PREVIEW: New Diana Looking For Statement Win Against Daingerfield

DISTRICT 7-3A DIVISION II

Daingerfield Tigers (5-3, 4-0)

vs.

New Diana Eagles (5-3, 3-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Eagle Stadium, Diana

Coaches

• Daingerfield: Mike Waldie
• New Diana: Robbie Coplin

Last week

• Daingerfield: def. Queen City, 57-0
• New Diana: def. Ore City, 70-34

Next week

• Daingerfield: vs. Ore City, Nov. 10
• New Diana: at Paul Pewitt, Nov. 10

Playmakers

Daingerfield

• QB/WR/DB Reggie Jeter, Sr., 6-2, 160 (26 of 57, 316 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 63 carries, 366 yards, 6 TDs; 18 catches, 230 yards, 1 TD; 4 INTs, 1 PBU)
• QB/WR/DB Jakuri Woods, Jr., 5-11, 171 (31 of 39, 415 yards, 3 TDs; 45 carries, 356 yards, 7 TDs; 10 catches, 113 yards, 0 TDs; 2 INTs)
• RB Chris Castleberry, Sr., 5-7, 191 (62 carries, 500 yards, 5 TDs)
• DL Chad Reeves, Soph., 6-1, 185 (58 tackles, 8 for loss, 3 sacks, 5 QB pressures, 1 fumble recovery)
• LB Timmyon Broner, Sr. (45 tackles, 13 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries)
• RB/DB Trodarius Lynn, Sr., 5-10, 165 (53 carries, 343 yards, 4 TDs; 31 tackles, 2 PBUs, 3 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
• LB Jose Mendez, Sr. (65 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack)
• ATH Zaylon Jeter, Fr. (21 carries, 252 yards, 8 TDs; 10 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD)

New Diana

• QB Jackson Sampson, Sr., 5-11, 165 (159 of 254, 2,958 yards, 40 TDs, 6 INTs; 32 carries, 31 yards, 0 TDs)
• WR TJ Rogers, Sr., 6-2, 185 (59 catches, 1,124 yards, 11 TDs)
• WR Cody Payton, Sr., 5-10, 150 (29 catches, 874 yards, 12 TDs; 19 carries, 160 yards, 1 TD)
• RB/LB Aron Jahr, Sr., 6-0, 199 (24 carries, 323 yards, 2 TDs; 8 catches, 211 yards. 3 TDs; 53 tackles, 14 for loss, 2 sacks, 11 QB pressures, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
• DL Dakota Manes, Sr., 5-11, 203 (68 tackles, 8 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 QB pressures, 1 forced fumble)
• DB Jacob Choyce, Jr., 6-0, 172 (54 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 INT, 4 PBUs, 2 blocked kicks)
• RB Marquice Wilkerson, Sr., 5-6, 149 (48 carries, 364 yards, 3 TDs; 14 catches, 159 yards, 0 TDs)
• LB Cole Willeford, Sr., 5-11, 205 (52 tackles, 7 for loss, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery)

Just the facts

• Since 2008, Daingerfield has won 93 games. New Diana, on other hand, has won only 41 over the same time period.
• Daingerfield won last year's meeting, 43-9.
• Daingerfield is averaging 39.1 points and 365.6 yards per game -- 267.8 rushing and 97.8 passing.
• Daingerfield is allowing 17.5 points per game, and has forced 19 turnovers -- eight interceptions and 11 fumbles.
• New Diana is averaging 50.5 points and 529.4 yards per game -- 159.6 rushing and 369.8 passing.
• Eagles quarterback Jackson Sampson has thrown touchdown passes to seven different players.
• New Diana is allowing 33.6 points per game, and has forced 12 turnovers -- six interceptions and six fumbles.

Key matchup: New Diana passing attack vs. Daingerfield secondary. There hasn't been a more productive passer in East Texas this season than New Diana quarterback Jackson Sampson. He enters Friday's District 7-3A Division II showdown against first-place Daingerfield with almost 3,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. And that's only in eight games. Sampson pilots an offense that's averaging an astounding 50.5 points and 529.4 yards per game. The Eagles' receiving corps has been just as impressive. The duo of TJ Rogers and Cody Payton have torched opposing defenses all season with a combined 88 catches, 1,998 yards, and 23 touchdowns.

Daingerfield's defense has been strong for most of the year. The Tigers pitched a shutout against Queen City last week, and enter Friday's game allowing less than 18 points per game. Daingerfield will likely be presented with its biggest defensive challenge to date with New Diana's fast-paced aerial assault. Making sure the defensive backs make tackles at the point of contact will be critical, as will the Tigers' secondary's ability to keep the Eagles' receivers in front of them.

Don't be surprised if: We see a shootout Friday night. New Diana is among the highest-scoring offenses in the region, but its defense has struggled for most of the season. The Eagles are surrendering an average of almost 34 points per game, which will need to come down somewhat if they hope to make a deep playoff run. But first thing's first: New Diana must be able to get Daingerfield off the field on third down and allow its scoring machine to go back to work.