COACHES AND ADMIN: WACO MIDWAY PANTHERS

COACHES AND ADMIN: WACO MIDWAY PANTHERS

Superintendent

Dr. George Kazanas

 

Principal

Jeff Gasaway

 

Athletic Director

Randy Weisinger

 

Head Coach

Terry Gambill

 

Assistant Coaches

Shane Anderson

Derek Alford

Dustin Davisson

Jessie Fanning

Cody Gambill

Brad Griffin

Lenoy Jones

Bryan Kelley

Dustin Loyd

Dustin Sykora

Ed Trochim

Lance Wineinger

Mark Villarreal

 

Athletic Trainer

Chad McCune

Chen-Wen Lee

 

Cheerleader

Sponsors

Cindy Gambill

Katie Kelley

 

Colors

Red and Blue

Kirk Dooley’s Blog: HP vs Irving Nimitz

It is easy to dismiss a 5-5 playoff opponent and the Highland Park coaches know that. With Murder’s Row waiting for tonight’s victor, the biggest mistake the Scots can make is to look ahead.

vikings Nimitz black and silver logo big

“We’ve lost in the first round before,” said HP head coach Randy Allen. “It can be the hardest playoff game because once you start competing in the playoffs, the games become more intense. Teams can be flat. I think our players will be ready because they are playing for their first trophy. They are not satisfied. They need to continue to improve and that will be their ticket in the playoffs.”

If the Scots beat Nimitz, they will earn the right to challenge Waco Midway, then Lake Travis. Rockwall and Spring Westfield could be lurking in the future. No matter who it is, each team will be extremely tough.

“It will be like playing Guyer or Horn every week,” said Allen. “I think this year Division II has many of the better teams.”

There won’t be any 5-5 teams after Nimitz. But the Scots have not beaten them yet, so it’s a moot point until tonight’s game is over.

The Vikings are led by quarterback Jimmy Clark, who has completed l28 of 193 passes for 2,016 yards and 21 touchdowns. His 66.32 percentage is a tad better than Brady Burgin’s and Clark has been picked off only three times this season.

Wait until he meets Stephen Briggs. He also got three interceptions.

Last week.

Clark’s biggest threat is WR Sam Berry, who is averaging 29 yards per catch this season. The other two receivers to watch are D’Angelo Allen (42 catches for 583 yards) and Michael Scott (21 receptions for 289 yards). Running back Mark Eugene has run 123 times for 873 yards, a 7.1 average. He and Berry have eight touchdowns each.

On defense, focus on the two outside linebackers, a couple of 6’5” clones named Delonte Scott and Michael Scott. Michael is also the Dez-Bryant-looking wide receiver. The Scots must be ready for the Scotts.

Highland Park is playing its best football of the season. The momentum is there because the playoffs are here. They must focus and take care of business against Nimitz tonight.

Assuming the Scots survive this first round game, everything changes next week.

My prediction? Highland Park 49 – Nimitz 28.

Consider it a tune-up for Midway. Next weekend the Scots will face their greatest challenge of the season and they will be ready for it. Midway will be 11-0 but they haven’t played Highland Park yet.

HP vs Irving Nimitz: Before the Kickoff

Before the Kickoff

 

Highland Park vs. Irving Nimitz Don’t let Nimitz’s 5-5 record fool you. Any team in the playoffs can get hot and take down a 9-1 or 10-0 team. Every Texas high school team that makes the playoffs can be dangerous.

Nimitz_Viking

For the 9-1 Scots, the danger is looking past the Vikings. Out in the future lie challenges like Midway, Lake Travis, Rockwall, Cedar Hill and Southlake Carroll – if the Scots stay alive in the playoffs. Thinking about these 6A powerhouses now is a recipe for a 5-5 team to surprise the Scots and send them home early.

 

Highland Park is playing as good as one would hope at this juncture in the season. The Scots have dominated on both sides of the ball in their nine wins and they’ll need to continue that level of play if there’s going to be a 10th win.

