Check out the photos here.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
White Oak Roughnecks Preview
District: 18-2A
Head Coach: Tracy Blankenship
2008 Season Record: 8-3, 6-1 (Class 2A Division I Bi-District Finalist)
The drop in classification served White Oak well in 2008 as the Roughnecks matched their win total from the previous three years combined and made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. This year the Roughnecks will have to find a way to replace 4 all-state players (OL Taylor Tarr, OL Barrett Blankenship, LB Trevor Wait and RB Orlando Humble) from their 8-3 district championship team. The Roughnecks return 5 starters on each side of the ball including a pair of 1000 yard rushers.
Opposing teams had trouble slowing down the Roughnecks’ Slot T offense last year. White Oak averaged better than 42 points a game and did their damage almost exclusively on the ground. The Roughnecks had three runners go over 1000 yards in 2008: Orlando Humble (1458 yards 24 tds); Jackson McCurdy (1150 yard 11 tds); and Junior Hamilton (1179 yards 14 tds). Humble has moved on to Navarro College but Hamilton and McCurdy return and will form a formidable backfield tandem.
The quarterback position is a little less clear as there may be a log jam at the position. Connor Sharp was named 18-2A offensive newcomer of the year even though he split time with Austin Tubbs in 2008. Sharp and Tubbs may again split time behind center and Joey Dykes might see some time as the Roughneck signal caller as well.
The Roughnecks will need to fill some holes on the offensive line left by the departure of Tarr and Blankenship. Brandon Heim (second team all-district) and Ben Adams are not a bad place to start. And newcomer Randall Bernathy should help solidify the line.
Five starters return from a defense that allowed less than 16 points a game last year. All-state linebacker Trevor Wait will be hard to replace but linebackers Adam Thompson (128 tackles) and Logan King (78 tackles) should be up to the challenge. Defensive end Skylar Barnes (73 tackles) and defensive tackle Josh Lettow (2 sacks) will help lead the defensive line. The secondary will be led by cornerback Josh Spedowski.
The Roughnecks allowed more than 21 points only once in 2008, but the defense picked a terrible time to have their worst showing of the season giving up 39 points in their playoff loss to Jefferson.
18-2A is a solid district that featured five teams with at least six wins in 2008. White Oak’s first district game against Harmony could wind up being for the district championship.
White Oak has gone a decade without a playoff win, but a solid group of returning starters and help from an undefeated JV team could help the Roughnecks get out of the first round for the first time since 1998. Region III may be the strongest region in the state so a deep playoff run will be difficult.
Head Coach: Tracy Blankenship
2008 Season Record: 8-3, 6-1 (Class 2A Division I Bi-District Finalist)
The drop in classification served White Oak well in 2008 as the Roughnecks matched their win total from the previous three years combined and made the playoffs for the first time since 2005. This year the Roughnecks will have to find a way to replace 4 all-state players (OL Taylor Tarr, OL Barrett Blankenship, LB Trevor Wait and RB Orlando Humble) from their 8-3 district championship team. The Roughnecks return 5 starters on each side of the ball including a pair of 1000 yard rushers.
Opposing teams had trouble slowing down the Roughnecks’ Slot T offense last year. White Oak averaged better than 42 points a game and did their damage almost exclusively on the ground. The Roughnecks had three runners go over 1000 yards in 2008: Orlando Humble (1458 yards 24 tds); Jackson McCurdy (1150 yard 11 tds); and Junior Hamilton (1179 yards 14 tds). Humble has moved on to Navarro College but Hamilton and McCurdy return and will form a formidable backfield tandem.
The quarterback position is a little less clear as there may be a log jam at the position. Connor Sharp was named 18-2A offensive newcomer of the year even though he split time with Austin Tubbs in 2008. Sharp and Tubbs may again split time behind center and Joey Dykes might see some time as the Roughneck signal caller as well.
The Roughnecks will need to fill some holes on the offensive line left by the departure of Tarr and Blankenship. Brandon Heim (second team all-district) and Ben Adams are not a bad place to start. And newcomer Randall Bernathy should help solidify the line.
Five starters return from a defense that allowed less than 16 points a game last year. All-state linebacker Trevor Wait will be hard to replace but linebackers Adam Thompson (128 tackles) and Logan King (78 tackles) should be up to the challenge. Defensive end Skylar Barnes (73 tackles) and defensive tackle Josh Lettow (2 sacks) will help lead the defensive line. The secondary will be led by cornerback Josh Spedowski.
The Roughnecks allowed more than 21 points only once in 2008, but the defense picked a terrible time to have their worst showing of the season giving up 39 points in their playoff loss to Jefferson.
18-2A is a solid district that featured five teams with at least six wins in 2008. White Oak’s first district game against Harmony could wind up being for the district championship.
