#16 Bridge City Cardinals

[Matthew328]

Bridge City Cardinals
School Colors: Red and White
Last Year: 11-3 Division 1 State Semi-Finalist
Starters Returning: 5 offensive 5 defensive
Key PLayers: TB Matt Peebles, QB/DB James Knight, LB Robert Melich

Matthew328's outlook: Bridge City had a big year last year advancing all the way to the semis, but they were bounced uncerimoniously by Sinton 38-0...if the season hadn't ended on such a bad note BC may have gotten more pre-season accolades in the polls...that being said the defending regional champions are not the favorites to repeat even though they have many key components to last year's squad back...Peebles is the main returner and is a likely Division 1 prospect, he combines size and deceptive speed and he is one of the region's best backs..Knight could be the replacement at QB he did start one game last season..he is the Cards do it all man as he leads all returning players in INT's and handles the kicking chores....the Cards defense played well at times but wasn't overwhelming, I look for them to be above average once again this year..but for the Cards to take the next step they will need a win against one of the powers in Class 3A...that chance could come on Sep 20 against Newton or it could come in the regional final against Jasper....

[Old Cardinal]

Hi Matt, I read your summation....someone had given me a xerox of page #253 DCTF, which you apparently parroted, and that's OK. You only have stats to work with. Someone gave DCTF some slow speeds on Knight & Peebles. Knight was the lead-off hitter and premier base stealer in baseball, he is cat-quick. Peebles won all the running events that he was entered in, for the District track meet. His time is much better in the 100M, than the time that won, but he could not enter any more events. Don't believe what you read in the DCTF rag. Knight played QB approx. 40% of the time, he and Wolfford switched between offense & defense continously-he is an incrediablely fast, smart QB. Their only real weakness is some extra big junior linemen that must pickup the load, they did not come around as Sophmores. We will see if good line Coaching, and a years maturity, can make a difference.....Its interesting how everyone who was not at the Newton/BC game perceive that game..... Here is what really happened, Bridge City twice drove inside the 10 in the first 3 quarters-fumbling once and getting a major infraction the other-that stopped the scoring. Newton, with incrediable determination and skill, scored 10 points during the first 3 quarters-it was an excellent ballgame till this point! In the 4th quarter, Hershel broke for an 18 yard touchdown making it 17-zip. At that point, the BC Coach wisely sent in his subs and Curtis Barbay begin to run up the score. I support the decision of Coach Conway, why should he get anyone else injured when playoffs were just ahead? I support Curtis Barbay in running up the score, his guys had done an excellent job that night and wanted blood. Remember, Bridge City had walked all over Newton the previous year for the District Championship...... BC, however, choose to not run up the score anymore the previous year by downing the knee to keep from scoring even more. At a safe distance in D-FW, you have enjoyed this score, talking about a blowout, in every writeup. Seeing the game this past season; however, both Newton and Bridge City folks tend to agree, it was one of the hardest fought games we have ever witnessed. I am looking forward to the Newton/BC game this year, good sportsmanship and hard hitting football, nobody wanted to schedule either of them in preseason down here- so they are settling this one-to-one standing record this year. There will be a bunch of good athletes's on both side of the ball.

[This message has been edited by Old Cardinal (edited June 26, 2002).]

[Matthew328]

LOL I didn't totally summate DCTF even though it is my main source...I did look at games and articles from last year also and some other sources as well...but the blowout I referred to wasn't the Newton game...it was the Sinton game...even though the Newton game does factor in some as it was really the only other game BC had against a Top 10 caliber 3A school...but I know that for 3 quarters it was a fairly close game..and I do know Knight saw time at QB last year actually did quite well judging by the stats..but being a part-timer and being the man are 2 different animals...not saying he won't succeed but it is just different...and I know you still think I can't cover Region 3 from DFW and that is OK I think I'll do just fine..

[This message has been edited by Matthew328 (edited June 26, 2002).]

