WR hosts Mineola; Cards try to bounce back
Sep. 8—Four teams besides Kilgore in the Kilgore News Herald's coverage area, and all four are coming at week three of the high school football season from a different perspective, as Friday night approaches.
The West Rusk Raiders are 2-0 and rolling, completely opposite from their start a year ago, when one game got canceled because of hurricane-related weather, and a couple more saw the Raiders get thrashed.
Not this year.
West Rusk has beaten East Chambers at a neutral-site game, and then held off fundamentally-strong Sabine last week, 55-33, at home at Bruce Bradshaw Stadium.
This week, the Raiders — ranked seventh in the local #bEASTTexas Fabulous 15 small-school poll and fourth in the Dave Campbell's Texas Football Class 3A DII state poll — will be at home again, taking on Mineola (1-1).
Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Bradshaw Stadium, on campus.
Through two games, everything seems to be clicking for coach Nick Harrison's Raiders. Quarterback Andon Mata is 16-of-31 for 218 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and although he's only threw one pass, Jimmie Harper made it count: he's 1-of-2 for 49 yards — a touchdown pass.
Will Jackson leads the Raiders with six catches, for 61 yards. Geremiah Smith has five catches for 126 yards and a score; Mata has a catch for a touchdown (Harper's 49-yard pass); And Jaxon Farquhar has one catch, a 9-yard touchdown. Ty Harper and Tate Winnings each have two catches, as well.
The Raiders have 786 rushing yards through just two games, led by Jamal Ford (264 yards and four scores on 35 carries) and Winings (25 carries, 255 yards, and a touchdown). Ty Harper has 83 yards and a score, and Jimmie Harper, 95 yards and two scores. Mata has 55 yards, as well.
Linebacker Bryant Mason, a senior, leads the team with 17 total, tackles, two for loss; Torami Dixon has the team's only sack, but also has 12 quarterback hurries; and Mata punts, as well, averaging 41 yards per kick on just four punts in two games.
Mineola's Yellow Jackets are 1-1, having lost the season opener by just three points (24-21 at Canton) and then bounced back with a 42-11 win over Wills Point last week. Mineola scored 21 first-quarter points and led 28-0 at the half.
Quarterback Dawson Pendergrass only completed a pass, going 1-of-5 for 20 yards, but it was a score. He also threw an interception. On the ground, though, he finished with 223 yards and a touchdown. Brady Shrum caught the TD.
Watch defender Coy Anderson, who wears number four. All Coy has done through two games is total 31 tackles, a sack and comes off an 18-tackle performance last week.
Sabine (1-1) will pick itself up by the bootstraps and held to Daingerfield for Friday night, a second straight road game.
The Cardinals gave a good account for themselves at West Rusk, but the Raiders just have too much firepower.
Daingerfield, this week's Sabine opponent, routed Atlanta, 48-7, in the first week, and then narrowly lost to Tatum, 35-28, last week. A win over Daingerfield would give Sabine two impressive wins (the other is Spring Hill) with DeKalb coming to Liberty City next weekend.
Overton, meanwhile, is attempting to get its program back on track after just one win a year ago, which also included at least one game that had to be canceled due to COVID-19.
This year, the Mustangs have lost to both Quinlan-Boles (31-6) and then last week at Burkeville (26-14), both on the road. This Friday's game at Simms-Bowie is on the road, as well, and then coach Justin Arnold's Mustangs finally get to come home, where they'll get Big Sandy next Friday night.
This Friday night's game at Simms-Bowie isn't likely to be a cakewalk. Bowie pounded Nocona, 72-7, to win its season opener, then beat Bridgeport, 18-13, last weekend.
At Leverett's Chapel, it wasn't supposed to be the first game of the season, but it is. Coach Andy Bates' Lions, who play in UIL six-man football, had their first game canceled because a school actually closed its doors, and the second game canceled due to COVID issues.
This week, the Lions finally get to play football, or at least, they're scheduled to. LC will host Fannindel at 7 p.m.
Fannindel is 2-0, having beaten Fruitvale, 39-8, and then Campbell, 39-32.
