trojan37
10-23-2008, 09:45 AM
Abbott, a small town located between West and Hillsboro, has been dominating in 6-man football so far this year. How do you ask? They have not played a full game yet. That's right, every game has ended due to the mercy rule. Last week they played against an undefeated Milford team and still ended it on the mercy rule. As high scoring as these games usually are I find this pretty amazing.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
By Chad Conine
Tribune-Herald staff writer
ABBOTT — Give a football coach in classes 1A through 5A a core group of nine or 10 outstanding football players, and it’ll put a bounce in his step.
Abbott coach Terry Crawford has that kind of group, but his problem is finding playing time for all of them on the six-man field.
“There’s been many a game this year that we play about a quarter,” Abbott senior quarterback Kyle Crawford said. “One game we had 51 after a quarter. There’s six more guys on the sideline that are just as capable of coming in and moving the ball.”
The Panthers, individually, haven’t logged enough playing time to pile up gaudy stats. But the lack of numbers comes as a result of the wealth of talent that has turned Abbott into a juggernaut.
Dominating opponents in six-man often means a game is literally over by halftime — after the first half, if one team is ahead by 45 or more, they call it a night. The Panthers (8-0) have yet to play an entire game this season as they’ve won by an average margin of 49 points.
Even with all the lopsided wins, Abbott doesn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher yet and Crawford, the 2007 Super Centex Six-Man Player of the Year, has passed for a measly 325 yards.
“My stats have gone down,” Crawford acknowledged, “but that’s just a tribute to a better offense in general.”
Abbott has produced star players over the years — athletes like J.R. Price and Brad Russell helped carry the Panthers to their perch as Central Texas’ most consistently strong six-man program.
This season, however, Abbott lacks star power in a sense.
Sure, the Panthers have the productivity at the tailback position that they’ve been accustomed to. Hunter Johnson and Bryan Price combine to total 1,576 rushing yards and 31 TDs, while Abbott’s third tailback, Ethan Watson, has been just as productive with 26 carries for 241 yards.
“We have three really good tailbacks and a lot of people don’t know about the third one, Terry Crawford said. “If Ethan was the only tailback we had, he’d be a pretty darn good one.”
That’s the case all over the field in Abbott.
Panthers split end Colton Snokhous has just 11 catches on the season, eight of which went for touchdowns.
That points to how little Abbott needs to pass as Snokhous is actually hogging receptions from other quality receivers. Travis Russell averages 25 yards per catch, but he’s only caught four balls, as Crawford doesn’t drop back very often.
“You look at our passing stats and think we’re not throwing the ball,” Terry Crawford said. “We’re not because we don’t have to. When we do, we’re real effective.”
Making chances count
Abbott players know to make the most of each opportunity because there likely won’t be very many.
Snokhous and fullback Chris Rodgers, who has scored nine touchdowns despite getting only 23 carries, realize that if they touch the ball, they should go ahead and score in case they don’t touch it again.
“Some nights you might only get to play half a quarter,” Snokhous said. “It stinks.”
At least the Panthers aren’t limited to offensive or defensive duty. Going both ways is one of the facts of life in six-man, and the Abbott players make the most of their time on defense.
Kyle Crawford admitted, as a coach’s son, he began focusing on offensive film sessions long before he entered high school. However, he’s grown to appreciate the other side of the game.
“I like shutting people down as much as I enjoy scoring,” he said.
The Panthers’ tremendous depth might serve them best on defense, where they’re able to rotate nine players into the game and stay fresh at almost every position.
Abbott flexed its defensive prowess Friday when it held previously unbeaten Milford to zero first downs and 21 yards of total offense.
“Our defense is amazing,” Terry Crawford said. “We’re doing things in six-man that I haven’t heard of before.”
Those types of statistics are becoming commonplace for Abbott, which has given up only seven points per game.
The Panthers believe their depth gives them fresh legs on defense and versatility on offense.
Ready for a challenge?
One question remains: Will Abbott will be ready when it’s inevitably pushed to a four-quarter game?
If the Panthers finish off an unbeaten run through the regular season and win their first-round playoff game, they’ll likely meet Calvert in the second round.
Calvert holds the top spot in the sixmanfootball.com Division I rankings, while Abbott has climbed to No. 3.
If the time comes for Abbott and Calvert to face off, many six-man football fans will be watching to see whether or not the Panthers can go the distance.
