Mustangs take on 12-0 Pirates in Huntsville

[KFDM COOP]

Mustangs take on 12-0 Pirates in Huntsville

Van Wade

The Orange Leader

After “slaying†Class 3A’s top-ranked squad last week, the West Orange-Stark Mustangs face another tall task Friday night.

The Mustangs tripped up the No. 1 ranked and previously undefeated Giddings Buffaloes 28-19 last week in the Class 3A Region III Division II area round of the postseason.

Tonight, WO-S (11-1) faces yet another undefeated unit when it takes on the Waco La Vega Pirates (12-0) in the Region III Division II semifinals at 7:30 p.m. at Sam Houston State University’s Bowers Stadium.

The Mustangs have faced some formidable foes this year that has had plenty of weapons. The Pirates, however, may have the most that WO-S has seen all year thus far according to long-time head coach Dan Hooks.

The Pirates have outscored their opponents 495-122 as they strolled to the District 17-3A title. La Vega pounded both Cameron (49-20) and Crockett (40-13) in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

La Vega is led offensively by sophomore tailback Chris Parr, but the young man also has plenty of help.

Parr has rushed for 1,499 yards and 14 touchdowns on just 153 carries. His older brother Kourtney Parr has rumbled for 586 yards and 12 TDs on 80 totes. Fellow running back Chad Ward has 578 yards and eight TDs on 88 carries while dynamic quarterback Danzel Wilson has zipped for 427 yards and 12 TDs on 62 carries.

“The Parr kid is an amazing talent,†said Hooks. “He reminds us a lot of Kirbyville’s Pierce Rhodes and that (Zavius) Johnson kid from Coldspring. He’s the type of runner that if he finds an opening on the edge, he’s off to the races.â€

Hooks knows that La Vega’s offense is more than a one-man operation.

“The younger Parr kid is their go-to guy but their other backs run well and so does their little quarterback.â€

Wilson has certainly proved that he can be “poison†with his arm as well. Wilson has completed 66-of-111 passes for 1,330 yards and 14 TDs without giving up an interception.

“They have a complete team and that quarterback is smooth,†Hooks said. “They’re real big along the offensive line. They like to run, run, run and then they like to hit you with a big play-action pass. Our defense will have to be on its toes all night long.â€

The Mustangs are allowing only 201.1 yards a game this season and have outscored their opponents 428-116.

Long-time Mustang defensive coordinator Cornel Thompson hopes the Mustangs are up for the huge test.

“La Vega has a lot of quickness and plenty of size to go with it,†said Thompson. “That (Chris) Parr kid has been tough to contain. From what we’ve seen on film, he’s a real patient runner. It’ll be a tough challenge for our kids. The win over Giddings was a big one but they can’t just be satisfied with that. The kids have played hard all year long, so I know they’ll go out and play hard.â€

Offensively, the Mustangs have put up nice numbers all season long, racking up 365.9 yards per contest. Led by a highly-competitive offensive line, the Mustangs have chewed up 255.8 yards a game on the ground.

Senior tailback DePauldrick Garrett, who dashed for 167 yards and three TDs on 24 carries in the win against Giddings, has 1,320 yards and 22 TDs on 183 carries. Junior running back Quintavious Garrett has darted for 709 yards and six TDs on 80 carries and junior quarterback Ortavious Hypolite has 656 yards and 13 TDs on 127 carries.

Hypolite has completed 96-of-165 passes for 1,289 yards and 11 TDs. His favorite target continues to be senior receiver Ronnie Dennis and his 49 catches for 670 yards and five TDs.

“Offensively, Coach (Randy) Crouch has done an excellent job mixing things up,†Hooks said. “The kids have been really disciplined all season long, avoiding those nagging penalties and we haven’t coughed up the ball hardly at all. Turnovers made a big difference in the Giddings game, they had three and we had one. Plus, we were better on special teams. You can’t never forget that other phase of the game and we’ve been pretty good there all year too.â€

La Vega has a stern defense. The Pirates have held seven opponents to seven points or less, including two shutouts. They allowed just 121 total yards in the win against Crockett last week.

They are led by All-State linebacker candidate William Henry, who has already been on 139 stops this year.

“There defense is tough and fly to the football,†Hooks said. “They’ve done a great job at slowing down running games so hopefully we can get something going. That Henry kid, we don’t want our kids heading in his direction too much, he’s all over the place. Hopefully we can make him work hard for everything he gets.â€

So what’s it going to take to knock an undefeated team off for the second straight week?

“Our kids love challenges,†said Hooks. “Over the years, it seems like the bigger the challenge is, the more excited they get. We’ve played a tough schedule this year. We’ve played Dayton and Kirbyville and we won those games and those guys are still lurking in the playoffs. Our kids know what playing a big game is all about. Without a doubt, they’re going to battle hard again Friday night against another well-rounded football team.â€

[RonBurgundy68]

I will be working this game! Hope to meet some of you fellow setxsports people! Go Mustangs!

[stang4life]

Just curious as to why BOTH BACKS (who are also brothers) were out at the same time until the same time?  Just a little coincidental... ???

[stangchain]

I've asked that question, too, on another site, but got no response.

[HardHitter55]

I will be working this game! Hope to meet some of you fellow setxsports people! Go Mustangs!

this oughta be a great game to watch

i wish i could be there