Texas High Tigers (2-3, 1-0)
vs.
Sulphur Springs Wildcats (4-2, 1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Gerald Prim Stadium, Sulphur Springs

Coaches
Texas High: Barry Norton
Sulphur Springs: Greg Owens

Last week
Texas High: def. Pine Tree, 30-13
Sulphur Springs: def. Mount Pleasant, 71-65

Next week
Texas High: vs. Mount Pleasant
Sulphur Springs: at Hallsville

Playmakers

Texas High

  • RB Treveon Walker (90 carries, 601 yards, 3 TDs; 22 catches, 254 yards, 2 TDs)
  • QB Clete Norton (49 of 102, 491 yards, 4 TDs, 4 INTs)
  • DT Jonathan Hunt, Sr., 6-0, 285 (35 tackles)
  • LB Anthony Rhone, Jr., 6-1, 205 (67 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries)
  • WR Jarion Anderson (14 catches, 148 yards)
  • DL Joseph Merideth (30 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries)
  • RB Javon Thomas (43 carries, 187 yards)

 

Sulphur Springs

  • QB Brad Macek, Sr., 5-11, 170 (123 of 166, 1,482 yards, 13 TDs, 3 INTs)
  • ATH Willy Ivery, Jr. 5-9, 180 (47 carries, 439 yards, 13 TDs; 34 catches, 354 yards, 2 TDs)
  • RB Buddy Ivery, Sr., 5-8, 190 (116 carries, 844 yards, 6 TDs)
  • WR Cole Hill, Sr., 5-8, 175 (49 catches, 656 yards, 5 TDs)
  • S Larry Pryor, Soph., 6-1, 195 (74 tackles, 2 forced fumbles)
  • WR Colton Wise, Sr., 6-4, 185 (28 catches, 421 yards, 3 TDs)
  • QB Derick Ingram, Jr., 6-0, 175 (32 of 50, 503 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 20 carries, 74 yards, 3 TDs)

 

Just the facts

  • Texas High averages 14.0 points per game and allows 24.2.
  • Sulphur Springs averages 44.5 points per game and allows 37.7.
  • Texas High has scored more than 13 points once in five games.
  • Sulphur Springs has scored no fewer than 33 points in any of its six games.
  • Treveon Walker accounts for 69.9 percent of Texas High's total offense (855 of 1,223 yards).
  • Sulphur Springs has gained 3,352 total yards, which is 2.741 times as many yards as Texas High and an average of 558.7 per game (compared to Texas High's 244.6).

 

Key matchup: Sulphur Springs' skill positions vs. Texas High's back seven. Sulphur Springs is about as good as it gets in East Texas when it comes to spreading the field and letting athletes work in space. The Wildcats outgunned Monty James, K.D. Cannon, and Mount Pleasant in last week's high-scoring thriller, and went toe-to-toe with Whitehouse in a 38-33 loss last month. Cole Hill and Colton Wise give quarterbacks Brad Macek and Derick Ingram reliable pass-catching targets, while Willy Ivery is the home-run threat on the ground and through the air. Then there's Buddy Ivery, who ran for more than 300 yards against Mount Pleasant and gives the Wildcats a balanced offense that can run as well as it can throw. Texas High is athletic and boasts linebacker Anthony Rhone, who has 25 more tackles than anyone else on the Tigers' roster. But Texas High has seen only one offense comparable to Sulphur Springs' -- Evangel's. The Eagles ripped Texas High 54-7 in the second game of the season. Texas High must be prepared to defend the run and the pass in a way -- spread across the field -- that makes doing neither easy at all.

 

Don't be surprised if: This is nothing like last week's scoreboard-scorching Sulphur Springs/Mount Pleasant game. Texas High has not scored more than 30 points in a game this season, but the Tigers have allowed more than 25 only once in five games. Sulphur Springs will try to score early and often against a Texas High defense that is stronger than Mount Pleasant's unit. The problem for Texas High is if the Tigers fall behind a couple of scores early. They aren't built to come back from big deficits, but prefer to grind away with Treveon Walker and hit the occasional play-action pass. The team that dictates the tempo will come out victorious. Going into Friday's game, that looks like it may be Sulphur Springs.

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