HP Senior Night vs Royse City – Kickoff 10/28 7:30pm

royse-city-helmetsby  Kirk Dooley

   How does a first-place team get excited about playing a last-place team? In Highland Park’s case, the coaches have a list of areas where the team needs to improve and they are using that list as the focus this week as they prepare to face the Royse City Bulldogs.
   It’s nothing personal but they are not focusing on the Bulldogs. They are using this game to prepare for the playoffs, which will begin in two weeks.royse-bulldog-pride
   What can we say about Royse City? Well, first of all, they should have spelled it Royce. Second, Wylie East beat them 38-0 and Poteet beat them 48-0. And third, the Bulldogs are 0-5 in district play and are averaging 7.8 points per game.
   Meanwhile, HP is averaging 40.4 points per game as they’ve run up a 5-0 district record. Amateur prognosticators might assume that the Scots will win 40.4 to 7.8. That cannot happen but it might be close.
   This is the final home game for the Scots and it is Senior Night. The best thing that can happen is to jump out to a big lead and let all the seniors get some playing time. For the majority of those players and their parents, this is an emotional game, the climax to a lifetime of football that began in YMCA sports at Armstrong, Bradfield, Hyer or University Park and will end when the Scots season ends. A few HP players will take a stab at college football but most of them will hang up their shoulder pads and then find out how incredibly competitive (and fun) flag football can be in college intramurals.
   Friday will be a big night for the Highlander Band, whose seniors will be honored at halftime and then the band will perform after the game.
   Royse City has a running back named Brett Martinez who ran for 1,207  and 15 touchdowns last season. So far this season he has gained 680 yards and scored five times. He is also the team’s leading receiver, with 340 yards on 19 receptions. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Yelverton has completed 48 of 111 passes for 80 yards and three TDs. Clogging up the line will be defensive tackle Sam Rosenstengle.
   Truly, the worst thing the Scots can do is to go into this game thinking about the big Wylie East game next week. The best thing they can do is to play well early and then give their hard-working backups some action under the Friday night lights.