Scoop27
09-05-2014, 12:42 PM
By JOEL LUNA joel.luna@thefacts.com | 0 comments
FREEPORT — Technically, the last time the Brazosport Exporters started a season with wins in its first two games was in 2007. But in 2009, the Ships did start the season 2-0, but that was after the opening contest against Columbia was canceled due to severe weather.
The Sweeny Bulldogs stand between the Ships and a clean 2-0 start as both teams aim to continue their unbeaten beginnings to the 2014 season. They will meet for the 26th time at 7:30 p.m. today at Hopper Field.
“Sweeny is a great football program with a lot of great tradition, and they started off the season with a win as well,” Brazosport coach Ben Rudolph said. “So the competition is going to get better and better each week.”
Both teams got off to the good start they were hoping for. The Exporters started with a 34-28 overtime win against Fort Bend Willowridge, while the Bulldogs got past Van Vleck, 32-12.
“I like the makeup and am loving the leadership of the team,” Rudolph said of his Ships. “There are a lot of things we can get better at after Game 1. And I tell the guys that the biggest room for improvement in a football season is from Game 1 to Game 2.”
The Ships gained all of their 287 offensive yards on the ground last week. Brazosport will again be looking for a fast start, just like the one Jeremiah Credit gave them with his two touchdowns in the first three minutes of play.
“Jeremiah Credit had a great game against Willowridge, but I am not only proud of that, but the way he played without the football,” Rudolph said. “He played a great game at safety for us when we needed him to, and when he wasn’t carrying the ball, he was asked to block.”
The home opener for the Exporters will also be the Red Tide game. There will be tailgating in the high school parking lot from 5 to 7 p.m. and Red Tide T-shirts for sale. Brazosport’s varsity team will be introduced to the fans at 6 p.m. as the Brazosport band and Shipmates will perform.
Rudolph would like to see a lot of red in the stands.
“It is huge not only for our football kids, but also the band, the cheerleaders, the Shipmates,” he said. “Every piece that goes into making a home football game, it is important to have a lot of people there for them, not just to support our football team but our high school and our community.
“So this has a chance to be a fun game, and it’s got southern Brazoria County locals supporting Sweeny or Brazosport,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how many fans come out and support our high school.”
There will be free food and drinks at the tailgate party.
The contest between the Exporters and Bulldogs will be broadcast on www.brazosportisd.net.
Though Willowridge caught up to Brazosport in the second half, conditioning could have been the culprit.
“Hydration is going to be a key, and how we recover them at halftime and on the sidelines,” Rudolph said. “ … The cramp bug hit us hard in that second half against Willowridge, and that didn’t help our cause at all.”
Senior quarterback Jody Virgil got his first start under center and didn’t complete any passes, but he was close.
“He did a good job, and his confidence grew as the game went along,” Rudolph said. “He handled the pressures of being the quarterback and will only get better.”
From one season to the next, the Bulldogs have made a 90-degree turn offensively, going from a conventional slot-T formation to a spread offense. Sweeny had more than 300 yards of offense after a slow start, with senior tailback Anthany Simmons gobbling up 108 yards on 17 carries with a couple of scores.
Cody Erikson was also getting his first start at quarterback and finished 6-for-13 for 103 yards and a score. The Bulldogs scored 26 unanswered points in the second half to pull out the big win against the Leopards.
“We have to tackle real well, because Sweeny is running the spread offense and they have some explosive running backs,” Rudolph said. “They are explosive players once the ball gets into their hands.
“So we have to tackle and carry out our assignments and give a solid effort for all four quarters,” he said.
The Sweeny defense held Van Vleck to 235 total yards with 198 coming through the ground.
Sweeny first-year head coach Joseph Olguin did not return phone calls to be included in this story.
The Exporters will be facing a spread offense for the second consecutive week.
“Their version is just a bit different than Willowridge’s offense. Coach (Joseph) Olguin and his staff have done a great job of coaching that spread offense,” Rudolph said. “They didn’t start fast, but they finished real strong.”
