From Bay Area section of The Houston Chronicle, Oct. 8, 2003, 11:54AM
By TODD HVEEM
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
Brazoswood head football coach Dean De Atley doesn't care about riding shotgun or in the back seat. He wants to be behind the wheel.
"You can either have your back up against the wall, or you can be in the driver's seat after one (district) game," he said. "We'd sure like to be in the latter. That driver's seat is pretty nice."
The undefeated Brazoswood Buccaneers (5-0) will try to grab a share of the early league lead when they open 24-5A play by hosting the defending district champion Clear Creek Wildcats (3-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. on Parents Night at Hopper Field in Freeport.
"Brazoswood is 5-0, they're on a roll, and it's the first time since 1983 that they've started this way," Clear Creek head coach Aubrey Schulz said. "They're definitely a good football team and they have everything going for them right now. We hope to be the spoiler."
Clear Creek handed the Buccaneers a district-opening 34-5 loss last season.
"Every district game is very important, but one of the good things about a six-team district is that you're not out of it early," De Atley said. "We've talked about the race, and we've got to find at least three wins somewhere in our district to go to the state playoffs. That's what we want to do."
Clear Creek and Brazoswood also compete with Galveston Ball (2-3), Clear Lake (4-1), Alvin (4-1) and Clear Brook (2-3) in 24-5A.
"We know our toughest opponents are going to be in district," De Atley said. "We've played to the very end and found ways to win games, like at Dickinson last week (20-14 in overtime). We had a lot of bad things happen to us and we could have easily found a way not to win. Our defense just had a tremendous night in Dickinson, and that played a big role in how we handled the overtime (putting Dickinson on offense first).
"I also thought our kids were very well-conditioned. We felt like we could have played all night."
The Bucs defense limited Dickinson to 10 first downs and 156 total yards (121 rushing, 35 passing).
"If you could guarantee that we would win, I'd rather have an overtime game than a blowout victory going into district," De Atley said. "You can explain overtime to your kids, but until they really understand exactly how it works, it's something you think about. It's nice to have one under our belts."
Clear Creek has wins against Conroe 14-9, Baytown Sterling 10-8 and Deer Park 17-14. The Wildcats have lost to Port Arthur Memorial 39-7, and to Baytown Lee 26-21 last week.
Despite a perfect 5-0 start, some skeptics will say Brazoswood must prove itself once again in district now that everyone starts over at 0-0.
"That's right, the naysayers will say that, along with our coaches, and also the players," De Atley said. "I think everybody in our program understands that. We're letting the fans get their money's worth. I don't know if we're doing it the right way, but we're still chugging along. I'd rather have it this way (5-0) than any other way."
Schulz knows his Wildcats, who fell to Baytown Lee 26-21 in their most recent game on Sept. 25, face one of their toughest challenges against Brazoswood.
"If a team is 5-0, you know they're going to have momentum, enthusiasm, fan support, everything," he said. "Brazoswood passed and ran the ball pretty evenly last week against Dickinson. They play well and they play hard."
As for his Wildcats, Schulz said, "It's nice that we had a week off because getting everybody healthy is very important when you start district play, and we were able to accomplish that. We're ready to go. All systems are go, and that first one is always important."
·Football -- The Falcons (4-1) open District 24-5A action at Alvin (4-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. in the Yellowjackets' annual homecoming game.
"We are pleased because we wanted to go into district with a winning record, and we were able to accomplish that," Alvin coach Mike Bass said. "We didn't play like we needed to play against Sterling last week (a 30-27 Alvin victory), but we came on strong to shut them out in the second half, and we had a big goal-line stand at the end of the game to secure the win. So from that standpoint, we ended pre-district on a good note."
The Yellowjackets have also downed Bellaire 31-10, Klein Oak 24-14 and Elkins 41-7, and lost to Fort Bend Austin 31-30 this year.
Clear Lake, which is running a triple-option wishbone attack under new offensive coordinator and former Ball head coach Paul Lanier, opened with consecutive wins over Katy Taylor 21-7 and Cypress Falls 28-6. Following a 27-0 loss to Baytown Lee, the Falcons have stopped Jersey Village 28-14 and Baytown Sterling 48-14.
"I talked with (Clear Lake head) coach (Troy) Aduddell this week, and told him I think their offense is running that 'bone' a lot better than Galveston Ball ever did when coach Lanier was down there," Bass said. "Clear Lake's kids are executing that offense just tremendously, and if you don't have somebody on dive-quarter-pitch, they make you pay for it, and make you pay for it quick. This is the best Clear Lake has looked in a while.
"Year in and year out, coach Aduddell always has the Clear Lake defense ranked in the top 10 in the Greater Houston area, and now you throw in this offense that's a ground control-type attack that's not going to throw up an interception or anything like that. It's going to be a great challenge for us on Friday.
"Clear Lake also has fantastic special teams. They do a great job with their special teams, so it's a game that we're going to have to be on our 'p's and 'q's, and dot our 'i's and cross our 't's a couple of times to get after these guys."
