Bellville/Fairfield

[Bellville22]

Haven't seen Fairfield this year, and really haven't heard anything about them beyond beating Rockdale. Just wondering if anyone from Fairfield would write a little bit about what we can expect to see come friday, I'm sure one of the guys from Bellville or myself will be glad to do the same for you. I know it should be a good one, they always are this far down the road. It's just nice to know who the standouts are and who to watch for when you get to the game friday. Thanks, and good luck to all.

[Brahma73]

Hey 22, looks like no one wants to stick his neck out!!! As far as BHS is concerned, same old stuff. We're getting more and more diverse and explosive on offense every week. We'll open it up because our skill people, especially QB, are really confident right now. Even when teams think they've shut down our run, we've got 150-200. Not exactly chopped liver. And while opponents load the box, we'll pass you into submission with well-timed effective passes...and ask Liberty if we're afraid to go deep. (6 completions for 250 yards!!! eek!

Defensively, we're certainly not world class, but by God we'll make you earn what you get. We'll bend often, but break seldom. It'll take a good team to win, because we're making fewer & fewer mistakes. Almost no penalties at all in Liberty game. Only one turnover.

BUT, these are the play-offs and anything can happen. No patsies left at this point. Last weekend proved anybody can win! But with Bellville's D being pretty good, the O clicking, and Goeke kickin' 'em from all over the field, I'd be surprised to see the Bulls drop this one.

Good luck and safe play to both teams.

Keep up the good work B22!!!

GO BULLS!!!! :D :D :D

[eaglefan24]

Well I guess I'll be the one to give an overview of Fairfield.

We'll have to start with the defense. The Eagles are ranked #1 on defense in the Central Texas Area according to yardage at less than 165 yards per game given up (according to the Waco Tribune Herald). Against Rockdale the Eagles gave up only 81 yards of total offense, and only 17 of that in the second half. The defense starts with the linebacking brother duo of Chris (Sr.) and Kyle (Soph.) Lightsey. These brothers also double in the Eagle backfield. Chris was all-state as a sophomore and Kyle was district newcomer of the year as a freshman last year. They are the team's leading tacklers. The defensive ends are the overlooked ones on the team though. Roderick Promise and Rashad Manning have given QB's fits all year long, and Rockdale's Maldonado was no exception (he was sacked 5 times over the course of the night, not including countless pressures). The Eagle secondary is led by Jr. cornerback Brian Evans who has an CenTex leading 8 INT's on the season with one returned for a TD. The defense is very solid, especially against the run...but over the course of the year the pass rush has looked more and more as the premiere scheme of the defense.

Onto the offense. Fairfield is only in their second year out of the wishbone offense, and finally they have started to understand it. Chance Elliot (Jr.) leads the team at quarterback and is the team's leading rusher in yardage at almost 800 yds. on the season. He has also completed 12 TD passes on the season I believe, and that is against 7 INT's (but 4 of those were in the first 3 games of the year). He has grown up over the year and has become the distinct leader of the team. The Eagles also shuffle in 3 tailbacks, all of which have their own running styles. Kyle Lightsey is the leading tailback with almost 700 yds, but 15 TD's. Shane Garner brings his scatback and big play ability to the table, and Roderick Promise is the most underrated player in the backfield with a bruising running style that nobody has been able to stop. Elliot likes to spread the ball around when he throws it as well. Friday night he completed passes to 7 different receivers. Brian Evans and Brady Dove lead the team in receptions and yardage, and Evans definitely has big play ability.

The achilles heel of the Eagles comes at special teams, on the field goal unit. Evans is also the kicker, and a very able one at that but protection tends to fail him at times. The punting unit is good for the Eagles with Jace Emmert rated as the #3 punter in CenTex.

Anyways, I hope that is a pretty good overview for ya'll and I hope that the game turns out as well as it should. Good luck to both teams and Go Eagles!

[Bellville22]

Thanks eaglefan24, excellent analysis.

Sounds like you guys have a pretty solid team, and judging by what you wrote, might be the kind of team that can beat us. The Wishbone could be the kind of offense that gives us fits, especially with guys who can cover the different types of runs out of it. Liberty showed alot of 3 back and we certainly struggled with it at times. We're not quite the D we were last year, especially after losing our stud to an ACL 1st game of the year. We're not a wall when it comes to running up the middle, and although we're very fast, have been letting guys get the corner lately, alot of which I think has to do w/ covering the different options of the running game. Instead of playing responsibilities, we seem to get caught peeking inside, and they'll pitch and have the corner. But like Brahma73 said, we'll bend and bend, but hardly ever break, that determination and refusal to back down has been key, especially last week.

SOunds like the D is the heart of your team, and I wouldn't argue w/ you seeing those numbers. I will say, however, and don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be cocky at all, but I don't think you've seen an offense as good, certainly not better than ours. For the first time in years, we've been able to rely on it more than our D when we need to. We're very versitile, and as long as our QB doesn't force the ball, tough to stop. Our coach has gotten better about taking what the defense gives us, if you stack the box, our QB can throw w/ the best of 'em, but if you think pass, we've got 2 very good, and very different backs that can do some damage.

Should be a classic showdown, the offensive/defensive matchups should be excellent. Hopefully the weather takes a break and gives us a nice night. Although I'm not as confident about this pick as I have been the last 2 weeks (hey Bellvillians, how bout being dead on last week?), I'm gonna stick w/ my boys to come thru in a thriller.

Bellville 17
Fairfield 13