[bearcat1]

I specifically remember making many posts on here asking for people to email us with information on the teams, updated stats, first hand info, etc. Did you do that? If not, then how can you come on here talking about where we get our info or how we can't cover a particular region adequately without living in it (which by the way is a false perception). It is kind of like voting, if you don't participate, then you can't really complain about the final outcome. This goes for the Perryton fan too who was on here complaining about certain players being left off the write-up.
bc


Originally posted by Old Cardinal:
Hi Matt, I read your summation....someone had given me a xerox of page #253 DCTF, which you apparently parroted, and that's OK. You only have stats to work with. Someone gave DCTF some slow speeds on Knight & Peebles. Knight was the lead-off hitter and premier base stealer in baseball, he is cat-quick. Peebles won all the running events that he was entered in, for the District track meet. His time is much better in the 100M, than the time that won, but he could not enter any more events. Don't believe what you read in the DCTF rag. Knight played QB approx. 40% of the time, he and Wolfford switched between offense & defense continously-he is an incrediablely fast, smart QB. Their only real weakness is some extra big junior linemen that must pickup the load, they did not come around as Sophmores. We will see if good line Coaching, and a years maturity, can make a difference.....Its interesting how everyone who was not at the Newton/BC game perceive that game..... Here is what really happened, Bridge City twice drove inside the 10 in the first 3 quarters-fumbling once and getting a major infraction the other-that stopped the scoring. Newton, with incrediable determination and skill, scored 10 points during the first 3 quarters-it was an excellent ballgame till this point! In the 4th quarter, Hershel broke for an 18 yard touchdown making it 17-zip. At that point, the BC Coach wisely sent in his subs and Curtis Barbay begin to run up the score. I support the decision of Coach Conway, why should he get anyone else injured when playoffs were just ahead? I support Curtis Barbay in running up the score, his guys had done an excellent job that night and wanted blood. Remember, Bridge City had walked all over Newton the previous year for the District Championship...... BC, however, choose to not run up the score anymore the previous year by downing the knee to keep from scoring even more. At a safe distance in D-FW, you have enjoyed this score, talking about a blowout, in every writeup. Seeing the game this past season; however, both Newton and Bridge City folks tend to agree, it was one of the hardest fought games we have ever witnessed. I am looking forward to the Newton/BC game this year, good sportsmanship and hard hitting football, nobody wanted to schedule either of them in preseason down here- so they are settling this one-to-one standing record this year. There will be a bunch of good athletes's on both side of the ball.

[This message has been edited by Old Cardinal (edited June 26, 2002).]



[This message has been edited by bearcat1 (edited June 26, 2002).]

[SintonFan]

Hehe, Matt I could just almost visualize seeing you wince when you hit the 'Submit New Topic' button when you made this. Of course, you know you opened a can of worms with this one. LOL...

[Matthew328]

I know...I knew Old Card would have something to say...I think he just enjoys diagreeing with me LOL...everything I post he doesn't agree with...ohh well...I thought my outlook on BC was pretty accurate..yeah DCTF is my number one source..but I have other sources as well as my opinions...I'd like to know what I posted on my outlook he didn't agree with..LOL

[duckbutter]

Old Card I was just wondering if you and I were at the same game (Newton vs. BC). Just how many total yards of offense did BC have?? Granted, BC had a much better team than what they showed that night but it was not as close as you would like everyone think. Who knows, BC may blow Newton out this yr, sometimes thats just the way it is. Also, Curtis could have run the score up a lot more than he did, but you will NEVER see him run the score up on lesser teams in the district unlike another team I know of. Looking forward to this yrs game with you guys, better strap it on tight.