Both coaches know it's important to have a positive beginning in league play.
"When you're in a six-team district, and you only have five games, it makes it tough," Bass said. "You have to get off to a good start. It looks like it's going to be wide open, and there's going to be some great games in 24-5A on this first Friday night."
Senior James Hathaway played a key role at defensive end and on special teams in Alvin's victory at Sterling last week, as did senior Craig Farthing on the offensive side, according to coaches.
"Hathaway is a leader on the defensive front, and he had some big hits in the kicking game," Bass said. "Farthing plays so well every week, and he's doing it in the passing game (team-high 13 receptions for 219 yards and a touchdown) and on the ground (164 yards, 6.3 average, six touchdowns).
"Our whole team is made up of unsung heroes, and every week, we've had a number of players rise up and do what we need to have done."
Clear Lake features junior quarterback Scott Oswald (308 rushing yards, 128 passing), junior running back Elrick Jones (332 rushing), and senior defensive end Michael Plumlee.
"We're very impressed with those three, and a lot of other Clear Lake players," Bass said.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Falcons (11-11, 3-0 District 24-5A) grabbed the early league lead with last week's 25-20, 25-16, 19-25, 25-16 victory at Clear Creek. Clear Lake hosts Ball on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and welcomes Alvin on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
·Football -- The Tornadoes (2-3) start their District 24-5A schedule at home against Clear Brook (2-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. Ball blanked Kingwood 14-0 last week, and also has a 29-12 victory during pre-district play. The Tors have lost to La Marque 35-14, Texas City 20-14 and Humble 17-13.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Tornadoes (10-11, 0-2 District 24-5A) play at Clear Lake on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and at Clear Brook on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
·Football -- The Wolverines (2-3) open District 24-5A action at Ball (2-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. Clear Brook was riding a two-game winning streak with wins over Pasadena 50-18 and Smiley 49-0 before last week's 36-0 loss to Baytown Lee. The Wolverines have also dropped games to Strake Jesuit 17-0 and Dobie 20-13.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Wolverines (6-15, 1-2 District 24-5A) are at Brazoswood on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and at home with Ball on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Wildcats (16-7, 2-1 District 24-5A) has home matches with Alvin on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and against Brazoswood on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
·Football -- The Gators (2-3) visit Friendswood (3-2) in both teams' District 23-4A opener on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Dickinson fell 20-14 in overtime last week.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Gators (24-6, 3-1 District 23-4A) play at first-place Friendswood on Friday at 5 p.m. in a key league encounter. Dickinson also hosts Texas City on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
·Football -- The Indians (1-4) entertain Channelview (4-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in their District 23-4A opener. Channelview has defeated Huntsville 20-10, Crosby 12-6, Caney Creek 41-14 and Dayton 20-19 this season, with its only loss coming against Oak Ridge 28-12. Santa Fe was open last week.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Indians (20-9, 3-1 District 23-4A) host Channelview on Friday at 5 p.m. and play at La Marque on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
·Football -- The Cougars (5-0) host Texas City (4-1) in a key District 23-4A opener on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
A ceremony honoring the 1993 La Marque state finalist football team is scheduled for Oct. 31 during halftime of the La Marque vs. Santa Fe game. Members of the 1993 Cougars team are asked to contact the La Marque athletics office at 409-908-5039 for more information.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Cougars (0-4 District 23-4A) host Texas City on Friday at 5 p.m. and entertain Santa Fe on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
·Football -- The Mustangs (3-2) kick off their District 23-4A slate at home with Dickinson (2-3) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Friendswood was open last week.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Mustangs (21-8, 4-0 District 23-4A) have home matches with Dickinson on Friday at 5 p.m. and against Channelview on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
·Football -- The Stingarees (4-1) play their first District 23-4A game at La Marque (5-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
·Volleyball -- The Lady Stingarees (4-16, 1-3 District 23-4A) play at La Marque on Friday at 5 p.m. and at Dickinson on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
·Football -- The Bulldogs (4-1) start District 27-2A play at Brookshire Royal (0-5) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Defending 27-2A champion Hitchcock was off last week.
Friday's other 7:30 p.m. District 27-2A openers include Boling (2-3) at East Bernard (3-2) and Danbury (4-1) at Brazos (1-4) in Wallis.
·Football -- The Broncos (3-2, 1-0 TAPPS District 6-3A) host Beaumont Cathedral (0-6, 0-2) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Bay Area Christian was open last week, while Beaumont Cathedral was falling 59-0 at Cypress Community Christian.
·Volleyball -- The playoff-bound Lady Broncos host Baytown Christian tonight at 6 o'clock on Senior Night in their regular-season finale. Bay Area Christian is scheduled to have a playoff warmup game on Tuesday with the opponent and game details to be announced.
·Football -- The Buccaneers (2-3, 1-1 TAPPS 6-3A), 54-21 winners at Katy Faith West last week, entertain Northland Christian (6-0, 2-0) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Northland Christian crushed Mount Carmel 42-20 last week.