Top 12-6A offenses face off tonight
By TJ MAXWELL
Cove Leader-Press
The Midway Panthers and Copperas Cove Bulldawgs combined for 110 points and nearly 1,300 yards last year as they battled for the top spot in the district.
Expect much of the same when the two district leaders face off tonight at Bulldawg Stadium.
The Panthers will pit a well-balanced offense against the run-heavy attack by the Bulldawgs, led by senior Antonio Lealiiee.
The Panthers sit atop the district statistics in total offense, 2,905, that equates to 484.2 per game. 1,508 yards have come through the air, led by first-year starting quarterback Sam Glaesman.
“They have a very good offense,” said Cove head football coach Jack Welch. “They are powerful with their offensive line. Their quarterback does a good job of running and throwing the football.”
Glaesman is second in the district in passing with 1,357 yards and 11 touchdowns on 101 of 146 passing.
“He’s 6-foot-4, he’s got a great arm and runs extremely well,” said Cove defensive coordinator Reb Brock. “He doesn’t take hits. He gets out of bounds but he’s very mobile. He can hurt you with is feet so you have to keep him corralled.”
The Panthers also boast the district’s leading receiver. Senior Joseph Ward has 46 catches for 740 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“He had a big game against us last year and he wasn’t even their main guy,” Brock said about Ward. “He’s extremely talented. Anytime they want a score, the throw the ball to him.”
Senior Eric Clayburn adds 537 yards and eight scores on 111 carries to provide a one-two punch for the Panthers.
The Bulldawgs have the second-best offense, statistically, behind Midway.
Lealiee and junior Kylan Herrera have a combined 1,728 yards and 17 scores to lead the top rushing attack in the district and one of the best in the state. They average 8.69 yards every time they touch the ball.
Defensively, Midway would appear to have the advantage. They are surrendering 363.3 yards per game while Cove’s opponents average 525.1 yards per outing.
“Defensively is probably the strength of their ball club,” said Jack Welch. “They’re very tough. They don’t give up the run and they do a good job of keeping the pass in front of them. They’re just a good, solid football team.”
The Panthers have given up just 54 points in their three district contests for an average of 18 points per contest while scoring 41.33 per outing.
The Panthers were surrendering over 42 points through their first four contests but cut that number by more than half during district action.
“The first two games they were a 3-4 (defense),” said Tracy Welch, offensive coordinator for the Dawgs.. “Now they’ve went to a 4-3 and it has been successful for them.”
The Bulldawgs’ defense has also seen improvement since the beginning of district. They gave up 51.8 points and a nearly 65 percent third and fourth down conversion rate through the first four games.
The Dawgs have held their opponents to just 32 points per outing and 35.75 percent on third and fourth down. They are also giving up 100 fewer yards of offense per game.
“The defense has made great strides over the last couple of weeks and we’re going to need that sort of strive this week,” said Jack Welch.
A key for victory for Cove is ball control. They had a -4 turnover differential in the loss last year and the five turnovers against Ellison last week almost cost them the game. The Bulldawgs will need to win the turnover battle to have a chance tonight.