PREVIEW: Pittsburg + Liberty-Eylau Meet in Crucial District Game

DISTRICT 6-4A DIVISION II

Pittsburg Pirates (5-3, 1-1)

vs.

Liberty-Eylau Leopards (2-6, 1-1)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Harris Field, Texarkana

Coaches

Pittsburg: Brad Baca
Liberty-Eylau: Steve Wells

Last week

Pittsburg: def. Gilmer, 48-15
Liberty-Eylau: lost to Pleasant Grove, 35-28

Next week

Pittsburg: vs. Marshall, Nov. 9
Liberty-Eylau: at Gilmer, Nov. 9

Players to watch

Pittsburg

WR/S Keontae Burns, Sr., 6-3, 175 (39 catches, 484 yards, 4 TDs; 23 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD; 23 tackles, 5 for loss, 5 PBUs)
QB/CB Jaylon Jimmerson, Sr., 6-0, 190 (124-of-212, 1,726 yards, 17 TDs, 7 INTs; 106 carries, 748 yards, 11 TDs; 62 tackles, 1 for loss, 5 INTs, 6 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)
WR/CB Keithlen Griffin, Sr., 6-0, 160 (40 catches, 728 yards, 8 TDs; 16 tackles, 1 INT, 7 PBUs, 1 fumble recovery)
RB/DE Desmond Allen, Sr., 5-10, 210 (75carries, 377 yards, 4 TDs)
LB Camryn Edney, Sr., 6-0, 208 (104 tackles, 17 for loss, 3 sacks, 7 QB pressures, 3 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
LB Mason Monts, Jr., 5-10, 175 (89 tackles, 8 for loss, 8 QB pressures, 3 forced fumbles)

Liberty-Eylau

QB Isaiah Cross, Sr., 6-1, 166 (55-of-106, 898 yards, 10 TDs, 4 INTs; 75 carries, 415 yards, 4 TDs)
WR El-Amin Greer, Sr., 6-2, 184 (7 catches, 185 yards, 2 TDs)
RB Damian Henderson, Soph., 5-8, 165 (26 carries, 166 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch, 23 yards)
RB/LB Cedric Dickerson, Sr., 5-10, 185 (41 carries, 284 yards, 4 TDs; 5 catches, 74 yards. TD)
LB Conderus Shears, Sr., 5-11, 175 (50 tackles, 7 for loss, 5 sacks, 8 QB pressures, 2 forced fumbles, 1 blocked punt)
DE Demetry Hunter, Sr., 5-10, 203 (20 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks, 4 QB pressures, 2 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries)
LB Marzavin Riles, Sr., 5-9, 175 (42 tackles, 7 for loss, 15 QB pressures, 1 PBU, 2 forced fumbles)
DT Isaiah Johnson, Jr., 5-11, 225 (13 tackles, 5 for loss, 3 QB pressures, 1 forced fumble, 2 recoveries)

Just the facts

Since 1912, Liberty-Eylau is 14-6 against Pittsburg. The Leopard won the most recent contest in 2015, 28-0.
Pittsburg is averaging 413.4 yards per game (215 passing and 198.4 rushing).
Jaylon Jimmerson leads Pittsburg in passing, rushing and interceptions.
Pirate linebacker Camryn Edney is one of the leading tacklers in East Texas. He averages 13 per game.
Liberty-Eylau is averaging 286.3 yards per game (114.3 passing and 172 rushing).
The Leopards have already played against four teams ranked in the AP top 10.
Leopard quarterback Isaiah Cross is averaging 16.3 yards per completion.

Key matchup: Pittsburg defense against Liberty-Eylau offense. The Leopards need to get their offense going if they hope to have a chance in this game. The defense has not been able to hold teams from scoring, giving up 37 points per game. Look for Liberty-Eylau to try to get running back Cedric Dickerson involved early, as well as creating opportunities for Cross.

On the flip side, Pittsburg has enough athletes to lock down Liberty-Eylau. Jaylon Jimmerson is tied for third in East Texas with five interceptions. Linebackers Camryn Edney and Mason Monts form a tough middle and have forced a combined six fumbles. Whichever group can get the edge here will likely come away with the victory.

Don't be surprised if: This game is high-scoring. It's going to need to be out of necessity. Liberty-Eylau is likely a better team than its 2-6 record indicates, playing one of the toughest non-district schedules in Texas. How much better is still unclear, but the Leopards certainly have an incentive to play well in a game that will determine playoff seeding. Although both teams should be firmly in the postseason, this is a crucial game for the district standings. Look for the Leopards to put up plenty of points in yet another shootout.