Orange Defense
12-12-2008, 10:58 AM
Unification bout -- Last year's state champs square off
BY BILL SPINKS
HERALD DEMOCRAT
CELINA -- Two seasons removed from the first epic clash between Celina and Liberty Hill, little has changed to tip the balance for or against either state champion.
In 2006, Celina was the brash newcomer to Class 3A, owning seven championships at a lower level. Liberty Hill was a power on the rise using coach Jerry Vance's Slot-T offense.
It took almost the entire 48 minutes to decide a winner in Waco that day before Liberty Hill's Gio Magallon booted a 31-yard field goal with six seconds left for a 22-19 win, handing the Bobcats their first-ever loss in a state final.
Two years later, the Bobcats -- who bounced back to the top of Division II in 2007 for their state-record eighth championship after being denied by Liberty Hill -- finally get their chance for revenge against the Panthers, who lifted the 3A Division I trophy last December after a 38-13 win over Gilmer.
This time, it's merely a state semifinal collision. But no hype is needed for Saturday's 5 p.m. unification bout between title-belt holders in the cozy squared circle of Midlothian ISD Stadium.
"Everybody knows the situation we're in," said Celina coach Butch Ford. "Over the last three years the two premier teams in 3A have been Liberty Hill and Celina, no question. We felt we should've won the first time, but we didn't make the plays. Both teams are the cream of the crop. I don't need to build it up any more. It is what it is."
Liberty Hill -- which ended a 31-game Celina streak in that 2006 showdown -- now has won 38 in a row in the tricky ground-oriented offense that was popularized by Bruce Bush at San Marcos and is now adhered-to by a growing number of Texas prep coaches, including Bonham's John Hall.
Quarterback Braden Fickel, running backs Dusty Boyd and Matt McCain -- all seniors -- and sophomore fullback Ryan Fickel lead a ball-control offense that runs behind a large and fundamentally-sound offensive line, moves the chains, shortens the game, and keeps the opposing offense off the field.
"They're better physically than we are; they're big and strong," Ford said. "Their win streak speaks for itself."
Vance coached Liberty Hill to a 5-5 record in his first year at the school in 2001, and has piloted the Panthers to double-digit campaigns since. Vance succeeded Hal Wasson, who was an unimpressive 5-15 in his two seasons in Liberty Hill. Wasson went on to find fame as Todd Dodge's top assistant at Southlake Carroll and later, after a stint at head coach at Keller Fossil Ridge, Dodge's successor after Dodge left for North Texas.
Vance's Panthers have been tested this year against a beefed-up schedule, with a 28-26 season-opening win over still-alive Giddings and a 28-25 victory over big-school state semifinalist Abilene Wylie. Five of their 14 wins have been by 11 points or fewer.
The Bobcat defense is assigned the tough job of slowing down a Liberty Hill offense whose season scoring low was 27 points in the Panthers' playoff opener against West.
"We're always ready to step it up; it's 'Celina Time,' " said Celina linebacker Jay Perez, citing the Bobcats' motto for 2008.
In comparison, the Bobcats are no slouches on offense themselves. Celina has accomplished a school first by scoring 50 or more points in each of its first four playoff games.
Senior Troy McCartney has a combined 2,022 rushing and receiving yards out of the backfield, and 27 total touchdowns on the year.
Speedy junior quarterback Cody Worrell is also on the verge of quadruple-digit rushing numbers, and senior Charley Waldrep -- a 1,700-yard rusher in 2007 -- seems tightly-coiled for a breakout as he emerges from a chronic series of lower-body injuries.
McCartney is also the team's leading pass-catcher with 35 receptions for 481 yards and seven TDs, although late-blooming senior Andy James is the main deep threat with eight TDs and a 23.9-yards-per-catch average.
Liberty Hill bases out of a split formation defensively and is led by linebacker Cody Lattimore, who reminds the Bobcat coaches of their own defensive leader in the middle, Caleb Lavey.
"Lattimore's their stud," said Celina offensive coordinator Bill Elliott. "He runs to the football and will put a hit on you."
Elliott added he's also worried about junior linebacker Brad Esch, of whom, Elliott said, "I don't know if he isn't as good as Lattimore."
Counting subvarsity games, Saturday will be the 63rd high school contest that McCartney, Waldrep, James and their senior teammates will participate in since the start of 2005. Many prepsters would be fortunate to play more than 40 in four years.
"I'm real thankful to have that many high school games to play in," McCartney said. "People in Celina and even our teammates don't realize that we play twice as much football as any other high school kid around. Some schools don't even make the playoffs, and we're just really thankful to make the playoffs every year. It's a blessing."
