Grapeland holds a 30-16-2 lead all-time in the series, though Lovelady is 9-4 since 2000.
Grapeland is averaging 416 yards per game and scoring 39.1 points per game.
Sandies quarterback Rick Frauenberger is five touchdowns away from his 100th career passing touchdown.
Grapeland's defense has held opponents to 181 yards and 7.3 points per contest. It has also forced 17 turnovers through seven games.
Aside from Lovelady's loss to Tenaha this season, the Lions are outscoring opponents 291-21.
The Lions' opponents have a combined record of 15-21.
The winner of this game will move to first place in District 12-2A Division II.

Key matchup: Grapeland passing attack against the Lovely defense. Grapeland has built quite the offense in the past two seasons. Sandies quarterback Rick Frauenberger is already the school's leading passer and working his way toward 100 career touchdowns. His favorite target, BJ Howard, emerged last year as a freshman and has seemed to pick up where he left off. He is averaging 19.7 yards per catch and has eight touchdowns despite missing a game with injury this season. Any team that wishes to defeat the Sandies must slow down the passing attack to some degree.

Lovelady's defense will hope to do just that. The Lions have pitched three straight shutouts and are giving up only 5.8 points per game. Although it's unlikely they'll keep the Sandies from scoring, they do have a chance to keep them in check. Jay Thomas Robinson and Michael Price will look to lock down Howard in the secondary, while Deontrae Hawkins and Greyson Bachynsky will try to pressure Frauenberger into some bad throws.

Don't be surprised if: This one ends up a lower-scoring game. Despite Grapeland's offensive prowess, this game could end up with just a few touchdowns. Both teams come into this game holding opponents under 10 points per game. Grapeland has playmakers on defense with Joshua "Bear" Ackley, linebacker Cooper Sheridan and defensive lineman Lane Dreher.

Although both teams should score above 10, they might not reach their averages either. Expect more than a few stalled drives Friday.