Brazosport leads the series 15-9-1, with the Bulldogs winning last year’s encounter (48-30).
FREEPORT — Technically, the last time the Brazosport Exporters started a season with wins in its first two games was in 2007. But in 2009, the Ships did start the season 2-0, but that was after the opening contest against Columbia was canceled due to severe weather.
The Sweeny Bulldogs stand between the Ships and a clean 2-0 start as both teams aim to continue their unbeaten beginnings to the 2014 season. They will meet for the 26th time at 7:30 p.m. today at Hopper Field.
“Sweeny is a great football program with a lot of great tradition, and they started off the season with a win as well,” Brazosport coach Ben Rudolph said. “So the competition is going to get better and better each week.”
Both teams got off to the good start they were hoping for. The Exporters started with a 34-28 overtime win against Fort Bend Willowridge, while the Bulldogs got past Van Vleck, 32-12.
“I like the makeup and am loving the leadership of the team,” Rudolph said of his Ships. “There are a lot of things we can get better at after Game 1. And I tell the guys that the biggest room for improvement in a football season is from Game 1 to Game 2.”
The Ships gained all of their 287 offensive yards on the ground last week. Brazosport will again be looking for a fast start, just like the one Jeremiah Credit gave them with his two touchdowns in the first three minutes of play.
“Jeremiah Credit had a great game against Willowridge, but I am not only proud of that, but the way he played without the football,” Rudolph said. “He played a great game at safety for us when we needed him to, and when he wasn’t carrying the ball, he was asked to block.”
The home opener for the Exporters will also be the Red Tide game. There will be tailgating in the high school parking lot from 5 to 7 p.m. and Red Tide T-shirts for sale. Brazosport’s varsity team will be introduced to the fans at 6 p.m. as the Brazosport band and Shipmates will perform.
Rudolph would like to see a lot of red in the stands.
“It is huge not only for our football kids, but also the band, the cheerleaders, the Shipmates,” he said. “Every piece that goes into making a home football game, it is important to have a lot of people there for them, not just to support our football team but our high school and our community.
“So this has a chance to be a fun game, and it’s got southern Brazoria County locals supporting Sweeny or Brazosport,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how many fans come out and support our high school.”
There will be free food and drinks at the tailgate party.
The contest between the Exporters and Bulldogs will be broadcast on www.brazosportisd.net.
Though Willowridge caught up to Brazosport in the second half, conditioning could have been the culprit.
“Hydration is going to be a key, and how we recover them at halftime and on the sidelines,” Rudolph said. “ … The cramp bug hit us hard in that second half against Willowridge, and that didn’t help our cause at all.”
Senior quarterback Jody Virgil got his first start under center and didn’t complete any passes, but he was close.
“He did a good job, and his confidence grew as the game went along,” Rudolph said. “He handled the pressures of being the quarterback and will only get better.”
From one season to the next, the Bulldogs have made a 90-degree turn offensively, going from a conventional slot-T formation to a spread offense. Sweeny had more than 300 yards of offense after a slow start, with senior tailback Anthany Simmons gobbling up 108 yards on 17 carries with a couple of scores.
Cody Erikson was also getting his first start at quarterback and finished 6-for-13 for 103 yards and a score. The Bulldogs scored 26 unanswered points in the second half to pull out the big win against the Leopards.
“We have to tackle real well, because Sweeny is running the spread offense and they have some explosive running backs,” Rudolph said. “They are explosive players once the ball gets into their hands.
“So we have to tackle and carry out our assignments and give a solid effort for all four quarters,” he said.
The Sweeny defense held Van Vleck to 235 total yards with 198 coming through the ground.
Sweeny first-year head coach Joseph Olguin did not return phone calls to be included in this story.
The Exporters will be facing a spread offense for the second consecutive week.
“Their version is just a bit different than Willowridge’s offense. Coach (Joseph) Olguin and his staff have done a great job of coaching that spread offense,” Rudolph said. “They didn’t start fast, but they finished real strong.”
Brazosport leads the series 15-9-1, with the Bulldogs winning last year’s encounter (48-30).