Palestine vs. Waco Connally

[texasjeremy]

Palestine (10-2) vs. Waco Connally (9-3)

[texasjeremy]

POINTS SCORED PER GAME
Palestine 35.9
Waco Connally 28.0

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME
Waco Connally 13.8
Palestine 16.1

AVERAGE MARGIN OF VICTORY
Palestine +19.8
Waco Connally +14.3

OPPONENTS COMBINED RECORDS
Waco Connally 76-53-1 (.588)
Palestine 72-56 (.563)

Texpreps.com Rating
Palestine 103.94
Waco Connally 99.89

AVERAGE RATING OF OPP. (using texpreps.com ratings)
Waco Connally 88.63
Palestine 87.84

BEST TEAMS PLAYED
opponents (record) - texpreps rating ----- result

PALESTINE WILDCATS
1. (4A) Jacksonville (10-2) - 114.38 ----- LOSS 23-7
2. Silsbee (9-1) - 105.22 ----- WIN 34-9
3. Tatum (11-1) - 102.39 ----- WIN 27-24
4. Huffman-Hargrave (9-3) - 98.55 ----- WIN 52-14
5. Carthage (6-4) - 90.72 ----- WIN 42-31
6. (4A) Henderson (5-5) - 90.32 ----- WIN 49-28
7. Diboll (6-5) - 88.59 ----- WIN 21-12
8. Rusk (7-4) - 86.42 ----- LOSS 14-13
9. (4A) Whitehouse (3-7) - 83.25 ----- WIN 27-6
10.Crockett (3-7) - 72.34 ----- WIN 61-14
11.Palestine Westwood (2-8) - 66.82 ----- WIN 51-18
12.Huntington (1-9) - 55.07 ----- WIN 47-0

WACO CONNALLY CADETS
1. Marlin (11-1) - 106.11 ----- WIN 30-13
2. Caldwell (10-2) - 105.21 ----- WIN 21-13
3. Navasota (9-2) - 103.30 ----- LOSS 49-14
4. Robinson (9-1-1) - 97.77 ----- LOSS 16-12
5. Fairfield (8-4) - 95.76 ----- LOSS 19-6
6. China Spring (8-3) - 93.66 ----- WIN 40-10
7. Lorena (5-5) - 85.63 ----- WIN 14-6
8. Madisonville (7-4) - 83.81 ----- WIN 38-13
9. (4A) Alvarado (2-8) - 81.78 ----- WIN 55-20
10.Gatesville (5-5) - 81.06 ----- WIN 13-6
11.Mexia (2-8) - 68.87 ----- WIN 35-0
12.Waco La Vega (0-10) - 60.65 ----- WIN 58-0

[jason]

connaly was very unimpressive, imo....palestine rolls...

[texasjeremy]

Palestine cruises to playoff win

11-20-04
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


CONROE - The Palestine Wildcats came out with high intensity Friday night and never let up in a 52-14 rout over Huffman-Hargrave in the Class 3A, Division I regional playoff game at Moorhead Stadium.

"In pregame I challenged them to play for 48 minutes and that is the closest you could have asked for," Palestine head coach Glen Tunstall said.

Palestine (10-2) will advance to play the winner of the Waco-Connally versus Caldwell game, which is tonight at Round Rock (Independent School District) Stadium. Palestine's next playoff game will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Waco's Floyd Casey Stadium.

Palestine's defense came out and made the opening statement Friday night.

Going up against a bigger offensive line, which included three linemen over 300 pounds, they stuffed the run on the first play and put pressure on quarterback Conner Dubose, who threw two incomplete passes to force a punt.


It only took Palestine three plays to get on the scoreboard. After a 16-yard completion from Fred Williams to Lee Stubblefield, Williams threw a pass to Nigel Cooper in the flat, who made the catch and sprinted past the Huffman defense for a 37-yard touchdown.