[Old Cardinal]

I have seen you make negative comments about Perryton, BC, and a lot of other teams that went several rounds, last year that were in the far reaches of Texas! Remember they were two of your final four! Maybe the Perryton fan has also noticed, like many others, that the closer to D-FW a team is located, the more fantastic they become. I am sorry but I go to all the games in Region III that are available, and see some films, and have shared my perspectives, based on seeing the teams play. Mr. Bearcat, I would not be so presumptious to tell you all about Muleshoe, Borger or Wimberly are any others that I have not seen play, I just don't think its fair to the kids involved on these teams. Sorry, I feel that Perryton was especially mis-treated:I was told that they had a lot of critical injuries at the end of the year-yet they never cry-babyed to anyone because of their big loss in the semi-final game......I truly support Newton and BC-in 2000 season BC worked them over real well, yet they bounced back and did very well in post-season. Likewise, Newton destroyed BC, last year, and they too bounced back to make the final four. That's is what Championship teams do, they bounce back after adversity.... I really think Perryton did not deserve the comments. Thank you for allowing folks close to the teams to comment, I know I pay more attention to those that are closer to the situation.

[JKLL]

I nominate Old Cardinal to administer Region 3. His knowledge of the region and ability to see many games added to his insider info. makes him the logical choice. As for as the Newton game BC probably did not make succesive first downs the entire game, and possessing the ball in scoring territory hardly constitutes a drive. BC had an excellent team, but they were handed their hats by Newton.

[Matthew328]

Ok Old Card...first off what we do is give opinions on teams...that is why we have a site....even if we haven't seen as much of certian teams as we'd like...that is what we do is give opinions....and I was wondering when did I make any negative comments about Perryton?? Check the posts from last year in the playoffs...yeah I did pick against them against Vernon and when I was wrong I came on and said I was wrong...then the week of the Everman game I was defending them saying they were a good team to not be overlooked! As for Bridge City I have always rated them highly but lets be honest about them...the last 2 years they have been a notch below the elite...and I'm sorry that you don't like me bringing up their 2 big losses last year but other than those 2 games what games can I talk about BC?? Mexia?? Come on they lost to Forney 56-0...if Mexia was in Region 2 they prolly wouldn't make it outta the first round...I give Bridge City props on the Sweeny win...and also I harped on DFW teams last year because I felt DFW and Region 2 in general played the best football in 3A last year...of course that is my opinion but then again that is why we have the site to give opinions..and this is why we have the message board for you guys to give opinions...but don't take what I say the wrong way I kinda enjoy debating topics with you...even though I think you take what I say the wrong way...But even though I can't see Region 3 much I'll still take my record on predicting games in the Region against anyone...I'd also like to know what comments on Perryton you are referrin to...

[sinton66]

Did I read it wrong Matthew? I thought his last response was to Bearcat, not you(Perryton comments). Hey, we all have our favorites, it's easy to see Old Card has a lot of faith and spirit for BC. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I think I probably have a lot of the same for Sinton.
Doesn't make us bad folks, just spirited.

[Old Cardinal]

Sorry Matthew, I was not referring to you about the remarks about Perryton.......I would like to point out however that you continue to talk about this one or that one (including BC) as not being in the top 10.....Matthew, the top 8 teams in 3A Texas football are the FINAL FOUR in each Division! They might not have been the best at times during the year, but these teams perservered and won the top spots, in the end! Just because some Pollester names a poll-that is not the final 8 teams in the Texas 3A playoffs. THAT IS PLAYED OUT ON THE FIELD at the end of the season! Politics does not then enter the picture.....As to the other two teams in the real top 10-I would say Bellville and Forney since they played the eventual State Div I Champion & finalist close games. But again these spots are debateable. Which two teams would you choose to round out the top 10 teams? I am not mad at you, at all, you seem to be a sincere young man, but I would hope that folks that know a lot about our Region down here would contribute their thoughts...Ex: BH-146, do you think that Barber's Hill finally has the potential to be a State contender, I do?.....Bobkat, do you think that Orangefield is a real sleeper in Division II. I do? Bellville folks, are you just bidding your time to show some teams- some football.

