Cards, Eagles take part in district title matchups

Two area football teams participate in winner-take-all district championship showdowns, while another tries to run the table in its district.

Luling (6-3, 5-0 in District 15-2A-Division I) and St. Paul (6-2, 4-0 in TAPPS District 5-DIII) face George West and Sacred Heart, respectively, for their respective district titles, while Shiner (8-1, 3-0 in 15-A-DI) hopes to close out district play unbeaten when it hosts Yorktown. All three games are slated to kick off at 7:30 p.m. today.

St. Paul at Sacred Heart

It’s not too difficult to figure out that St. Paul and Sacred Heart are rivals. They’re both located in cities located within Lavaca County as well as along U.S. Highway 90-Alternate, and both schools happen to be Catholic-based.

To add to the bragging rights tonight will be the TAPPS 5-DIII crown as both teams are 4-0 in league play. The game will take place at Hallettsville’s Memorial Stadium.

“This is a unique rivalry,” St. Paul coach Jake Wachsmuth said. “You have two small Catholic schools which are located in cities 14 miles apart and both won a state championship within the last two seasons. The excitement and enthusiasm are bigger than the towns involved.”

A year ago, the Cardinals and Indians met twice. St. Paul claimed the regular season meeting, 14-12, but Sacred Heart returned the favor with a 21-7 win in the TAPPS DIV state championship game.

While many players from the Indians’ roster a year ago graduated, Wachsmuth expects to see a similar style of play from his opponent. Sacred Heart (6-3, 4-0 in TAPPS 5-DIII) will operate out of a split-back set or I-formation on offense, and a 4-3 alignment on defense.

“Sacred Heart is a team that hasn’t changed a lot the last few years,” Wachsmuth said. “This is a game where you want to play your best. We need to control the ball and not commit turnovers.”

The Indians began the season 0-3 with losses to Yorktown, Flatonia and Thorndale, respectively, before rebounding to win their last six contests. Quarterback Leighton Pilat and running back Jonathan Vanek are Sacred Heart’s top players.

George West at Luling

One team will hoist up the 15-2A-DI trophy and gain a first-round bye in the 2A-DI state playoffs, while the other will have to regroup for a first-round contest. Not only will Luling and George West (7-2, 5-0 in 15-2A-DI) have different outcomes tonight as one team will win and the other will lose, they also happen to be night-and-day different offensively.

The Eagles operate out of the spread, while the Longhorns like to keep things on the ground out of their slot-T alignment. George West has thrown just 62 passes this season.

“They like their three yards and a cloud of dust,” Luling coach Colby Hensley said. “We have to contain them and not let them break big runs on us.”

The Longhorns’ offense is operated by Andrew Katzfey, who played the first five games at fullback before an injury to original starting quarterback Brady Jones forced him to go under center. Katzfey has run for 259 yards and four touchdowns, and passed for 136 and three scores.

Hudson Wallace (442 yards, 4 TDs) and Lucas Barcak (379, 6 TDs) are George West’s leading rushers. Wallace (6 catches, 121 yards, 3 TDs) and Joseph Feist (10 catches, 116 yards, 3 TDs) lead the Longhorns in receiving.

The loser of tonight’s contest faces the third-place team out of 16-2A-DI. Aransas Pass, Mathis and Odem are battling it out for the second- and third-place playoff spots out of 16-2A-DI.

Yorktown at Shiner

It would be easy for one to think Shiner has nothing to play for tonight. After all, the Comanches have clinched the 15-A-DI title and a first-round bye.

But Shiner still has plenty to play for tonight when it hosts Yorktown (6-3, 1-2 in 15-A-DI). Tonight is Parents’ Night and a chance for the Comanches to run the table in district play.

“Parents’ Night is a big deal to us,” Shiner coach Steven Cerny said. “It’s also our seniors’ last game at Comanche Stadium. This will not be a game where we just go through the motions.”

Shiner also faces the task of trying to slow down the district’s leading rusher in Derek Franke. Yorktown’s quarterback has rushed for 1,155 yards and 19 touchdowns this season.

The Wildcats operate out of the wing-T, and run dive and midline option as well as belly sweeps. Yorktown also has Jacob Garcia, Logan Romans and Caleb Schindl to spell Franke from carries.

Nixon-Smiley at Poth

While Nixon-Smiley (1-8, 1-5 in 15-2A-DII) will not participate in the postseason this year, the Mustangs still have the opportunity to play a spoiler role tonight. Nixon-Smiley visits Poth (7-2, 5-1 in 15-2A-DII), who has already clinched a playoff berth and is gunning for a district championship.

A win for the Mustangs tonight will drop the Pirates down to third place. But in order to do that, Nixon-Smiley must find a way to stop – or contain – Poth running back Philip Garza.

Garza leads the Pirates in rushing (1,208 yards, 16 TDs) and receiving (6 catches, 148 yards, TD). Quarterbacks Thomas Krawietz (674 yards, 9 TDs rushing; 128 yards, 2 TDs passing) and Zach Lyssy (502 yards, 7 TDs rushing; 192 yards, 3 TDs passing) also provide offensive punch for Poth.

Tonight’s game will be the final high school football game for seven Nixon-Smiley seniors, including running back/cornerback Miguel Hernandez and offensive tackle/defensive tackle Warren Lopez.