The Palestine defense continued to put pressure on Dubose, forcing a turnover on the next possession as Rodrick Johnson picked off the pass and took it back to Huffman's 6-yard line.

Two plays later and Palestine found the end zone again as Cameron Jones, on a sweep, turned the corner and got into the end zone for a 9-yard score.

"The defense had a challenge against Huffman's offensive line and they did a great job," Tunstall said. "They gave our offense great field position and we used all our weapons to score."

Palestine allowed 10 yards to Huffman on the next two Falcon possessions, forcing punts.

"Their linemen were big, but slow," Palestine linebacker Ronald Brown said. "We were too fast and everyone was reading their keys and doing what had to be done."

With over three minutes left in the first quarter, Jones rushed four times on the drive for 42 yards, ending it on a 21-yard touchdown, giving Palestine a 21-0 lead.

Jones rushed for a game-high 180 yards on 16 carries and scored four touchdowns.

"There is only one word to describe how Cameron ran tonight, unbelievable," Williams said. "He has a lot of heart."

After another three-and-out by the Huffman offense, Palestine drove down the field again, and following a 41-yard pass from Williams to Leon Mickens, Williams ran for a 12-yard touchdown to give Palestine a 28-0 lead.

"We stressed to come out and take away their spirits early and we were able to do it," Palestine offensive coordinator Tommy Allison said. "One thing I noticed was how the offense and defense were feeding off each other."

Williams threw for 221 yards on 9-of-15 passing for two touchdowns. He also rushed for 39 yards on six carries.

"Fred has been big for us all year long as he did it again," Allison said. "Big time players make big plays and that is what Fred has done for us."

Huffman's only successful drive of the first half came in the final three minutes of the half when the Falcons put together a nine play drive, including converting on two third-and-long plays, capped off by a 6-yard touchdown run by Cory Elliot.

However, Huffman left Palestine with too much time - 48 seconds.

Jones broke free for a 38-yard run to put Palestine into Huffman territory. Williams followed with an 11-yard run and then connected with Mickens for 5 yards to put Palestine into kicking range. Cason Davis then nailed the 26-yard field goal to give the momentum back to Palestine going into halftime.

Jones opened the second half on the first play, breaking free for a 47-yard run. Two plays later, he scored on a 4-yard run as he bulldozed his way over the goalline.

"Cameron ran really hard tonight and when he had a defender in his way he lowered his head and delivered a hit," Allison said.

The Palestine defense did not let up in the second half either. On a third-and-eight, Brown blitzed through the middle to sack Dubose for a six-yard loss, forcing another punt.

Palestine took possession and Williams connected with Mickens on a 33-yard strike and then found Justin Mosley for 13 yards.

Jones finished the drive with a 9-yard run, followed by a 1-yard TD plunge, giving Palestine a 45-7 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter.

Back-to-back sacks by Lucky Henry and James Stubblefield forced Harmony to punt for the fifth time in the game.

Palestine finished the pounding when Williams threw a wide receiver screen pass to Mickens, who made the first defender miss and then broke free down the sideline for a 45-yard score.

Palestine had a balanced attack, rushing the ball for 229 yards while throwing for 221 yards.

"This was the best performance of the year in every facet of the game," Allison said. "It was the best performance by our offensive line."

Wildcat Notes: Davis made all seven of his extra point attempts. ... The Palestine defense held Huffman to 153 total yards. ... Mickens had five catches for 133 yards.

[3afan]

looks like a tossup to me ...

[LH Panther Mom]

The teams appear to match up pretty well, but it's a good thing they don't play the game on paper. ;) I still think Palestine has the edge.

[texasjeremy]

How much team speed does Connally have, because if you don't have good team speed you can't stay on the field with Palestine. That was the problem with Huffman, they were big but too slow, Palestine is probably the fastest 3A team in the state.

[esphs]

I really have a feeling that Palestine has the chance to keep the wins coming! But does anybody know anything about Connally? What kind of game do they have? Are they big guys or what?

