Hays (0-3, 0-1) at Del Valle (1-2, 1-0)
When: Friday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Veterans Stadium (5301 Ross Road,
Del Valle, Texas)
Last week: Lake Travis 62, Hays 23; Del Valle 33, Akins 25
Last Meeting (2007): Del Valle 27, Hays 21
Players to watch:
Hays: QB Braeden Kent, RB Cody Gandy, RB Jackson Effiom, WR Brandon Hunter, WR Grayson Rigsby, WR Austin Maulding, LB Emory Cuzze, DL Johnson Elrod, OL Connor Lanfear, OL Mateo Mendoza, DB Joseph Rubio, DB Garrett Quinn
Del Valle: QB David Gutierrez, QB Elijah Duran, RB Emanuel Grear, RB Will Grear, CB Williton Grear, WR Altany Wilson, WR Andre Butler, LB Khalid Taylor, DB Brenden Carter, K Luis Escalante
Intangibles: Which Hays High offense will take the field on Friday at Del Valle? That’s the big question going into this week’s game against the Cardinals. The Rebel offense has shown it can put up the points, but they must continue to improve. Finding consistency and avoiding costly turnovers are a must. They’ll go up against a Del Valle defense that hasn’t exactly been a force. The Cardinals have given up 400 or more yards in both of their losses, with 200 or more rushing yards given up in each. That bodes well for a Rebel squad that’s predicated on the run game. Meanwhile, the Rebel defense must progress after last week’s tough outing. Perhaps the only solace from last week was Hays limiting Lake Travis’ offense to their lowest yardage total of the season. The issue is containing (and limiting) explosive plays, both on defense and special teams. Del Valle’s offense is capable of that, as they’ve had three scoring plays of 60 yards or more, including a 96-yard TD pass. K Escalante could be a factor if the game is close late.
Lehman (0-3, 0-1) vs. Akins (2-1, 0-1)
When: Friday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bob Shelton Stadium
Last week: Bowie 42, Lehman 13;
Del Valle 33, Akins 25
Last meeting: First ever
Players to watch:
Lehman: Lehman: QB Jeremy Schilhab, RB/DB Brett Wagner, RB Jameson Castillo, WR Jon Herrera, WR Jay Sayles, RB/DB JR Torres, DB Jacob Tamez, DB Austin Lakey, LB Kacey Santos, OL Julian Silguero
Akins: QB Ryan Medrano, RB Mike Gonzales, RB Kennan Lockhart, WR Jermaine Thomas, DE Omar Bailey, LB Malik Smith
Intangibles: Putting togethe r four cohesive quarters has been a challenge for the Lobos thus far. They’ll need to attain consistency to avoid falling into an 0-4 quagmire. Schilhab continues to lead the Lobo offense, but the Lobos have only gone as far as he can. Lehman must find other options offensively to keep pressure off of Schilhab. Miscues, penalties and turnovers are a leading component to their struggles. To limit those to some capacity must happen. They’ll take on an Akins defense that gave up several explosive plays against Del Valle. Lehman’s run game could also thrive, especially with Akins giving up 200 yards on the ground last week. Lehman’s bruising three-week grind has taken a toll on their defense. Injuries and fatigue were factors in the Bowie loss. They’ll now be asked to halt Akins’ run attack of Medrano and Lockhart. Ultimately, depth is the largest issue with the Lobos. Can the Lobo offense sustain drives to give the defense a rest? It’s something the Lobos must work on.