[BH_146]

Matthew,
Though I may not agree with Old Card's views completely, I can't seem to follow yours. In this post and in the regional preview, you want Bridge City to step up and defeat one of the powers of 3A. If I'm reading your posts correctly, you would have them rated higher if they had defeated an elite team. In advancing to the state semifinals, I would consider BC to be one of the elite teams in the state last year. The only ones that "could" be considered better were the teams that advanced as far as BC. So, if getting a high ranking is dependent on beating one of the elite teams, how could so many teams be ranked ahead of Bridge City? There are several teams above BC that did not beat any of the elite teams in the state last year. Perhaps I don't fully recognize your elite teams.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Hey Old Card, Why does it matter where u are rank at the start of the season? I would leave the rankings to the people that actually try and give a fair assessment of who they feel are primed to excel this year and not who should be there or deserves it. Hey Matt keep it up with the info's on teams, ur doing a good job. i might not have to buy the DCF magazine.

[This message has been edited by SintonFan_inAustin (edited June 27, 2002).]

[sinton66]

I get the feeling yall are missing the point here. Correct me please Old Card if I'm wrong, I think he's not lamenting the position his team was picked so much as questioning the logic behind that pick. BH_146 made a good point, some of Matthews statements as reasons for the picks are a little hard to understand in that light. I'm certainly not picking on Matthew, he knows I respect his opinions, but these guys do make some sense.

[Matthew328]

OK my bad I thought the comments about Perryton were directed at me...LOL and yeah I have referred to Bridge City not being a top 10 team..(last year I presume) well yes they did make the final four...BUT my final poll isn't always indicative of how the teams fall in the playoffs..I put where who I think is the best and where they fall...for example in your final 3A poll last year would you have put Sweeny ahead of Mexia?? It was obvious Sweeny was better..by your logic Mexia would be ahead...is that correct?? Maybe or maybe not...polls are totally subjective and never an exact science..also the NCAA tournament has a final poll after the tourney they don't always have teams ranked where they get knocked out..upsets, weak and strong brackets can make a tournament fall different..an example of this is Duke who lost in the Sweet 16 but was still ranked in the top 5 ahead of many teams that adavnced further...and by the way last year Bridge City was ranked 12th in my final poll..the logic in the being I thought 3A Division 1 Region 3 was a weak bracket....Perryton finished 10th and Bridgeport another state semi-finalist was ranked 11th..ok BH_146 about beating elite teams...sometimes my ranking don't consider beating elite teams but also takes into account a teams performance against elite teams...I thought BC performed poorly in the 2 games that I thoguht were elite games..but the poll for this year also factors other things like returners, coaching changes etc..I didn't think BC beat any elite teams last year in advancing to the semis..I thought their bracket was a weak one..they beat Liberty who was 4-4 going into the playoffs..then they beat a good Sweeny team who was injury riddled but it was a good win but Sweeeny wasn't great but a good team..then Mexia who was decent but not that great as indicated by losing 56-0 to Forney..then they get blown away by Sinton..if they had performed better against the top teams they woulda got a higher ranking..but which teams ranked ahead of BC didn't beat elite teams?? All the teams I have ahead of BC either advanced a long way or have a ton of people back...any specific teams that you personally disagree with? Like I said sometimes my picks don't totally go on where a team went out in the playoffs..ohh last thing Old Card wanted to know how I ranked teams at the end last season..my final top 10 was 1. Everman 2. Commerce 3. Sinton 4. LaGrange 5. Forney 6. Giddings 7. Bellville 8. Gladewater 9. Newton 10. Perryton

[Matthew328]

Whoa I didn't realize that post ran so long..maybe I shoulda checked the site earlier instead of trying to reply to 2 or 3 people in one post...basically my ranking system is not an exact science...I wish I could explain it...it is kind of a combo of a lot of things and sometimes I just getta feeling about a team and I'll add that to the equation also..if you have a specific question on why I rank a team where I do please feel free to ask..next time I'll try not to write a novel!