[eaglefan]

I have underestimated Connally a lot this year and all they have done the second half of the season is impress. That being said, they are going against a team in Palestine that since their loss to Rusk has averaged 44 points per game. This really is a toss-up but I think Palestine will put up too many points for a Connally team that doesn't score as much normally. Palestine 38-26.

[jason]

Originally posted by texasjeremy
How much team speed does Connally have, because if you don't have good team speed you can't stay on the field with Palestine. That was the problem with Huffman, they were big but too slow, Palestine is probably the fastest 3A team in the state. they're overall team speed is average at best

[texasjeremy]

By DAVID G. CAMPBELL
Waco Tribune-Herald staff writer

ROUND ROCK — Jordan Williams completed the pass that allowed the Connally Cadets to run.

Williams dropped a pinpoint 11-yard touchdown pass into Chris Hines' hands with 27 seconds left in the opening half, paving the way for a 21-13 Class 3A Division I playoff win over Caldwell at the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex.

"I gave him an inside move and broke it out and the ball was perfect," sad Hines, who also had an interception and caused and recovered a fumble.

"One of our players suggested throwing the jump ball and the coaches agreed," Williams said. “(Hines) said ‘Put it out there.’ He just told me to put it on the back sideline."

Connally (9-3) will play Palestine Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Cadets, held to 26 rushing yards in the opening half, ground their way into the end zone in the third period. In a wild third quarter that featured five turnovers, only the Cadets scored. Jordan Williams went airborne for the final three yards of a seven-yard scoring run with 2:49 left in the third quarter for a 21-7 lead.

“Once we had the lead, we came out for the second half thinking we could run,” Jordan Williams said.

Patrick Williams, held to three yards in the opening half, finished with 60 to help set up Jordan Williams' run.

Trailing 21-7, Caldwell rallied on a tackle-breaking 29-yard touchdown from Kendrick Pittman. Pittman, who was limited to 63 yards on 22 carries, also threw a 33-yard halfback pass to give the Hornets a late shot. On fourth down, quarterback Chris Sleeth was knocked out of bounds by Jeremy Chappell two yards short of a first at the Connally 16.

Brandon Cooper blocked the extra point after Pittman's score, but the Hornets forced a three-and-out situation for their final push thanks to a holding penalty that brought back Patrick Williams' run for a first down.

Caldwell took 10 plays to position itself to take the lead late in the second period before Chris Hines intercepted Chris Sleeth's sideline pass at the 18 with 3:44 left. Hines started and finished the go-ahead drive as 11 plays later, he caught the go-ahead score. Williams' throw beat solid coverage from Caldwell's Matt Ofczarzak.

On the brisk drive, Torian Williams broke off a pile of defenders in the backfield to pick up 21, easily the Cadets' longest running play of the opening half.

Playing in a steady drizzle, Connally scored on its opening possession when Williams dropped a pass over the right shoulder of Edmond Robert, who blazed the right sideline to finish off a 48-yard scoring play.

Caldwell answered on its next possession. Pittman, the senior tailback who ran for 49 yards in the opening half, had seven carries on a 74-yard touchdown march. On third-and-eight at the 31, Sleeth faked a handoff and lofted a soft pass to tight end Freddy Williams, who pulled away for a touchdown.

Con (1st): Edmond Robert 48 pass from Jordan Williams (Daniel DeLeon kick). Cal (1st): Freddy Williams 31 pass from Chris Sleeth. (Matt Harper kick). Con (2nd): Chris Hines 11 pass from J. Williams (DeLeon kick). Con (3rd): J. Williams 7 run (DeLeon kick). Cal (4th): Kendrick Pittman 29 run (kick blocked).

[texasjeremy]

Palestine having success running and stopping the run

11-23-04
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


Theory No. 1 - Championship teams must establish the run.

Theory No. 2 - Championship teams must stop the run.

Conclusion - If theory one and two are correct, the Palestine Wildcats could be playing football for the next three weeks.

In two playoff games, the Palestine Wildcats have run wild over their opponent on offense, while being a stone wall on defense, not allowing the run.

"We have done a good job doing both, running the football and then stopping the run," Palestine head coach Glen Tunstall said.


On offense, Palestine has rushed for 557 yards on 75 carries, an average of 7.4 yards a carry and 278.5 yards a game.

Cameron Jones has done a lot of the damage on the ground for Palestine. He has rushed for 304 yards on 40 carries and scored five touchdowns. Four of the touchdowns came in the 52-14 win over Huffman-Hargrave.

"Cameron may be the best back in East

Texas," Tunstall said. "And we do not miss a beat when Trevlyn (Reed) comes in."

Reed rushed for a 15-yard touchdown in Palestine's bi-district win over Silsbee.

Palestine quarterback Fred Williams also has contributed in the running attack with 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the two games. Against Silsbee, he rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries.

"Fred's ability to run has made us that much better," Tunstall said.

Palestine offensive coordinator Tommy Allison calls Palestine's running attack a team effort.

"We have 11 guys who make our running game successful," Allison said. "It starts with our offensive line, then our quarterback and running back do a good job running hard and our wide receivers block on the outside, which make for longer runs."

Palestine has had its share of long runs in the playoffs. The Wildcats have rushed for over 10 yards 22 times.

Against Silsbee, in the second half with Palestine leading 20-9, the Wildcats put together three straight running plays of over 14 yards by three different players. Jones had a 14-yard pickup to start the drive, followed by Williams' 18-yard quarterback keeper and then Nigel Cooper, who had 76 yards in the game, broke free for a 46-yard run to put Palestine inside the 10-yard line.

In the first quarter against Huffman, Palestine used four long runs by Jones to go 51 yards in just over two minutes. Jones had two runs of 10 yards, sandwiched around a run of 15. He then scored on a 12-yard run, giving Palestine a 21-0 lead.

Palestine has had success getting positive yardage on almost every play. Of the 75 running plays, Palestine has been stopped for no yardage or behind the line of scrimmage only nine times.

"We stress that our No. 1 priority is to get positive yards," Allison said. "It goes back to our offensive line getting a push and our running backs hitting the hole hard."

On defense, the Wildcats have not seemed to have any problems against two run-oriented teams.

Palestine has allowed 149 rushing yards on 67 carries, an average of 2.2 yards a carry and 74.5 yards a game.

"Our defense has had the ability to stop the run and has forced the other team to do something different," Tunstall said.

Palestine faced a triple-option threat against Silsbee and held the Tigers to 29 yards on 28 carries. Then against Huffman, a power running team, Palestine allowed 120 yards on 39 carries.

While the Palestine offense has been getting big plays on the ground, the Palestine defense has been stopping those kind of plays.

Palestine has allowed six runs of over 10 yards while the defense has stopped its opponent for either no gain or negative yardage 26 times.

Palestine has been able to put its opponents into third-and-long situations because of the Wildcats' ability to stop the run on the first two downs.

Palestine has put its opponents into third down and five or more yards situation 19 times in the playoffs. Five of those 19 third downs have been converted. Palestine has allowed its opponent to convert 25 percent of its third down conversions in the playoffs.

"We have a gap control defense and 11 guys flying to the football," Tunstall said. "Also our tackling is 100 percent better since district started."

[texasjeremy]

Hard work paying off for Palestine's kicking game

11-24-04
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


The kicking game.

It is an aspect of football that often gets overlooked because it is expected by many to be automatic. The only time it gets any notice is when mistakes are made.

But in Palestine, the kicking game is getting noticed for something else.

The Wildcats have been consistent in every aspect of kicking the football, from kickoffs to field goals and punts.

"In the 12 games we have played, I believe we have had the best special teams in each game," Palestine head coach Glen Tunstall said.


Senior Mark Gold, who is the long snapper on punts and the holder for extra points and field goals, knows the job he and the rest of the special team players do is not glamorous, but it has to be done.

