LH Panther Mom
10-12-2007, 02:18 PM
Central Texas high school football midseason report: The first half
Friday, October 12, 2007
THE FIRST HALF
Staff writer Danny Davis' look back to the first weeks of the regular season:
BEST GAME
SEPT. 27: LEANDER 37, PFLUGERVILLE 36
Leander's Steve Gideon has beaten Pflugerville six times in his seven years as Lions coach, but he had to sweat a little bit for his latest victory. The regionally televised Thursday night game nearly went to overtime, but Pflugerville missed an extra-point attempt with 46 seconds left.
Good ones:Austin High 27, Westlake 24 (Sept. 28); Round Rock 17, Bowie 14 (Sept. 7); Belton 47, Shoemaker 45 (Oct. 5).
THREE QUESTIONS
1. Who has been Central Texas' best quarterback so far?
McCallum's Kevin Lusson, who has thrown for 899 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lusson, whose stats may have to do with playing Johnston and Reagan the past three weeks, will get to a chance to prove himself against LBJ and Manor.
2. What's been the key to Stony Point's turnaround?
Its offense, which can punish teams on the ground or in the air. The Tigers have a player in the top three among Central Texas Class 5A players in passing (Nykolas Mckissic), rushing (Ryan Nunn) and receiving (Seth Patterson).
3. What's wrong with Wimberley?
The Texans can attribute a portion of their 1-5 start to a nondistrict schedule that included losses to No. 1-ranked Giddings and No. 2 Liberty Hill. And the offense that returned only two starters is scoring less than 20 points a game.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
1. Blake Gideon, Leander
Gideon has established himself as a major force on both sides of the ball. With two interceptions, he put on a defensive showcase in Leander's 30-12 win in the Texas Football Classic. When he's the Leander quarterback, he averages more than 12 yards a carry, including touchdown runs of 49 and 78 yards.
2. R.P. Stuart, Anderson
Stuart has only 16 catches, but he is making them count. Going into tonight's game against Westlake, Stuart is averaging a ridiculous 26.2 yards per catch and has three touchdowns. He has put up impressive statistics in his running game too, averaging 6.7 yards a carry with four touchdowns.
3. Xavier Canto, Caldwell
The Hornets are 4-0 in part because of Canto's 11.7 average yards per carry and his eight touchdowns.
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT
HOT: Omasha Brantley, LBJ
Brantley has rushed for 498 yards and 10 TDs in his last three games. However, all three of those games have been in District 17-4A,
NOT: District 17-4A
The bottom four teams in the district have combined for one win, and Johnston might not play another official game this season.
HOT: Andre Smith, Shoemaker
Smith is a textbook definition of a double threat, throwing for 928 yards and running for 521.
NOT: New Braunfels Canyon
The Cougars won last week to push to 2-3, a far cry from the 7-3 team last year.
HOT: Lanham Bass, St. Michael's
Although he plays for a private school, Bass is fourth among all Central Texas receivers with 27 catches.
NOT: Defensive schemes against Giddings, Liberty Hill
Here's a hint: They're going to run the ball. The 3A powerhouses, both 5-0, have combined for 3,552 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns while they have passed for only a combined 333 yards. How do teams not stop this?
link (http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/10/12/1012prepfirst.html)
Friday, October 12, 2007
THE FIRST HALF
Staff writer Danny Davis' look back to the first weeks of the regular season:
BEST GAME
SEPT. 27: LEANDER 37, PFLUGERVILLE 36
Leander's Steve Gideon has beaten Pflugerville six times in his seven years as Lions coach, but he had to sweat a little bit for his latest victory. The regionally televised Thursday night game nearly went to overtime, but Pflugerville missed an extra-point attempt with 46 seconds left.
Good ones:Austin High 27, Westlake 24 (Sept. 28); Round Rock 17, Bowie 14 (Sept. 7); Belton 47, Shoemaker 45 (Oct. 5).
THREE QUESTIONS
1. Who has been Central Texas' best quarterback so far?
McCallum's Kevin Lusson, who has thrown for 899 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lusson, whose stats may have to do with playing Johnston and Reagan the past three weeks, will get to a chance to prove himself against LBJ and Manor.
2. What's been the key to Stony Point's turnaround?
Its offense, which can punish teams on the ground or in the air. The Tigers have a player in the top three among Central Texas Class 5A players in passing (Nykolas Mckissic), rushing (Ryan Nunn) and receiving (Seth Patterson).
3. What's wrong with Wimberley?
The Texans can attribute a portion of their 1-5 start to a nondistrict schedule that included losses to No. 1-ranked Giddings and No. 2 Liberty Hill. And the offense that returned only two starters is scoring less than 20 points a game.
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
1. Blake Gideon, Leander
Gideon has established himself as a major force on both sides of the ball. With two interceptions, he put on a defensive showcase in Leander's 30-12 win in the Texas Football Classic. When he's the Leander quarterback, he averages more than 12 yards a carry, including touchdown runs of 49 and 78 yards.
2. R.P. Stuart, Anderson
Stuart has only 16 catches, but he is making them count. Going into tonight's game against Westlake, Stuart is averaging a ridiculous 26.2 yards per catch and has three touchdowns. He has put up impressive statistics in his running game too, averaging 6.7 yards a carry with four touchdowns.
3. Xavier Canto, Caldwell
The Hornets are 4-0 in part because of Canto's 11.7 average yards per carry and his eight touchdowns.
WHO'S HOT, WHO'S NOT
HOT: Omasha Brantley, LBJ
Brantley has rushed for 498 yards and 10 TDs in his last three games. However, all three of those games have been in District 17-4A,
NOT: District 17-4A
The bottom four teams in the district have combined for one win, and Johnston might not play another official game this season.
HOT: Andre Smith, Shoemaker
Smith is a textbook definition of a double threat, throwing for 928 yards and running for 521.
NOT: New Braunfels Canyon
The Cougars won last week to push to 2-3, a far cry from the 7-3 team last year.
HOT: Lanham Bass, St. Michael's
Although he plays for a private school, Bass is fourth among all Central Texas receivers with 27 catches.
NOT: Defensive schemes against Giddings, Liberty Hill
Here's a hint: They're going to run the ball. The 3A powerhouses, both 5-0, have combined for 3,552 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns while they have passed for only a combined 333 yards. How do teams not stop this?
link (http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/highschool/10/12/1012prepfirst.html)