“A lot of people have questioned our ability to play four quarters,” Kyle Crawford said. “It’s a bonus to have 10 or 12 guys that can play at a high level. You know that if someone were to go down or need a breather, there’s another guy that can be ready to step in.”
cconine@wacotrib.com
LINK (http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/content/sports/highschools/stories/2008/10/23/10232008wacabbott.html)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
By Chad Conine
Tribune-Herald staff writer
ABBOTT — Give a football coach in classes 1A through 5A a core group of nine or 10 outstanding football players, and it’ll put a bounce in his step.
Abbott coach Terry Crawford has that kind of group, but his problem is finding playing time for all of them on the six-man field.
“There’s been many a game this year that we play about a quarter,” Abbott senior quarterback Kyle Crawford said. “One game we had 51 after a quarter. There’s six more guys on the sideline that are just as capable of coming in and moving the ball.”
The Panthers, individually, haven’t logged enough playing time to pile up gaudy stats. But the lack of numbers comes as a result of the wealth of talent that has turned Abbott into a juggernaut.
Dominating opponents in six-man often means a game is literally over by halftime — after the first half, if one team is ahead by 45 or more, they call it a night. The Panthers (8-0) have yet to play an entire game this season as they’ve won by an average margin of 49 points.
Even with all the lopsided wins, Abbott doesn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher yet and Crawford, the 2007 Super Centex Six-Man Player of the Year, has passed for a measly 325 yards.
“My stats have gone down,” Crawford acknowledged, “but that’s just a tribute to a better offense in general.”
Abbott has produced star players over the years — athletes like J.R. Price and Brad Russell helped carry the Panthers to their perch as Central Texas’ most consistently strong six-man program.
This season, however, Abbott lacks star power in a sense.
Sure, the Panthers have the productivity at the tailback position that they’ve been accustomed to. Hunter Johnson and Bryan Price combine to total 1,576 rushing yards and 31 TDs, while Abbott’s third tailback, Ethan Watson, has been just as productive with 26 carries for 241 yards.
“We have three really good tailbacks and a lot of people don’t know about the third one, Terry Crawford said. “If Ethan was the only tailback we had, he’d be a pretty darn good one.”
That’s the case all over the field in Abbott.
Panthers split end Colton Snokhous has just 11 catches on the season, eight of which went for touchdowns.
That points to how little Abbott needs to pass as Snokhous is actually hogging receptions from other quality receivers. Travis Russell averages 25 yards per catch, but he’s only caught four balls, as Crawford doesn’t drop back very often.
“You look at our passing stats and think we’re not throwing the ball,” Terry Crawford said. “We’re not because we don’t have to. When we do, we’re real effective.”
Making chances count
Abbott players know to make the most of each opportunity because there likely won’t be very many.
Snokhous and fullback Chris Rodgers, who has scored nine touchdowns despite getting only 23 carries, realize that if they touch the ball, they should go ahead and score in case they don’t touch it again.
“Some nights you might only get to play half a quarter,” Snokhous said. “It stinks.”
At least the Panthers aren’t limited to offensive or defensive duty. Going both ways is one of the facts of life in six-man, and the Abbott players make the most of their time on defense.
Kyle Crawford admitted, as a coach’s son, he began focusing on offensive film sessions long before he entered high school. However, he’s grown to appreciate the other side of the game.
“I like shutting people down as much as I enjoy scoring,” he said.
The Panthers’ tremendous depth might serve them best on defense, where they’re able to rotate nine players into the game and stay fresh at almost every position.
Abbott flexed its defensive prowess Friday when it held previously unbeaten Milford to zero first downs and 21 yards of total offense.
“Our defense is amazing,” Terry Crawford said. “We’re doing things in six-man that I haven’t heard of before.”
Those types of statistics are becoming commonplace for Abbott, which has given up only seven points per game.
The Panthers believe their depth gives them fresh legs on defense and versatility on offense.
Ready for a challenge?
One question remains: Will Abbott will be ready when it’s inevitably pushed to a four-quarter game?
If the Panthers finish off an unbeaten run through the regular season and win their first-round playoff game, they’ll likely meet Calvert in the second round.
Calvert holds the top spot in the sixmanfootball.com Division I rankings, while Abbott has climbed to No. 3.
If the time comes for Abbott and Calvert to face off, many six-man football fans will be watching to see whether or not the Panthers can go the distance.
“A lot of people have questioned our ability to play four quarters,” Kyle Crawford said. “It’s a bonus to have 10 or 12 guys that can play at a high level. You know that if someone were to go down or need a breather, there’s another guy that can be ready to step in.”
cconine@wacotrib.com
LINK (http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/content/sports/highschools/stories/2008/10/23/10232008wacabbott.html)