wildstangs
10-30-2003, 08:02 PM
Sports
A Sweetwater-Merkel matchup is near-ly always an important one, regardless of the sport. And this Friday's game at Mus-tang Bowl ranks as the biggest of the sea-son in all of District 3-3A.
Sweetwater (5-2 overall, 3-0 district) can clinch no worse than a share of the district championship with a victory. The Mustangs are already all but assured of making the playoffs with two games left.
For Merkel (6-2, 2-1), tomorrow's 7:30 p.m. contest probably ranks among the biggest games the Badgers have played in the last 40 years. It's been that long since Merkel has made the playoffs in football.
A win over Sweetwater, while not guaranteeing a playoff berth, would put the Badgers in a two- or three-way tie for first place that could also involve Snyder (2-1). The Tigers face last-place Lamesa (0-3) on Friday, and Merkel will host the Golden Tornadoes to end the regular sea-son after it faces Sweetwater.
Merkel has come reasonably close to having a perfect 8-0 record. The Badgers' only setbacks have been a 14-6 defeat to Breckenridge in Week 3 and a 27-21 loss to Snyder in double overtime a couple of weeks ago. The Badgers fell behind 13-0 against Denver City this past Friday, but then scored 35 unanswered points to post a 35-13 win.
Merkel has 24 seniors on its 31-player roster, and Sweetwater coach Kent Jack-son said that has been a big factor in the Badgers' success.
"They have a lot of experience on both sides of the ball," Jackson said, "There's no substitute for that. And they've had a lot of success, not just in football. They're a group that's used to winning and having success. You have to give a lot of cred-it to coach (David) Flowers for that."
Most of Merkel's returning starters are on a defense that is anchored by senior twin brothers Justin and Brandon Head, who are both 6-3, 240 and line up at tackle on each side of the line. They also start on the offensive line.
Another standout is senior linebacker Christopher Hart (6-1, 180), who like the Head brothers earned first team all-district honors last year. Hart also starts at fullback, while Riley Lambert (175) is the starting tailback. Against Denver City, Lambert rushed for 134 yards on just 13 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also caught an 8-yard scoring pass from quarterback Chris Cobb, and returned a kickoff 74 yards to set up another TD.
The Badgers have yet to face a defense like Sweetwater's, however. In last week's 40-0 win over Lamesa, the Mustangs al-lowed just 86 total yards and forced five turnovers. Sweetwater scored two of its touchdowns by recovering fumbles, one on a recovery by Josh Garza in the end zone and the other on an 18-yard fumble return by Seth Hatley.
Not that Sweetwater's offense needed much help. Quarterback Jeremy Thomp-son, in only his third start, rushed for 170 yards including a 58-yard score, and the Mustangs had 388 yards rushing.
The biggest negative stat for Sweetwa-ter was six fumbles, four of them lost.
"Defense and turnovers is what it will come down to," Jackson said of tomor-row's showdown. "There's no doubt in my mind those will be the two big keys. We can't afford to make the mistakes we made and give the others more chances."
Friday's contest is basically a district championship game. However, Jackson -- whose team has won four straight -- is treating it no differently from each of the last three district games against Snyder, Denver City and Lamesa.
"Every one of these is a district cham-pionship game. Until (the regular season) is over, no one has a guarantee. We try to treat every one of these as a playoff game. There's no second chances."
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor
A Sweetwater-Merkel matchup is near-ly always an important one, regardless of the sport. And this Friday's game at Mus-tang Bowl ranks as the biggest of the sea-son in all of District 3-3A.
Sweetwater (5-2 overall, 3-0 district) can clinch no worse than a share of the district championship with a victory. The Mustangs are already all but assured of making the playoffs with two games left.
For Merkel (6-2, 2-1), tomorrow's 7:30 p.m. contest probably ranks among the biggest games the Badgers have played in the last 40 years. It's been that long since Merkel has made the playoffs in football.
A win over Sweetwater, while not guaranteeing a playoff berth, would put the Badgers in a two- or three-way tie for first place that could also involve Snyder (2-1). The Tigers face last-place Lamesa (0-3) on Friday, and Merkel will host the Golden Tornadoes to end the regular sea-son after it faces Sweetwater.
Merkel has come reasonably close to having a perfect 8-0 record. The Badgers' only setbacks have been a 14-6 defeat to Breckenridge in Week 3 and a 27-21 loss to Snyder in double overtime a couple of weeks ago. The Badgers fell behind 13-0 against Denver City this past Friday, but then scored 35 unanswered points to post a 35-13 win.
Merkel has 24 seniors on its 31-player roster, and Sweetwater coach Kent Jack-son said that has been a big factor in the Badgers' success.
"They have a lot of experience on both sides of the ball," Jackson said, "There's no substitute for that. And they've had a lot of success, not just in football. They're a group that's used to winning and having success. You have to give a lot of cred-it to coach (David) Flowers for that."
Most of Merkel's returning starters are on a defense that is anchored by senior twin brothers Justin and Brandon Head, who are both 6-3, 240 and line up at tackle on each side of the line. They also start on the offensive line.
Another standout is senior linebacker Christopher Hart (6-1, 180), who like the Head brothers earned first team all-district honors last year. Hart also starts at fullback, while Riley Lambert (175) is the starting tailback. Against Denver City, Lambert rushed for 134 yards on just 13 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also caught an 8-yard scoring pass from quarterback Chris Cobb, and returned a kickoff 74 yards to set up another TD.
The Badgers have yet to face a defense like Sweetwater's, however. In last week's 40-0 win over Lamesa, the Mustangs al-lowed just 86 total yards and forced five turnovers. Sweetwater scored two of its touchdowns by recovering fumbles, one on a recovery by Josh Garza in the end zone and the other on an 18-yard fumble return by Seth Hatley.
Not that Sweetwater's offense needed much help. Quarterback Jeremy Thomp-son, in only his third start, rushed for 170 yards including a 58-yard score, and the Mustangs had 388 yards rushing.
The biggest negative stat for Sweetwa-ter was six fumbles, four of them lost.
"Defense and turnovers is what it will come down to," Jackson said of tomor-row's showdown. "There's no doubt in my mind those will be the two big keys. We can't afford to make the mistakes we made and give the others more chances."
Friday's contest is basically a district championship game. However, Jackson -- whose team has won four straight -- is treating it no differently from each of the last three district games against Snyder, Denver City and Lamesa.
"Every one of these is a district cham-pionship game. Until (the regular season) is over, no one has a guarantee. We try to treat every one of these as a playoff game. There's no second chances."
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor