Waskom’s Defense Will Be Tested By Frankston’s Air Raid Approach

District 8-3A Division II

Frankston Indians (3-1, 0-1)

vs.

Waskom Wildcats (4-0, 1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Wildcat Stadium, Waskom

Coaches

• Frankston: Mike Owens
• Waskom: Whitney Keeling

Last week

• Frankston: lost to Winona, 19-15
•  Waskom: defeated Elysian Fields, 45-0

Next week

• Frankston: vs. Troup, Oct. 9
• Waskom: at Arp, Oct. 9

Playmakers

Frankston

• WR Kendrick Rogers, Sr., 6-5, 190 (14 catches, 385 yards, 3 TDs; committed to Texas A&M)
• WR/DB Justice Bean, Sr., 5-10, 170 (22 catches, 451 yards, 7 TDs; 3 INTs)
• QB T.J. Brumley, Jr., 5-9, 175 (50-100, 1,044 yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs, 38 carries, 136 yards)
• OL Josh Porter, Soph., 5-10, 250
• LB Dylan Hokit, Sr., 5-8, 160 (45 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries)
• LB Drew Lewis, Soph., 5-9, 184 (45 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 forced fumble)

Waskom

• RB/LB Chan Amie, Sr., 5-11, 175
• LB Mike Reason, Sr., 5-8, 170
• DB Eric Stephens III, Sr., 5-8, 150
• RB/DB Keileon Johnson, Sr., 5-10, 165
• QB Dylan Harkrider, Sr., 6-3, 180
• QB/DB Logan Hughes, Jr., 6-1, 185
• DB Kaleb Haynes, Sr., 5-9, 170
• LB Lucas Norton, Sr., 5-8, 160

Just the facts

• Friday's meeting is a rematch of last season’s 63-35 Waskom victory.
• The Wildcats gained separation in that game with a series of successful onside kicks to hold Frankston at bay.
• The Indians outgunned their non-district competition to a 3-0 record, but Winona tripped them up last week. Frankston scored a season-low 15 points.
• Waskom has picked up where it left off from last year’s Class 3A Division II state championship win for a 4-0 record. It opened district play last week with a convincing 45-0 win at Elysian Fields.
• The Wildcats’ defense held Elysian Fields to less than 100 total yards.
• Waskom has a 20-game winning streak dating back to Week 2 of the 2014 season. That’s the second-best active streak in East Texas behind Gilmer’s 21 straight wins.
• Frankston is 2-0 on the road this season. It went 1-4 in true away contests last year.
• The Indians have the most established college prospect in Friday’s meeting. It’s receiver Kendrick Rogers, a Texas A&M verbal commitment.
• Despite Rogers’ presence, fellow senior receiver Justice Bean leads the team with 451 receiving yards and seven touchdowns from quarterback T.J. Brumley. Rogers has 385 yards and three scores.

Key matchup: Frankston’s passing offense versus Waskom’s defense and special teams.

District 8-3A Division II presents an assortment of defensive challenges. The Indians are on an end of the spectrum with one of the most prolific and unwavering air attacks in the region. And it’s easy with Texas A&M commitment Kendrick Rogers and the immensely talented Justice Bean calling for the ball in the open field.

However, Waskom’s defense is equally elite in terms of turnovers and total yardage allowed. More than that, head coach Whitney Keeling has shown enthusiasm for aggressive plays at different points in the game.

Against Elysian Fields last week, Keeling called a successful onside kick attempt to open the game. That turned into a touchdown 39 seconds later. Waskom attempted a second onside kick after the score.

The Wildcats have a productive offense at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum -- they love to run and pass when they think they’ve caught the defense off guard -- but they won’t want to get into a spitting contest with Rogers, Bean and company. Don’t be surprised to see Waskom attempt some trickery, either in the form of onside kicks or two-point conversions.

All-State linebackers Chan Amie and Mike Reason headline what will be the Wildcats’ standard pass rush. The defense combined for five sacks just last week with Amie recording a team-best two.

Eric Stephens III scored on a pick six from the cornerback spot against Elysian Fields.

Frankston quarterback T.J. Brumley, who already has passed 1,000 yards this season, will have to be precise from the pocket. The offensive line also will have to be on point to give the receiving corps a chance to break down coverage.

Don't be surprised if: Turnovers play a role in the game. Frankston quarterback T.J. Brumley has a good touchdown-to-interception ratio for what he’s being asked to do as a true gunsligner. If he throws a touchdown pass before an interception Friday, his ratio will jump to 3:1. The Indians have firepower to overcome one turnover or lost kick, but there’s not much room for failure after that. Meanwhile, Waskom is far more comfortable running and limiting opposing possession time. The Wildcats fumbled four times last week and recovered the ball on each occasion. They can’t be that lucky all the time.