Phantom Stang
09-12-2008, 07:37 PM
Mustangs go back into hostile territory
Written by Ron Howell
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Being a second-half team is a good thing, but waiting until the second half to play is another matter.
Of Sweetwater's 35 points through two games, 25 have come after intermission and the Mustangs' offense has yet to produce a first-half touchdown. With a tough road game at Monahans this Friday, Sweetwater (1-1) will probably have to remedy that problem in order to win its second game of the season. Friday's game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
After being held scoreless in the first half of a 10-6 opening loss to Burkburnett, Sweetwater trailed Seminole 14-3 last week and was faced with the possibility of an even bigger deficit until Steven Fields returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown to spark a 29-22 comeback victory.
The offense scored three second-half touchdowns, two on runs by Fields and the other on a run by Daniel Jackson, after managing just one TD in the first six quarters of the season.
Last week's win has head coach Kent Jackson encouraged that his team headed in the right direction as it tries to navigate its way through one of the toughest Class 3A schedules in the state.
"I think we did a lot better job of executing," he said Wednesday. "We made some vast improvements. We're very, very pleased with the job the kids did last week. We just got off to a slow start; we were flat emotionally. But once we got the interception and got a spark, we were fine. Our offensive line played a lot better than the week before."
After this week, Sweetwater has home games against former district rival Clyde, which is 2-0 after routing Graham last Friday, and a 1-1 Big Spring squad which upset Snyder in its opener and was tied with Denison before losing 44-37 on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining, followed by an open date to help the Mustangs rest up for five harrowing weeks of play in 2-3A, the state's best Class 3A district.
But Jackson's immediate concern is getting past Monahans, which has a rich history with Sweetwater dating back to some epic battles in the 1980s and early '90s when they were fierce district rivals in Class 4A before dropping to 3A. The teams have met three times in this decade, most recently in the 2005 state quarterfinals when Sweetwater won 35-16.
In addition to having the homefield advantage, Monahans (1-0) will be well-rested. The Loboes enjoyed a week off after beginning their season Aug. 30 with a 41-10 win over Midland Christian.
"We know they'll be chomping at the bit after having a week off," Jackson said. "It's hard to play them at their home. They have such a great tradition."
Monahans will rely heavily on running back Steven Neel, who rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns against Midland Christian. Quarterback Quincy Titus added 110 yards and one score on just eight carries, and also threw for a touchdown to wide receiver Sean Britton. Titus and Britton are both two-way starters.
Jackson is also quite impressed with Monahans' defensive line which includes two big tackles, 300-pound Shaquille Smith and 290-pound Stetson Standish, along with ends Ryan Layman and Trevor Owens, son of head coach Mickey Owens. Layton returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown against Midland Christian.
After struggling in the first half against Seminole, Sweetwater's defense rebounded sharply after intermission. The Mustang defenders allowed just two first downs until late in the fourth quarter when Sweet-water had a 29-14 lead. Seminole's final touchdown came with just 26.9 seconds to play, and Sweetwater recovered an onsides kick to seal the victory and avoid starting 0-2 for the second straight year.
“I don’t know that any win is more important than another, but to win out there (Monahans) would be a major deal,” Jackson said. “It will be a great challenge for our kids, and we’re anxious to see if we can make that happen.”
Written by Ron Howell
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Being a second-half team is a good thing, but waiting until the second half to play is another matter.
Of Sweetwater's 35 points through two games, 25 have come after intermission and the Mustangs' offense has yet to produce a first-half touchdown. With a tough road game at Monahans this Friday, Sweetwater (1-1) will probably have to remedy that problem in order to win its second game of the season. Friday's game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.
After being held scoreless in the first half of a 10-6 opening loss to Burkburnett, Sweetwater trailed Seminole 14-3 last week and was faced with the possibility of an even bigger deficit until Steven Fields returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown to spark a 29-22 comeback victory.
The offense scored three second-half touchdowns, two on runs by Fields and the other on a run by Daniel Jackson, after managing just one TD in the first six quarters of the season.
Last week's win has head coach Kent Jackson encouraged that his team headed in the right direction as it tries to navigate its way through one of the toughest Class 3A schedules in the state.
"I think we did a lot better job of executing," he said Wednesday. "We made some vast improvements. We're very, very pleased with the job the kids did last week. We just got off to a slow start; we were flat emotionally. But once we got the interception and got a spark, we were fine. Our offensive line played a lot better than the week before."
After this week, Sweetwater has home games against former district rival Clyde, which is 2-0 after routing Graham last Friday, and a 1-1 Big Spring squad which upset Snyder in its opener and was tied with Denison before losing 44-37 on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining, followed by an open date to help the Mustangs rest up for five harrowing weeks of play in 2-3A, the state's best Class 3A district.
But Jackson's immediate concern is getting past Monahans, which has a rich history with Sweetwater dating back to some epic battles in the 1980s and early '90s when they were fierce district rivals in Class 4A before dropping to 3A. The teams have met three times in this decade, most recently in the 2005 state quarterfinals when Sweetwater won 35-16.
In addition to having the homefield advantage, Monahans (1-0) will be well-rested. The Loboes enjoyed a week off after beginning their season Aug. 30 with a 41-10 win over Midland Christian.
"We know they'll be chomping at the bit after having a week off," Jackson said. "It's hard to play them at their home. They have such a great tradition."
Monahans will rely heavily on running back Steven Neel, who rushed for 233 yards and four touchdowns against Midland Christian. Quarterback Quincy Titus added 110 yards and one score on just eight carries, and also threw for a touchdown to wide receiver Sean Britton. Titus and Britton are both two-way starters.
Jackson is also quite impressed with Monahans' defensive line which includes two big tackles, 300-pound Shaquille Smith and 290-pound Stetson Standish, along with ends Ryan Layman and Trevor Owens, son of head coach Mickey Owens. Layton returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown against Midland Christian.
After struggling in the first half against Seminole, Sweetwater's defense rebounded sharply after intermission. The Mustang defenders allowed just two first downs until late in the fourth quarter when Sweet-water had a 29-14 lead. Seminole's final touchdown came with just 26.9 seconds to play, and Sweetwater recovered an onsides kick to seal the victory and avoid starting 0-2 for the second straight year.
“I don’t know that any win is more important than another, but to win out there (Monahans) would be a major deal,” Jackson said. “It will be a great challenge for our kids, and we’re anxious to see if we can make that happen.”