Weathering storms is Dayton's forte

[KFDM COOP]

Weathering storms is Dayton's forte

Texas City RB Thomas to test Broncos' defense

— A storm will be brewing Friday night in La Porte, and if Dayton coach Jerry Stewart's team can weather it, the Broncos' playoff forecast will be bright and sunny for at least another week.

The Broncos, who have weathered the storm of losing their star quarterback, will have to face the wrath of the Texas City Stingarees in a Class 4A Region III Division II matchup that features both schools entering the 7 p.m. kickoff with lengthy winning streaks on the line.

Dayton (8-3) has ripped off seven consecutive wins, while Texas City (10-1) brings a nine-game winning streak.

"We have to prepare to take that charge on them," Stewart said. "If we can weather the storm early, I think we're going to be OK."

Charles takes reins

Dayton has been doing OK since a 1-3 start that also featured the loss of junior quarterback Cody Green. Green, regarded as one of top underclassmen in the nation, went down before the Broncos' District 22-4A opener, but have rallied behind backup Gregory Charles.

Charles has completed 63 percent of his passes and has a touchdown-interception ratio of 21-1.

With game-breaking threats A.J. Dugat (47 catches, 9 touchdowns) and Ronnie Powell (32 catches, 7 TDs), the Broncos offense has not missed a beat. Dayton has averaged almost 51 points in their last three wins, including a 63-0 destruction of Nederland and last week's 49-7 dismantling of Crosby.

"He's done an outstanding job," Stewart said of Charles. "He's got some outstanding weapons to throw to. Our receiving corps has done an great job in picking him up."

Defense pleads its case

While the offense has been the focal point of the win streak, the defense has quietly established itself as one of the area's toughest units in Class 4A. Only Yates (7.5) has allowed fewer points per game than the Broncos' 8.5 average, which has been highlighted by three shutouts during the win streak.

Friday, though, the Broncos will face a new challenge in Stingarees running back Johnny Thomas, who comes into the game with 1,732 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns.

"Thomas is a very good back," Stewart said. "They had a great one over there last year (Jarvis Carraway), and they bring another one. They have a large line, and large lineman give small people trouble. We have to be able to keep him from breaking away."

Déjà vu for these two

The game is a rematch from last year's area round when Texas City took advantage of two early Dayton turnovers and rolled to a 35-21 win. Stewart knows his team cannot afford a similar start in order to have a chance against the Stingarees.

"Right now, we're playing on a high note, but can we play on that high note Friday night?" Stewart said.

[stang4life]

C'mon Dayton....beat the Stingrays.  Good luck!

[PURPLE 4EVER]

Thanks for the article!!!

GOOD LUCK TO THE BRONCOS!!!

[KFDM COOP]

8) Go get em!

[grizzly62]

GO DAYTON!!!!! GAME FACE

[Bucof2010]

Get em broncos