Wise Old Owl

S/b “Punts”

HH pints out of end zone. CHS starts at HH 47 after holding penalty on return

CHS doesn’t take advantage of turnover. Gives the ball up on downs at the 9. Under 5 minutes left in half.

CB Ware intercepts for CHS. Returns to the HH 19.

29-yard TD run by Keaontay Ingram. Kick again fails. CHS 12-3 w/ 7:24 left in half

HH - 3 & out CHS takes over at HH 43 after nice punt return by Bowens

CHS turns the ballover on downs at their 49. 9-1/2 minutes left in half. 6-3 CHS

CHS 6, HH3 w/ 1:02 left in Q1. 27-yard FG

HH punts for the 3rd straight time. CHS fumbles it, and HH recovers at CHS 30.

HH stops CHS’s 2nd possession with an INT at their 28.

HH has punted twice. Has 1 first down.

Keaontay scores the TD on a 2-yard run. Also had a 32-yard run during the 1st drive.

HH recovers onside kick to start the game. After 3 incomplete passes, they punt to the CHS 15.

CHS Bulldogs are the home team tonight. They’re in all red - helmets, jerseys & pants. Huffman Hargrove wears white helmets & jerseys. Their pants are black with big red stripes.

FWIW, here are the predictions for this week's games by Pigskin Preps: Carthage (10-0) over Huffman Hargrave (4-4) by 36 Kilgore (7-3) over Little Cypress-Mauriceville (4-4) by 12 Henderson (8-2) over Navasota (6-4) by 2 Silsbee (5-4) over Center (3-7) by 3

What high school team has?

I recall in the post-game interview after the Kilgore-Carthage game last month, Carthage Coach Scott Surratt mentioned that he and his defensive staff knew that Kilgore was likely going to have some success on offense early in the game until his defense had a chance to experience and adjust to Kilgore's great speed. And indeed that was the case, as Kilgore led Carthage for a large part of the first half.

Kilgore is averaging 40 points a game and giving up 33, or a TD less than they're scoring. The Bulldogs have 3 RBs averaging more than 75 rushing yards per game. Senior QB Buddy Jackson, 5-9, 160 lbs., averages 85 yards rushing and 65 yards passing. Through the air, he was 38-75 for 8 TDs during the regular season . He has run for 11 TDs. Senior RB Briant Mumphrey, averages 106 rushing yards per game. He has scored 17 rushing TDs and has another on a pass reception. Four of his TDs came last week in the playoff-clinching win over Bullard. Senior RB Javorie Hamilton, 5-9, 170 lbs., averages 79 rushing yards per game. He has 8 TDs rushing. Senior WR Jonathan Shepherd, who has verbally committed to play his college football at Oklahoma State, has 17 catches for 393 yards and 5 TDs. That is an impressive 23+ yards per catch.

What is his size? Any idea what his regular-season stats were?

As has been written previously on this site - and perhaps even this thread - Kilgore fell behind by 19 points to start last week's game against Bullard. Previously, I recall them falling behind by multiple scores to Gladewater in a non-district game in September. Did the Bulldogs fall behind early in other games this year? Any idea why this has happened?

Given that Center plays in what many consider to be the toughest 4A district in the state, the "District of Doom", I think this is an accurate statement. The 4th seed from District 9-AAAA is probably a tougher opponent than most 4th seeds. And they beat that district's 2nd seed in their last outing on November 3rd (for the 2nd year in a row). By the way, there is a strong rumor that Center will be dropping down to 4A Division II next year.

The most impressive game of Center's season thus far was their most recent one. For the second year in a row, the Roughriders upset Kilgore. This year, that win was imperative in order for the Roughriders to get into the playoffs. Kilgore scored the game's first 28 points before the Roughriders made their move and came away with a 49-35 win. [Yes, you read that right. Center overcame a 28-point deficit!] The Roughriders are a young team, but they have no doubt gained confidence since losing all 4 of their non-district games. I recall that their coach won three consecutive state championships while at AAA Daingerfield before arriving in Center. So they are a well-coached team that is no doubt excited about qualifying for this year's play-off tournament. And they have shown a never-say-die mentality. Silsbee also has a lot of young talent and is well coached. Although this game will be a #1-seed against a #4-seed, it could well be an exciting and competitive 1st-round game.

I have seen Carthage and Kilgore play multiple times this season. I've seen Henderson play once. I haven't seen Center, nor have I seen any of the 10-AAAA playoff teams play this year. Carthage - I'm biased, as I'm an alumnus. However, I have seen most of the Bulldogs' playoff games over the past 10 years, during which time they have won 5 state titles and been state semi-finalists 2 other years. This may be their best team. Their offense has scored in the 40's every game, except for the Kilgore game in which they scored 50. In many - perhaps most - of these games, they had 35 or 42 points at halftime before turning the game over to the subs at the start of the 3rd quarter or after the first 2nd-half possession. They also have two 225-pound LBs, one of whom was an all-stater for last year's state champions and another who was an all-stater last year at AAA Crockett. It will take a big upset - which certainly happens at this and every other level - for them to not win this region. Kilgore - These Bulldogs have a great option-rushing attack with a QB and several RBs who can take it to the house at anytime. But their defense isn't as strong as usual, and the team has been prone to turnovers, penalties, and inconsistent play. They are capable of winning 3 playoff games or losing in the 1st round Thursday. It depends on which team shows up - Jeklyl or Hyde. Henderson - The Lions are also capable of winning 3 playoff games or losing in the 1st round this week. Their QB is their offensive leader, and he can effectively run or pass. Has a very strong arm, and at least a couple of good receivers to throw to. They play good defense and recently had a D1-level junior DL return from an injury that I understand occurred during the first series of this year's 1st game. They lost 2 D-1 players from last year's team, but their young players are athletic and now have a regular season under their belts. They ended the regular season playing the best ball they've played all year long. Center - The Roughriders are another young team that is very well-coached. Their coach won 3 state titles (I believe it was) at Daingerfield prior to coming to Center. They got in the playoffs by virtue of a big upset win over Kilgore in their final regular-season game. (They had an open date last week.) So they have some momentum and can play with a "nothing-to-lose" attitude. However, it will take another upset for them to beat Silsbee this week.

I have seen Kilgore play twice this year, and they lost both games. (So I probably haven't seen them at their best.) I haven't seen LCM play this year. I have read that LCM's run defense isn't a strength. If this is true, they'll be in trouble Thursday night. Kilgore has about as good a rushing attack as you'll see at this level. Their QB is a 3-year starter, and he runs their attack very well. To give you an idea, his hometown fans apparently call him "Magician". He can scoot with the football, and he has several teammates who can also. They are capable of breaking long runs at any time and from anywhere on the field. They also have a senior WR who has verbally committed to Oklahoma State. The good news for LCM is that he averages only 1 or 2 catches a game. In other words, he is vastly under-utilized. Kilgore's defense isn't as strong as it traditionally has been, especially their pass defense. But LCM should be most optimistic about Kilgore's erratic play. In their final home game last night that they had to win to ensure being in the playoffs, they fell behind 19-0 to a vastly outmanned Bullard team. They did wake up and ended up scoring 56 of the final 62 points in the game. This wasn't the first game this year in which they fell behind early by multiple scores to an inferior team. The week before, Kilgore was upset by a vastly outmanned Center team, blowing a 28-0 lead. The turnovers they suffered that night have been a problem for them all season. This was the second season in a row Center upset Kilgore. I suspect Kilgore will be a favorite of 7 to 10 points this week by most "experts". Although Kilgore is capable of making a run to the regional finals this year, they are also capable of losing any of this season's playoff games.