PREVIEW: Newton + West Orange-Stark Meet in Much-Hyped Matchup
Newton Eagles (2-0)
vs.
West Orange-Stark Mustangs (1-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday
Dan R. Hooks Stadium, West Orange
Coaches
- Newton: W.T. Johnston
- West Orange-Stark: Cornel Thompson
Last week
- Newton: def. Silsbee 56-14
- West Orange-Stark: def. Little-Cypress Mauriceville, 47-0
Next week
- Newton: idle
- West Orange-Stark: at Crosby, Sept. 21
Players to watch
Newton
- ATH Josh Foster, Sr., 6-2, 190 (17-of-23, 413 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 115 rushing yds, TD)
- RB Darwin Barlow, Sr., 5-11, 200 (21 carries, 466 yds, 6 TDs; 1 catch, 2 yards)
- WR/DB Tamauzia Brown, Sr., 6-2, 177 (11 catches, 221 yds, TD; 60 rushing yds, 2 TDs;1 INT)
- WR Dominique Seastrunk (5 catches, 126 yds, TD)
- RB Valdarion Fowler, Jr., 5-9, 170 (5 carries, 87 yards, 2 TDs)
- DL James Sylvester, Jr., 6-5, 240
- LB Jadrian McGraw, Sr., 6-0, 210 (28 tackles)
- OL/DL Kristian Paulette, Sr., 5-10, 190 (7 tackles, 1 fumble recovery)
West Orange-Stark
- QB Jerren Terrell, So., 6-1, 180 (9-of-11, 196 yards, 3 TDs)
- RB/LB Kavyn Cooper, Sr., 5-9, 178 (10 carries, 85 yards)
- RB Justin Sibley, Sr., 5-8, 170 (15 carries, 57 yards)
- WR/RB Javonn Ross, Sr., 5-9, 165 (10 carries, 98 yards, 1 catch 21 yards)
- OL/DL Quincy Ledet, Jr., 6-2, 255
- OL JaCorry Brady, Sr., 5-11, 255
- DB Teshaun Teel, Sr., 6-0, 180
Just the facts
- Newton and West Orange-Stark have not met since 2015, when the Mustangs won, 48-6.
- The series is 1-1-1 since 2004 with the tie being 0-0 in 2004.
- Newton has won its first two games by a combined 113 points for an average margin of 56.5 points.
- West Orange-Stark previously held the longest active winning streak in Texas (40 games) before Pleasant Grove snapped it in the state championship game this past season.
- The teams have combined for eight state championships (four each).
- Newton has six players on its roster with Division I FBS scholarship offers.
Key matchup: West Orange-Stark defense against the Newton offense. Newton has put up huge numbers in the first two weeks. The Eagles are averaging 63.5 points though the first two games. Darwin Barlow has rushed for 466 yards already. Josh Foster has two reliable weapons in Tamauzia Brown and Dominique Seastrunk. The Eagles also have a Division I-caliber offensive lineman in Caiden Walker.
It will be near impossible for anyone to completely stop this offense, but West Orange-Stark has perhaps the best chance of any team this season to slow it down. The Mustangs have Kavyn Cooper and Teshaun Feel back to lead the defense. They will need big games from both if they hope to come away with a victory. WOS has only given up 19 points this season, all coming in a Week 1 loss to Nederland.
If the Mustangs can get a few stops, they will have a better chance at pulling off the upset.
Don't be surprised if: This is Newton's closest game of the season. Outside of Gilmer on Sept. 28, the Eagles have few other legitimate chances to lose. WOS is a perennial power and will have plenty of reason to play well given the hype Newton has gotten thus far.
The Mustangs have several playmakers on offense, too. Kavyn Cooper is only getting started after missing Week 1 with an injury. He rushed for 85 yards on 10 carries in Week 2 and will likely see a bigger workload in this game. Jerren Terrell has looked solid at quarterback and will hope to continue that success against Newton.
This game looks to be one of the better matchups this season, and Newton could lose if it isn't careful.