 

Quarterback Brooks Burgin (#5, 6-2, 190) is coming off one of his most impressive performances as the Scots shut out the Richardson Eagles, 43-0, last Friday. He

completed 20 of 25 passes (80 percent) for 441 yards and six touchdowns.

 

It was also a banner night for the Scots wide receivers. Kevin Ken (#17, 6-0, 170) caught six passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns of 49 and nine yards. Andrew Frost (#3, 6-0, 180) caught four passes for 103 yards and two scores. Campbell Brooks (#2, 6-0, 175) hauled in six passes for 100 yards and one TD. Sam Welfelt (#9, 6-2, 180) had two catches for 64 yards, including a 52-yard TD reception on the final play of the third quarter. Running back Stephen Dieb (#34, 5-7, 145) caught two passes for 53 yards and picked up 40 yards on the ground.

 

The Scots offense rolled up 510 yards in total offense – 66 on the ground and 444 in the air. On the other side of the ball, the Scots defense pitched its fourth shutout of the season, limiting the Eagles to 161 yards – 117 on the ground and 44 in the air.

 

“It was Senior Night at Highlander Stadium and we were able to honor our seniors on a memorable night,” said Scots coach Randy Allen. “Our defense got another shutout and Brooks had one of his best nights. All of our seniors played in the game. With a 9-1 record we go into the playoffs with some momentum.”

 

The defense was led by Players of the Week Hayden Schnieders (#40, 5-10, 195), Michael Thornton (#95, 6-2, 215) and Nick Waterman (#44, 6-2, 217) – and Stephen Briggs (#4, 6-0, 175) who pulled down three interceptions. He looked like his uncle, John Briggs (former HP and SMU basketball star) rebounding a trio of Richardson passes out of the sky.

 

What should Scots fans look for tonight?

 

Highland Park needs to take away the Vikings’ biggest success, QB Jimmy Clark’s deep passes to wide receiver Sam Berry. Clark has passed for more than 2,000 yards and has a similar completion percentage to Burgin – 66.32 to 65.4 – and has tossed only three interceptions this season. He can also run. Clark has 577 yards on the ground, with four more TDs.

 

Clark’s most dangerous receiver is Berry, who has caught 22 passes for 640 yards, a 29.1 yards average. Eight of his 22 receptions have gone for touchdowns. He had two TD catches in the fourth quarter against MacArthur last Friday.

 

But if teams double up on Berry, then D’Angelo Allen and Michael Scott can burn them. They have combined for 872 yards and nine TDs. Last week D’Angelo scored on an 86-yard Clark bomb.

 

The leading Viking running threat is Mark Eugene, who has rushed for 873 yards on 123 carries for eight touchdowns.

 

The Nimitz defense is strong but inconsistent. They shut out Haltom, 45-0 but have given up more than 50 points to Keller Timber Creek, Skyline and Jesuit.

 

The Scots should be concerned with the Scotts.

 

The Vikings have two brothers, Michael and Delonte Scott, who are 6’5″ outside linebackers with speed, size and agility. Michael also plays wide receiver. If you run or throw away from one of them, you will heading right to the other. Together, they control much of the field. Linebacker Noah Spears is a strong player as is nose guard Joseph Mitchell.

 

“We think we’re still improving,” said Allen. “We’re not satisfied yet but we’re getting better. This will be our first chance to win a trophy this season and that’s a motivation for our players.

 

“We’ve lost in the first round before and it hurts. Every game in the playoffs is intense and a team can be flat. That’s why it’s so important to focus on the game at hand.

 

“The biggest difference between 5A and 6A is the playoffs. In the 6A playoffs it’s like playing Guyer or Horn every game. And I think many of the better 6A teams are in Division II this year.”

 

The winner of tonight’s bi-district contest will advance to play the winner of the Waco Midway–Tyler Lee game.