[Old Cardinal]

Sorry, I want question your reasoning again----winning games to reach the top doesn't have any weight to you. Anyone that thinks he can "Poll" better than the brackets play out confuses me. Yes, you feel BC was DOWN- been in 3A two years-2 rounds and 4 rounds in those two years-most of your hundreds of "elite" teams surrounding D-FW would die for a record like that! Boy that Gladewater team must have faced a bunch of your elite D-FW teams-I did not see them moving up the brackets? How close is Gladewater to D-FW?

[Matthew328]

LOL actually Gladewater is in deep East Texas....and like I said my poll is based solely on my opinions...and like I said I felt last year Region 3 in Division 1 was weak..Gladewater on the other hand was in Region 2 Division 2 maybe the toughest bracket in the state...lets look at who they beat last year in the playoffs...they finished 9-1 they beat Mineola in Rd 1 34-7...Mineola was a weak team....then they beat in Rd 2 Spring Hill 21-20, Spring Hill was 10-1 going into that game...then they beat Wilmer Hutchins who was 10-2 with the only 2 losses coming to Everman and 4A Greenville the score was 20-13...then they gave Commerce all they wanted in the regional final falling 14-10...Gladewater finished 12-2 last year..and the reason why they were ranked number 8 in the final poll is becuase I felt there were only 7 teams in the state better...basically in a nut shell I rank the teams on who I feel is better....you put Gladewater against Perryton, Bridge City, Bridgeport and any other team they were ranked ahead of and they win most of the time..same thing with Forney...heck Mexia went further than Forney last year...does that mean they should be ranked ahead of Forney just because they went further? Even though Forney beat them 56-0?? What about Newton should BC be ranked ahead of them even though BC won Region 3 but Newton lost in the regional final even though Newton beat BC 32-0? If I am reading correctly that is your logic...Maybe I am wrong if I am please correct me...so that answers that I rank my teams based on who I think is better..and like I said I thought at the end of the year there were only 7 teams better than Gladewater...and check the map Gladewater is 146 miles east of Ft Worth..

[bearcat1]

would someone please tell me what comments about perryton you are referring to? I dont remember making negative comments. As a matter of fact I have perryton picked to win district, do I not? I dont know what you are talking about. And by the way i am not a "mr.".
bearcat1

Originally posted by Old Cardinal:
I have seen you make negative comments about Perryton, BC, and a lot of other teams that went several rounds, last year that were in the far reaches of Texas! Remember they were two of your final four! Maybe the Perryton fan has also noticed, like many others, that the closer to D-FW a team is located, the more fantastic they become. I am sorry but I go to all the games in Region III that are available, and see some films, and have shared my perspectives, based on seeing the teams play. Mr. Bearcat, I would not be so presumptious to tell you all about Muleshoe, Borger or Wimberly are any others that I have not seen play, I just don't think its fair to the kids involved on these teams. Sorry, I feel that Perryton was especially mis-treated:I was told that they had a lot of critical injuries at the end of the year-yet they never cry-babyed to anyone because of their big loss in the semi-final game......I truly support Newton and BC-in 2000 season BC worked them over real well, yet they bounced back and did very well in post-season. Likewise, Newton destroyed BC, last year, and they too bounced back to make the final four. That's is what Championship teams do, they bounce back after adversity.... I really think Perryton did not deserve the comments. Thank you for allowing folks close to the teams to comment, I know I pay more attention to those that are closer to the situation.

[sinton66]

Mines a WHOLE lot simpler Matthew. I watch the points for/ points against spread each week to determine a relative power rating system. You have to fudge a little for difficulty of schedule, but it works pretty good. Not quite as accurate as you were for the final four, I only got the final two. I gotta tip my hat to you, you did a good job picking 'em last playoffs.