"I think it is the only position where you are expected to do everything right," Gold said. "But at the same time, we have made a huge difference in games."

The special teams was a big question mark when Palestine entered two-a-day practices in the summer. The Wildcats were unsure who their place kicker was going to be as they had a soccer player going out for a position he had never played.

The Wildcats were looking to quarterback Fred Williams to do the punting, something the coaching staff did not want to do, but they did not have any other options at the time.

A week into two-a-day practices and those question marks seemed to be answered.

Cason Davis, who has played on the Palestine soccer team, decided to play football and worked hard during the summer to earn the job.

"I have been playing soccer for so long so I had some experience and I felt I could help out," Davis said. "It is not what I expected but I have been doing better than I thought I could."

Davis has made over 90 percent of his extra-point attempts, including going 11-of-12 during the playoffs. He also made a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the first quarter of Palestine's Friday night playoff win over Huffman-Hargrave.

"Cason came out to kick during the summer and the rest is history," Tunstall said. "We have confidence in Cason that he is good from 40 yards and I would not hesitate to go to him with the game on the line."

Davis helped Palestine win its final non-district game of the season, 27-24, in overtime against Tatum.

Davis made a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter to get Palestine on the board and then in overtime, he made the eventual 30-yard field goal.

"With Cason, whatever you ask him to do, he will give it a try," Palestine's special team's coordinator Joe Estes said. "He will make it at the next level."

Davis said the key to kicking is focus and forget.

"It is a real mental game where you need to focus and then forget when you make a mistake and move on," Davis said.

Gold helped get Palestine its punter as the senior talked his brother, John, into coming out for the team.

"I knew we needed a punter and I knew he could do it," Mark Gold said.

John Gold added, "I knew we had a chance to be good and I wanted to be a part of the team."

Gold has averaged almost 35 yards per punt. His shortest punt of the season is 25 yards, meaning he is pinning opponents into its own territory each time he kicks.

"John Gold is a weapon for us," Tunstall said. "He has pinned people inside the 10- or 15-yard line and has not had one blocked."

Estes said John Gold has the ability to kick the ball with enough height, allowing players time to get down the field to cover the return man.

"In several games, John has been an impact in field position," Estes said.

Joseph Totah came out for the team and has become Palestine's kicker on the kickoffs.

"My job is to pin back teams and set the tone," Totah said.

Most of the time, Palestine uses the pooch kickoffs, pinning its opponents inside the 30-yard line.

"Joseph can kick to the 5-yard line every time, but our starters on defense are on the kickoff and we do not want them sprinting all the way down the field," Estes said. "Joseph kicks it exactly like we want it."

Mark Gold's job during the punt is to get the ball back to his brother and then be the first one down field.

"My goal is to make the guy fair catch the ball," Mark Gold said.

Palestine may have advantage over other teams because the Wildcat kickers have one responsibility on the team - to kick the football.

"It is a big help because they do not play other positions, so they can focus just on their kicking during practice," Estes said. "For two hours every day they get after it in practice and they could do it all day long."

The kicking group puts a lot of work into what it does during practice.

Davis said he kicks 20 extra points in a row then he goes from hash mark to mark, moving back 50 yards each time, kicking field goals.

John Gold punts over 100 balls during practice, working on such aspects as angling the ball and putting it inside the 10-yard line.

Mark Gold does not leave the practice field until he has 50 straight perfect snaps.

"We have three perfectionists in the kicking game and it shows during practice," Estes said.

The players did not just start kicking during two-a-day practices, but spent the summer working hard on their craft.

"One of the biggest differences is the work we put in during the summer," Mark Gold said. "It just did not start when the season started."

[texasjeremy]

Palestine secondary playing on an island

11-24-04
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


Welcome to Palestine's version of Survivor - the Wildcat secondary.

The Palestine defensive backs have one of the biggest responsibilities on the team - being on an island - trying to cover receivers one-on-one.