White Oak has gone a decade without a playoff win, but a solid group of returning starters and help from an undefeated JV team could help the Roughnecks get out of the first round for the first time since 1998. Region III may be the strongest region in the state so a deep playoff run will be difficult.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Troup Tigers Preview
19AA
John Eastman
4-7 (3-2) D2 Bi-district Finalist
Der’rikk Thompson did everything but wash the team uniforms for the Troup Tigers in 2008. But chances are that if Coach John Eastman had asked him to do that too Thompson would have done it with a smile and the uniforms would have come out cleaner than ever before. The 5’11” 188 pound Thompson played several positions for the Tigers including cornerback, wide receiver, slot back, kick returner, and punt returner and helped a very young Troup team make the playoffs last year. With 19 starters returning Troup could be one of the most improved 2A teams in the state.
Troup returns ten starters on offense and will feature a big offensive line and some very talented skilled position players. The Tigers will look to get the ball in Thompson’s hands as often as possible. The SMU commit may be one of the fastest players in the state. He claims a personal best 4.37 in the 40 yard dash and a 10.5 100 meter time. Thompson will line up mostly as a slot receiver but will also run the ball from the slot back position. But, Thompson may be most dangerous as a kick returner having taken seven kickoffs back for scores last year.
While Thompson may get most of the attention, he is not the only threat for the Tigers. Runningbacks Ryan Nichols and Cody Lepelley are capable runners who will force defenses to respect the run. And Quarterback Tyler Davis will have three quality targets to throw to in Thompson, wide receiver Chance Tosh and tight end Jeremy Richardson.
Troup’s offensive line will be the engine that makes the machine go. Ethan Isaacs, Patrick Alonzo, and C.J. Deason will help form a very impressive line for the Tigers.
If the Tigers hope to significantly improve their record from a year ago, the defense, which gave up more than 26 points a game, will have to play much better. With nine starters back on the defensive side of the ball, improvement is likely. Two-way starter, Richardson will anchor the defensive line and help lead an experienced Tiger defense. Taylor Beaty and Caleb Gipson will head up a solid linebacking corps. And Thompson may move from cornerback to free safety for his senior campaign, which will give the Tigers a defensive play-maker in the middle of the field.
Troup started slowly in 2008 but came on toward the end of the year. The Tigers hope to take further strides in 2009. Troup will have enough talent to claim a playoff spot out of district 19AA but probably will not have enough to knock off reigning district champ, Arp. Nonetheless, Coach Eastman’s Troup Tigers should be back in the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 11 years. With the experience of 19 returning starters, Troup might even be able to pick up a couple playoff victories. But region III is very strong so getting any deeper than 3 rounds will take a monumental effort.
John Eastman
4-7 (3-2) D2 Bi-district Finalist
Der’rikk Thompson did everything but wash the team uniforms for the Troup Tigers in 2008. But chances are that if Coach John Eastman had asked him to do that too Thompson would have done it with a smile and the uniforms would have come out cleaner than ever before. The 5’11” 188 pound Thompson played several positions for the Tigers including cornerback, wide receiver, slot back, kick returner, and punt returner and helped a very young Troup team make the playoffs last year. With 19 starters returning Troup could be one of the most improved 2A teams in the state.
Troup returns ten starters on offense and will feature a big offensive line and some very talented skilled position players. The Tigers will look to get the ball in Thompson’s hands as often as possible. The SMU commit may be one of the fastest players in the state. He claims a personal best 4.37 in the 40 yard dash and a 10.5 100 meter time. Thompson will line up mostly as a slot receiver but will also run the ball from the slot back position. But, Thompson may be most dangerous as a kick returner having taken seven kickoffs back for scores last year.
While Thompson may get most of the attention, he is not the only threat for the Tigers. Runningbacks Ryan Nichols and Cody Lepelley are capable runners who will force defenses to respect the run. And Quarterback Tyler Davis will have three quality targets to throw to in Thompson, wide receiver Chance Tosh and tight end Jeremy Richardson.
Troup’s offensive line will be the engine that makes the machine go. Ethan Isaacs, Patrick Alonzo, and C.J. Deason will help form a very impressive line for the Tigers.
If the Tigers hope to significantly improve their record from a year ago, the defense, which gave up more than 26 points a game, will have to play much better. With nine starters back on the defensive side of the ball, improvement is likely. Two-way starter, Richardson will anchor the defensive line and help lead an experienced Tiger defense. Taylor Beaty and Caleb Gipson will head up a solid linebacking corps. And Thompson may move from cornerback to free safety for his senior campaign, which will give the Tigers a defensive play-maker in the middle of the field.
Troup started slowly in 2008 but came on toward the end of the year. The Tigers hope to take further strides in 2009. Troup will have enough talent to claim a playoff spot out of district 19AA but probably will not have enough to knock off reigning district champ, Arp. Nonetheless, Coach Eastman’s Troup Tigers should be back in the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 11 years. With the experience of 19 returning starters, Troup might even be able to pick up a couple playoff victories. But region III is very strong so getting any deeper than 3 rounds will take a monumental effort.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Daingerfield - Wills Point to Scrimmage in Whitehouse
Daingerfield and Wills Point will scrimmage on Friday, August 21st in Whitehouse. The 9th grade and JV will start at 9:00am followed by the Varsity at 10:00am. This will be both teams' final tuneup before the regular season begins. Both teams scrimmaged on Saturday with Daingerfield facing Tatum and Wills Point scrimmaging Chapel Hill.
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