[Old Cardinal]

I finally understand the logic....Region I was weak because Perryton won it, Region III was weak because Bridge City won it, Region IV was weak except for Sinton who won it,(maybe with the exception of Bellville). Everyone in Region II was stronger than 3/4 of the state' teams put together. And all the Div I and Div II teams in Region II could take Perryton and Bridge City and amyone else in there progression brackets! I think it's a slap in the face to say Region I, Region III and most of Region IV had inferior teams. Maybe, I was quite impressed by some sorry teams last year. But then again, I just believe that whoever wins 1/4 of the State, called a Regional Champion has done something to be proud of. I would think that this type of logic is a slap in the face of every District Champion in Region I,III and Most of IV.

[JKLL]

Lighten up, Old Card. This is his board and his opinion. He does the best he can. He may have his favorites but you obviously do too. This is too good of a thing to take personal and take the fun out of it. I live in the
G.T. and see lots of 3A games and its obvious I don't always see things like you, so living in N. Tex. it has to be hard to be informed about S.E. Tex. He does do the best he can, like it or not.

[Matthew328]

LOL When did I say that? Look I will be the first to tell you Region II was the strongest in the state last year...to me there was no question about that..now as far as Region I goes...it was weak..ask anyone who followed Region 1 and they'll tell you that...Region III Division 2 was stacked...Region IV in D1 was pretty good actually...Bellville, Burnet and Gonzales were pretty good..along with Sinton...this year may be different but I gotta stick to my guns there was no doubt Region II top to bottom was strongest thus that weighs into how I rank teams....

[Old Cardinal]

You are right JKLL, Everyone has a right to their opinions on this board. I stepped over the line and was taking the fun out of it. Where do you live in the G.T.?

[SintonFan]

Matt, I agree with you on the regional strengths. My take on the whole thing is that the few elite teams in each region are are pretty close to each other in overall performance (with a few exceptions). I beleive reg. 2 tends to have more great athletes in general, especially recently. Of course, Everman was better last year and should be this year, too. What I think separates the regions is not the good ones, but the bottom dwellers. I've seen many, many crappy teams with crappy systems propagated by crappy coaches in reg. 4. Why is this important? Looking at the big picture in reg. 4, this leads to overall less competition among all teams because good teams like Sinton don't have to play as hard week in and week out. With more athletes and talent in your region your team tends to see more even with the crappy teams. This sharpens your teams' mental and physical toughness. Hence the results you see in the playoffs. Just my take on it...
Old Cardinal, try not to take these post too personal, it is still only a game.

[This message has been edited by SintonFan (edited June 29, 2002).]

[eye of the tiger]

I try to arrange my personal poll as easily as I can. In odd numbered years I put Commerce first and in even numbered years I put Commerce in about 7th or 8th and let everything else just fall where they may. LOL. I have actually enjoyed the sparring in this thread. Difference of opinions is what makes for good debates. I think this is what makes 3A football special. Keep it everybody. Only 62 days until the 15 or 16 weeks of excitement begins.

[SintonFan]

On my post above, I accidently named reg. 3 as having more to offer overall. I meant reg. 2 and corrected it. I just opened another can of worms, yipes.

[Matthew328]

Personally I enjoy "sparring" with Old Card...he is quite intelligent and knows his stuff...even though we disagree most of the time I do respect his opinions...and I am glad he hasn't gotten so mad at me that he'd leave the board...LOL

[Reveille]

Originally posted by duckbutter:
Old Card I was just wondering if you and I were at the same game (Newton vs. BC). Just how many total yards of offense did BC have?? Granted, BC had a much better team than what they showed that night but it was not as close as you would like everyone think. Who knows, BC may blow Newton out this yr, sometimes thats just the way it is. Also, Curtis could have run the score up a lot more than he did, but you will NEVER see him run the score up on lesser teams in the district unlike another team I know of. Looking forward to this yrs game with you guys, better strap it on tight.

Duckbutter, since Old Cardinal has conveniently forgotten or does not remember the total yardage BC had last year, I will respond. To the best of my knowledge, BC had 75 total yards for the game. I feel that the perception of certain people in the "DFW area" are closer to reality than Old Card's. The rubber game this year should be a closer game on the scoreboard than the two previous years. I don't think BC can handle the speed of Newton though.