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Start of something: Bulldogs open district to headline Friday night matchups
Photo courtesy of Troy Conley / buzzzphotos.com
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com
McKinney North will look to break a three-game losing streak this week when it opens district against Sherman, while McKinney and McKinney Boyd will look to continue their respective winning streaks when they take on Denton Ryan and Lewisville in their final pre-district games.
North (0-3) vs. Sherman (2-1)
Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium
North and Sherman last shared a district during the 2008-09 seasons and their respective head coaches, Mike Fecci and Gary Joe Kinne, were in their first year when they last played on Oct. 2, 2009. The Bearcats dominated that meeting, 55-28.
Sherman retains that potent offense, but it's now predicated on the play of quarterback Dru Smith. The senior signal caller opened the season by throwing for 403 yards and six touchdowns on 18-of-26 passing (69 percent) against Little Elm and has been the main component of an offense averaging 42 points per game.
He threw touchdown passes to four different receivers during the season opener and hooked up with senior wideout JT Luper for 133 yards and a touchdown on six catches and senior receiver Joseph Harvey for 116 yards and three touchdowns on four catches.
While he isn't a significant running threat, Smith is big and mobile enough to extend plays when pressured. It will be up to the Bulldogs front line of senior defensive ends Jacob Maclea and Will Ashun and senior defensive tackles Eric Mills and Dominique Parish to dial up that pressure and keep it coming.
“I think what's really key is what happens up front offensively and defensively on the line,” Fecci said. “I think we need to establish ourselves on the offensive line, and on the defensive line, we have to get a consistent pass rush without having to bring people. We need a consistent rush out of our front four.”
The Bearcats have alternated between three- and four-man defensive fronts this season. They sported a three-man front in their wins against Little Elm and Sulphur Springs but added a player to the front line against Highland Park.
The Bulldogs should be well-prepared for a team of Sherman's caliber given the quality of competition they've faced to date. They've lost to Carrollton Newman Smith (21-17), Prosper (31-10) and Frisco Centennial (42-21).
“I think the people we've been playing are going to have us ready for this one,” Fecci said.
McKinney (4-0) vs. Denton Ryan (1-2)
Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Ron Poe Stadium
The Lions will see a significant step up in competition this week when they host Denton Ryan. After compiling a perfect record against relatively weak competition, they'll face a tough Raiders squad that is fresh off a 34-31 loss to Wylie East.
“Obviously, the Denton Ryan game is going to be a big test for us and an opportunity to find out where we're at,” said Jeff Smith, McKinney head coach.
After opening the season with a win against Corsicana (40-28), the Raiders are mired in a losing streak after dropping back-to-back games against Wichita Falls Rider (21-15) and East, a pair of top-tier Class 4A programs. Ryan made the jump to 5A this year along with McKinney, who is the first school in that classification the Raiders have faced.
Since losing starting quarterback Mitchell Bridges in their season opener against Corsicana, the Raiders have been led by junior signal caller Preston Compton, who has thrown for 260 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 22-of-39 passing (56 percent).
Ryan's greatest offensive threat has been do-everything junior Xavier Gray, who leads the team in scoring and receiving yards and is second in rushing yards. He works out of the wildcat formation on occasion and is bolstered by an offensive line that measures up as the biggest McKinney has seen this season.
That size translates to the defense as well, where the Raiders have a pair of intimidating lineman in 6-1, 250-pound tackle Desmond Oliver and 6-4, 215-pound end Sekou Clark. Those two will look to disrupt a high-flying aerial game that has worked to perfection for McKinney.
Lions senior quarterback Robert Somborn has thrown for over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions so far this season. The bulk of those throws have gone to three receivers: TV Williams, Connor Fuentes and Jonathan Shannon.
“We're going to have to play very well for all four quarters to win Friday, there's no doubt,” Smith said. “We can't have a slow start or a poor finish. It's got to be a complete football game to win, so that's what our focus is on.”
Boyd (2-2) vs Lewisville (1-3)
Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Lewisville's Goldsmith Stadium
Fresh off its most dominant win of the season – a 44-7 victory against Rockwall – the Broncos will look to continue rolling when they travel to Lewisville to face a program at a different point after last week's 41-13 loss to Arlington.
The Farmers’ run-first offense relies mainly on senior Deandre Brown, who has rushed for 561 yards and four touchdowns on 87 carries this season. He is bolstered in the backfield by senior Ahkeel Guy, who has also been productive in limited carries this season, amassing 180 yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts.
“They have the speed to go the distance if you let them break loose,” said Don Drake, Boyd head football coach.
Lewisville has thrown for just over 300 yards this season and the rest of its offense combined lags behind Brown in yardage and is tied with him in scoring. The Farmers have made use of a pair of quarterbacks, Matt McDougal and David Vasquez, this season. McDougal got the start last week against Arlington and threw for 90 yards and no touchdowns on 8-of-17 passing (47 percent).
Lewisville will serve as a district preview of sorts for Boyd, as the Farmers opened the season against Plano Senior and lost a close contest, 14-7. Plano is the second district team on the docket for the Broncos, and how they fare Friday will offer a point of comparison between the teams.
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