Heading into week five of the football season, a victory over the Braswell Bengals (2-2) would give the Farmers (2-2) a positive record and a 2-0 start against District 6A-5 competition.
Prior to last season, the Bengals hadn’t won their first district game in the team’s history. Unlike those seasons, they have won their district opener in the last two seasons, this season being a 41-28 win over the Little Elm Lobos (0-4). Throughout their first three contests, the Bengals allowed their running backs to take full reign of the offense, combining for a total of 73 carries and 649 yards (8.8 yards per carry). This ground and pound offense is led by senior running backs Moses Adelowo and Jeremiah Shipp who gained 343 and 225 of the team’s rushing yards on 29 (11.8 yards per carry) and 23 carries (9.8 yards per carry).
“The last two teams we played before were really good at the run,” special teams coach Jaden Wright said. “They have a really talented running back, they do a lot to run, so we know defensively, we definitely need to stop the run consistently.”
In their last two games, the Farmers opponents relied heavily on rushing attacks to set the tone and control the tempo of the game. In the team’s clash against Rockwall, the Yellowjackets combined for 44 carries,189 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns. Senior running back Jamir Wilson led the pack with 31 carries, 152 rushing yards (4.9 yards per carry), and both of the Yellowjackets rushing touchdowns.
Unlike the team’s matchup against Rockwall, the Farmers heavily limited Marcus Marauders senior running back Isaiah Keliikipi (second in district rushing yards), holding him to only 70 yards on 26 carries (2.6 yards per carry). In prior contests, Keliikipi averaged 122 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry.
“Rockwall and Marcus both like running the ball a lot, and Braswell is heavy on the running game,” senior cornerback D’Angelo King said. “I feel like after facing Rockwall and Marcus, we’re very prepared for the run.”
Coming out of the traditional “Battle of the Axe” (BOTA) game, the Farmers broke their two game losing streak with a 27-21 win in overtime over the Marcus Marauders. While the passing game aired out a season low nine passing yards and season high two interceptions in the game, the Farmers running backs exploded in the ground game with a combined 265 passing yards, led by senior running back Tenel Hill who accumulated 156 rushing yards on 18 carries (8.7 yards per carry). Hill gained 10 or more yards on five separate rush attempts; one of them being a 27-yard gain in overtime that put the Farmers in position to score the team’s game-winning touchdown.
“I feel like you see a lot of greatness between DJ and Aiden and me,” Hill said. “We’re all three different weapons with different styles of how we run. I feel pretty good that it helps the passing game as well as helping take that load off of our young sophomore quarterback.”
The Farmers were able to limit the Marauders star running back and senior defensive linemen Rhyan Sewell and Anthony Pina set the tone for the defense. Sewell accumulated seven tackles, four tackles for loss and broke his way into the backfield to pressure the quarterback four times and eventually earn his team a sack. Pina set a near identical stat line with seven tackles, four tackles for loss, and reaching the opposing quarterback for two sacks on the day.
“Coming up with a big game like that puts a little bit of a target on your back,” Sewell said. “We just have to keep up the energy, keep playing as a team and do us.”
Unlike most games, the outcome of this clash may have been impacted most by special teams rather than offense and defense. King returned a punt for a touchdown for the Farmers special teams unit, putting the team up 7-0 in the early first quarter. Recovering from a 14-3 deficit, the Marauders would tie the game at 14-14, and after forcing the Farmers to punt, junior wide receiver Austin Allen would return the team’s punt for a touchdown to put the Marauders ahead at 21-14 in the late third quarter.
“Whenever you are scoring points on special teams, you definitely want to continue that, but both teams had a big impact, we don’t want it for both teams,” Wright said. “We want to be able to field all kicks and be able to flip the field and run the position on special teams.”
This week’s game against Braswell will break the tie between the Farmers and Bengals, increasing the stakes in a first-time matchup between the two teams. If the Farmers wish to head into next week with a 2-0 record in district, the passing offense needs to clean itself up and if needed, lean on the rushing game, especially coming off of a hot game against Marcus. Defensively, the Farmers need to be able to limit the run game and give the offense opportunities to take off on the Bengals, and if the special teams perform how they did last week, some points may be scored on that side of the ball as well.
“Just got to make sure we’re playing the game the right way,” Wright said. “Definitely continue to play hard, try to go out and execute all the way through.”
*Stats according to MaxPreps*
*Braswell Bengals stats according to Dallas Morning News*