"In our type of scheme, there is more pressure on the secondary than any other group on defense," Palestine defensive coordinator Booker Bowie said. "They are on an island, by themselves, and it is hard to cover man-to-man for three seconds."

The Palestine secondary has taken the challenge of zero coverage, meaning there is no help from a safety.

"You are just one-on-one so you have to stay focused," senior defensive back LeSean Hunt said. "We have confidence anyone of our defensive backs can cover anyone else on the field."


Palestine has depth at the defensive back position. Along with Hunt are seniors Nigel Cooper, Rodrick Johnson, Eric Turner and Roy Stubblefield.

Sophomore Ben Beckworth also has been forced into some coverage situations, including in Diboll, where Cooper and Beckworth double teamed the Red Devils' dangerous receiver Jermichael Finley.

"We have some of the best defensive backs in the state," Palestine head coach Glen Tunstall said. "Having depth has been a real positive for us because many of them play multiple positions."

Cooper, who has started at one of the cornerback positions for most of the year, is the only returning starter.

"Nigel is a great athlete who has the skills to cover one-on-one and is a great tackler," Bowie said. "He is such an impact player."

Cooper has two interceptions on the season, with his biggest coming in the first quarter against Westwood. With Palestine trailing 7-0 and Westwood having recovered a turnover in Wildcat territory, Cooper came up with the interception and return which swung the momentum in Palestine's favor.

Hunt has secured one of the other starting cornerback spots for Palestine.

"LeSean is not afraid to put a hit on someone," Bowie said. "He has good reactions and good technique to read the football and then he breaks on it and makes big plays."

Hunt is tied with the team-high in four interceptions, all coming in three straight games. He returned an interception for a 40-yard touchdown against Crockett.

"Whenever you get an interception, you are thinking about getting it to the end zone," Hunt said.

Johnson has been a big addition for the team. Since the start of district play he has had four interceptions.

"Rodrick has ended up getting a lot of playing time and he has been a big positive for our defense," Bowie said.

Johnson stepped up in Friday's playoff game against Huffman-Hargrave when he was playing for an injured Cooper. Johnson got an interception in the first quarter and took it back to the 6-yard line, which turned into a touchdown by the offense.

"There is no drop off when Rodrick comes in," Palestine secondary coach Jim French said.

Turner did not play football as a junior, but he came out this year and quickly won a starting job at a strong safety spot.

"Eric came out and he worked really hard," French said. "His attitude has been great and he has been very valuable on defense."

Turner started the year playing both offense and defense, but he said once he moved solely to defense, it became easier for him.

"I was getting burnt once a game at the beginning, but once I started to focus on defense, that changed," Turner said.

Stubblefield, who has been hampered the last few weeks with an ankle injury, has Palestine's other interception return for a touchdown. It occurred against Henderson.

"Roy is one of our fastest players on the team and is good covering the tight end," Bowie said.

French said the best attribute of the secondary as a whole is its aggressiveness.

"They get out there and attack and do not sit back," French said. "They are a good bunch and are all similar in their personality in how they play the game."

Being aggressive seemed to hurt the Palestine secondary at the start of the season as the Wildcats were giving up some big pass plays.

"In our scheme, we are going to give up some big plays," Bowie said. "But the key is to forget about those plays and move on to the next one."

When Palestine got into district, the Wildcats were giving up some big pass plays, but the secondary started to make big plays too. Of Palestine's 14 interceptions, 13 came since the beginning of district.

"They are understanding their roles better," French said of the change by the secondary. "Earlier in the season, they felt and played like they were on an island. They are getting better at what they are doing and they understand their roles."

The players in the secondary took some of the early criticism.

"Teams thought we were the weakness," Cooper said. "It was an insult but it also made us motivated."

Turner added, "Even some of our fans were telling us how bad we were."

But Turner and his teammates have had the last laugh.

"They have all jumped onto the bandwagon now."