Halfway to the Playoffs
Week 5 Recap
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
EAST TEXAS – It’s hard to believe but we have already reached the midpoint of the regular season. Five of the six area teams have already opened district play and the sixth, Grapeland, opens up league competition this week.
Last week saw some teams make a statement while a few others, well, let’s just say they didn’t have much to talk about.
In Grapeland, the Sandies walloped the Burkeville Mustangs, 49-8. It took the Sandies a little bit to get going but once they did, the Mustangs didn’t have an answer as to how to stop the offensive juggernaut.
While Grapeland won by 41, the score is a bit deceiving as they could have put up at least three more scores. The Sandies had two backs – Cadarian Wiley and Lakerian Smith – with over 100 yards. Riley Murchison is emerging as a standout at the receiver position, Cooper Sheridan showed off his offensive skills and Michael Dancer is starting to get a few more touches as the season progresses.
Missing from that list is QB BJ Lamb and all-purpose wide-out Keizion Ashford. Lamb was fairly quiet on the offensive side of the ball as the Sandies stayed on the ground most of the game. Watch out though, Lamb has the talent and can take over a game at any given time. Ashford, who has probably been the team’s MVP so far this season, was out with an injury but should return this week.
The Crockett Bulldogs were on the road last week as they traveled to Huntington for their first district game of the season.
The Bulldogs showcased sophomore QB Jadyn Collins who had a monster game. Collins was seven of 12 for 204 yards and four TDs. He also carried the ball nine times for 73 yards and another two scores as Crockett blew out the Red Devils 49-19.
Defensively, Demuntreon Bedford led the way with 23 tackles. He was joined by Andric Anderson with an additional 13 stops and five tackles for loss.
The Lovelady Lions traveled to Tenaha last Friday for a clash with the Tigers. The Lions played the Tigers tough throughout the first half but Tenaha was simply too much as Lovelady fell by a final score 41-18.
The Westwood Panthers continue to impress this season. The Panthers took on their cross-county rival – the Elkhart Elks – during the Elks’ Homecoming and walked out of Jerry Ives Memorial Stadium with a 28-8 win.
Coy Elton led the way from his QB position with 12 attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed four of five passes for 50. Elton was joined in the backfield by Kylance Parrish who ran the ball eight times for 40 yards and two TDs.
To the North in Palestine, the Wildcats showed they may be force to be reckoned with as the district competition begins. Despite losing to Kilgore by a final score of 49-28, the Wildcats and Bulldogs were tied midway through the fourth quarter and Palestine had the chance to take the lead. A missed FG, however, seemed to be the turning point of the game. Still, the Wildcats showed they have a lot of heart and hung with a really good Kilgore team, which bodes well as the season progresses.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
