Eagles hope to bounce back from close defeat

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Luling football coach Colby Hensley is encouraged.

In the Eagles’ 7-0 loss to Blanco last week, his team held the Panthers’ offense out of the endzone. Blanco won the game thanks to a fumble return for a touchdown in the second quarter.

“I think we took a good step forward on defense,” Hensley said. “There were several times where Blanco moved the ball into our territory, but we were able to push them back and hold them out of the endzone. We missed on a few passes on offense, and that’s what cost us. We left about 14 points off the scoreboard.”

After holding Blanco – a run-oriented team – out of the endzone last week, Luling (1-2) will get another test against the run when it hosts Class 3A Devine at 7:30 p.m. today at Eagle Stadium. The Eagles will see a Warhorse team that runs the football almost at will.

“Devine is extremely physical,” Hensley said. “This will be a good test for us. They’ll line up and run right at us. They have strong guys up front, too.”

Devine (3-0) operates out of a double-wing offense, which usually involves two tight ends. The Warhorses have made their living with the running game, and they have scored 40 points or more in each of their first three games.

Tailback Jordan Fraga is the leading rusher for Devine with 704 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 carries. Fraga also is the team’s leading receiver with three catches for 112 yards and two scores.

Wingback Dylan Wofford is another running threat as he has 231 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries. Quarterback Tyler Cook Has completed 12-of-15 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns and run for 128 yards and four scores on 20 carries.

“The key for us will be to force them into third-and-long situations,” Hensley said. “They like to get into third-and-short, but if we can get them into long third-down situations and take them out of their comfort zone that’ll help.”

Defensively, the Warhorses operate out of a 4-2-5 alignment with a cover-3 look. Hensley compared their defensive alignment to that of TCU’s.

“They have a strong defensive line and because of that they’re able to keep six in the box and stay in that cover-3,” he said. “We have to execute on offense. It’ll be nice to play in front of our home crowd again.”

Shiner at Randolph

Everything feels better after a win. That’s what Shiner coach Steven Cerny said after his team’s 27-24 win over Schulenburg a week ago.

“It was a good win,” he said. “Everyone’s been in a better mood this week and the players feel a lot more confident.”

Shiner (2-1) will get its fourth game in a row against a 2A school when it visits Randolph at 7:30 p.m. today at Randolph High School located on Randolph Air Force Base in Universal City. The Ro-Hawks present something different than the Comanches’ previous three opponents – a run-oriented offense.

“Randolph will run the ball,” Cerny said. “They’re the first running team we’ll see this season.”

In Shiner’s first three contests and its two preseason scrimmages, it defended against spread offenses. Although tonight will be the first time the Comanches will see a run-oriented team, Cerny pointed out one thing that will help his team out.

“We run the ball, too,” he said. “Our guys defend against the run every day in practice so that should help.”

Randolph (1-2) operates out of the wing-T, and its main plays are counter, belly option and toss sweep. Despite the Ro-Hawks’ subpar record, Cerny isn’t taking them lightly.

“Randolph has good skill kids and they look like a good football team,” he said. “We can’t afford to look past them.”

Randolph’s top offensive weapon is tailback Alonzo Barclift, who has 173 yards on 24 carries. Damani Phillips is another weapon with 61 yards rushing on 24 carries and five catches for 57 yards.

Shiner will have to play without right tackle/defensive end Tanner Pietsch, who separated his shoulder in last week’s win. One player Cerny was pleased with was Caleb Curtis at defensive tackle.

“Caleb is so quick and strong,” he said. “He was able to beat single blocks with his quickness, but when he was double-teamed it opened things up for other guys.”

Weimar at St. Paul

A week off seemed to pay dividends for the St. Paul football team. The Cardinals return to the field for the first time since Sept. 7 when they host Weimar at 7:30 p.m. today at Comanche Stadium in Shiner.

“We spent the week off working on things that needed work,” St. Paul coach Jake Wachsmuth said. “Hopefully we’re at full strength.”

St. Paul (1-1) and Katy Pope John XXIII agreed to cancel last week’s game. The Cardinals last took the field Sept. 7 when they lost to Fort Bend Christian, 36-31.

All focus this week has been on Weimar (1-1), whom Wachsmuth labeled as “a good team.” The Wildcats are coming into tonight’s game fresh off of a 22-14 win over Victoria St. Joseph last week.

“Weimar is well-coached, they play hard and have good athletes,” Wachsmuth said.

Weimar operates out of a double-slot pistol offense. The Wildcats’ top players are Jalen Almeida (91 yards rushing, 54 yards passing), Payton Wells (54 yards receiving) and Jakyle Harris (81 yards rushing).

“Weimar has about 3-4 kids who you have to be aware of at all times,” Wachsmuth said.

Defensively, Weimar operates out of the 4-3. Wachsmuth pointed out that the Wildcats will give his team different looks.

“Weimar has a good defensive unit that plays off of each other,” he said. “The key for us will be to eliminate their big plays and control the ball.”

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