BY BILL SPINKS
HERALD DEMOCRAT
CELINA -- Two seasons removed from the first epic clash between Celina and Liberty Hill, little has changed to tip the balance for or against either state champion.
In 2006, Celina was the brash newcomer to Class 3A, owning seven championships at a lower level. Liberty Hill was a power on the rise using coach Jerry Vance's Slot-T offense.
It took almost the entire 48 minutes to decide a winner in Waco that day before Liberty Hill's Gio Magallon booted a 31-yard field goal with six seconds left for a 22-19 win, handing the Bobcats their first-ever loss in a state final.
Two years later, the Bobcats -- who bounced back to the top of Division II in 2007 for their state-record eighth championship after being denied by Liberty Hill -- finally get their chance for revenge against the Panthers, who lifted the 3A Division I trophy last December after a 38-13 win over Gilmer.
This time, it's merely a state semifinal collision. But no hype is needed for Saturday's 5 p.m. unification bout between title-belt holders in the cozy squared circle of Midlothian ISD Stadium.
"Everybody knows the situation we're in," said Celina coach Butch Ford. "Over the last three years the two premier teams in 3A have been Liberty Hill and Celina, no question. We felt we should've won the first time, but we didn't make the plays. Both teams are the cream of the crop. I don't need to build it up any more. It is what it is."
Liberty Hill -- which ended a 31-game Celina streak in that 2006 showdown -- now has won 38 in a row in the tricky ground-oriented offense that was popularized by Bruce Bush at San Marcos and is now adhered-to by a growing number of Texas prep coaches, including Bonham's John Hall.
Quarterback Braden Fickel, running backs Dusty Boyd and Matt McCain -- all seniors -- and sophomore fullback Ryan Fickel lead a ball-control offense that runs behind a large and fundamentally-sound offensive line, moves the chains, shortens the game, and keeps the opposing offense off the field.
"They're better physically than we are; they're big and strong," Ford said. "Their win streak speaks for itself."
Vance coached Liberty Hill to a 5-5 record in his first year at the school in 2001, and has piloted the Panthers to double-digit campaigns since. Vance succeeded Hal Wasson, who was an unimpressive 5-15 in his two seasons in Liberty Hill. Wasson went on to find fame as Todd Dodge's top assistant at Southlake Carroll and later, after a stint at head coach at Keller Fossil Ridge, Dodge's successor after Dodge left for North Texas.
Vance's Panthers have been tested this year against a beefed-up schedule, with a 28-26 season-opening win over still-alive Giddings and a 28-25 victory over big-school state semifinalist Abilene Wylie. Five of their 14 wins have been by 11 points or fewer.
The Bobcat defense is assigned the tough job of slowing down a Liberty Hill offense whose season scoring low was 27 points in the Panthers' playoff opener against West.
"We're always ready to step it up; it's 'Celina Time,' " said Celina linebacker Jay Perez, citing the Bobcats' motto for 2008.
In comparison, the Bobcats are no slouches on offense themselves. Celina has accomplished a school first by scoring 50 or more points in each of its first four playoff games.
Senior Troy McCartney has a combined 2,022 rushing and receiving yards out of the backfield, and 27 total touchdowns on the year.
Speedy junior quarterback Cody Worrell is also on the verge of quadruple-digit rushing numbers, and senior Charley Waldrep -- a 1,700-yard rusher in 2007 -- seems tightly-coiled for a breakout as he emerges from a chronic series of lower-body injuries.
McCartney is also the team's leading pass-catcher with 35 receptions for 481 yards and seven TDs, although late-blooming senior Andy James is the main deep threat with eight TDs and a 23.9-yards-per-catch average.
Liberty Hill bases out of a split formation defensively and is led by linebacker Cody Lattimore, who reminds the Bobcat coaches of their own defensive leader in the middle, Caleb Lavey.
"Lattimore's their stud," said Celina offensive coordinator Bill Elliott. "He runs to the football and will put a hit on you."
Elliott added he's also worried about junior linebacker Brad Esch, of whom, Elliott said, "I don't know if he isn't as good as Lattimore."
Counting subvarsity games, Saturday will be the 63rd high school contest that McCartney, Waldrep, James and their senior teammates will participate in since the start of 2005. Many prepsters would be fortunate to play more than 40 in four years.
"I'm real thankful to have that many high school games to play in," McCartney said. "People in Celina and even our teammates don't realize that we play twice as much football as any other high school kid around. Some schools don't even make the playoffs, and we're just really thankful to make the playoffs every year. It's a blessing."