Mesquite Poteet at HP Friday, 10/14– Kickoff 7:30pm

by Kirk Dooley

What is the key word in this week’s Scots-Pirates battle?
Speed.img_0410
The Poteet Pirates have plenty of it and the Scots will need to overcome it. Coach Randy Allen calls it “sprint relay speed” and he’s right. The Pirates have it on offense. They have it on defense. They have speed on special teams and they even have it when the team runs onto the field before the game. These guys are FAST.
The Pirates and the Scots come into the game undefeated in district play and this game is what everyone predicted when the schedules were announced – a battle for the district championship. Each team still has three more district games after this one, and the Scots must travel to Wylie East to close out district play, but the Poteet battle is the home game of the year for Highland Park.img_0409
Please note that Poteet has already defeated Wylie East, 26-14. The Raiders held the Pirates to 91 yards passing, 48 yards rushing and only six first downs for the night. Yet Poteet scored 26 points. The Pirate defense allowed Raider quarterback Eno Benjamin 190 yards on the ground but won the game because they kept him out of the end zone. That’s the point, right?
But let’s look at those 26 points. Cha Cha Corbin, a (fast) Poteet wide receiver, caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Kaleb Fletcher, who is also fast. Da’Michael Smith ran back a punt 86 yards for touchdown. We assume he didn’t stroll all the way to the end zone. The Pirates added two field goals by two different kickers. The first one out there gets to kick?
In Poteet’s 42-3 win over North Forney last Friday, Cha Cha Corbin had a 48-yard touchdown run, Daiquan Jackson had a 47-yeard TD run and Josh Johnson topped them both with a 57-yard run for a score. It seems that we can deduct that if any of these guys turn the corner or get into open space, it’s six points.
The Scots go into this game prepared and focused. They know this is a big game and they know they have the horses to win it. Outside of Denton Ryan, Poteet has not seen a defense like Highland Park’s. My gut feeling is that HP will keep the Pirate passing game off balance and will limit the big plays enough for the Scots offense to control the clock and the scoreboard.
HP quarterback John Stephen Jones has completed 60 percent of his passes this season for 1,335 yards and 10 touchdowns. The weather forecast calls for rain all night Thursday and much of Friday. Will a wet Highlander Stadium field force the Scots to abandon its superlative passing game? Well, maybe not. The best way to quickly dry off a soaked football field is to hover a helicopter over it.
I’m just sayin’…