New Braunfels and Gregory-Portland have met four times before in the state football playoffs. The Unicorns lost to the Wildcats in 1976 and 1984, but defeated them in 1985 and 1986.
None of that will matter on Saturday when the teams meet for a fifth time at Corpus Christi’s Buccaneer Stadium. It’s only a matter of which team can move on to the state semifinals next week. The same goes for sixth-ranked Smithson Valley (11-1), which will play unbeaten Harlingen South (12-0) at the same site on Friday night.
The fifth-ranked Unicorns (12-0) are coming off a 35-3 dethroning of defending 4A-Division I state champion Alamo Heights. The Wildcats (8-4) edged Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 27-23 at Buc Stadium last Saturday.
New Braunfels coach Chuck Caniford saw the Wildcats fend off Flour Bluff, which committed five turnovers yet was able to threaten late in the contest. The Hornets penetrated the G-P 20 six times, turning the ball over three times while the Wildcats totaled 342 ground yards in the victory.
“I think they’re really good on offense. They’re a Slot-T team, which for us is kind of bad and kind of good,.” Caniford said. “Our schedule has helped us a little bit because we’re played that offense twice this year. The difference between them and the others is that they are considerably bigger on the offensive line. They are very physical — they come off the football.
“Defensively they stick to what they do for the most party. They will give you a 3-4 look and every once in a while jump into an even front. (In pass coverage) they will play some man, man free, and occasionally jump into some quarters. They are a pretty disciplined group that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. They will drive the ball and try to keep you off the field. They are a tough draw.”
New Braunfels had all it wanted in both of its Slot-T opponents this fall. In Week Three, the Unicorns trailed Beeville Jones 27-3 at halftime only to post a 30-27 victory — despite allowing a season-high 403 yards. Six weeks later, New Braunfels defeated Lockhart 35-17, though the Lions didn’t go down without a fight.
The Unicorns will probably get more of a fight this week than they did last week. Caniford says G-P’s backs are quick and elusive and the offense breeds on patience. The defense heads to the ball well and plays with the kind of force you’d expect to see at this stage of the playoffs.
“They are a lot like us in the way they play the game,” the coach said. “They play physical and hard.”
Over at Smithson Valley, coach Larry Hill and his staff are prepping to see Harlingen South’s run attack in their 5A-Division II regional contest on Friday. The District 31-5A champs are the top-rated team in the Valley, but last week the Hawks needed overtime to dispatch McAllen Rowe 30-24. South defeated Rowe 44-14 when the teams first met on Sept. 14.
“I got to see them in person on Saturday, playing a team they had beaten pretty soundly the first time. Rowe really got after it,” Hill said. “But you could see (South) is poised in big games because they just rolled in the second half. And that goes with being 12-0.
“They made some big plays and had more than a few guys making them. They are pretty solid defensively, with no real weak spots, and have a field goal kicker who kicked it in the 40s the other day. It’s difficult to draw comparisons, because in the three films we’ve seen of them, none of the other teams have a similar style of offense to ours. To see how some of our stuff would match up is something we’ve having to speculate.
“But that works both ways. I’m sure their coach would give us the same response. In some ways, games like these are easier to prepare for because you don’t know them and they don’t know you. You just see who can do their stuff better than the other guys.”
District 26-5A is still alive and kicking in the third round, as all four of its playoff teams will be in action this weekend. In Division I, Converse Judson (8-4) will play La Joya (6-6) on Saturday in Laredo, while Reagan (10-2) plays Los Fresnos (9-3) on Saturday in Victoria. In Division II, Jim Streety’s Madison Mavericks (11-1) will visit Weslaco (10-2) Saturday afternoon.
“The thing is, we’re the fortunate four that made it and there’s two or three at home who didn’t make it. But if they had, they very well might still be playing, too,” Hill said. “The disadvantage (playing in 26-5A) is not knowing if you’re going to make it. But the advantage is that when you do make it, you’re going to be ready.”
The Rangers have had a bunch of injuries in recent weeks and Hill isn’t talking about them. The biggest suffered by 1,500-yard rusher Trent Rios, who left Friday’s 49-22 win over East Central with an apparent ankle injury. Two other starters went down in that victory.
“We lost three (starters) in a eight-day span between weeks four and five and lost another a few weeks ago,” said Hill. “We had some hurt a few days ago, who are going to be TBAs (for Friday’s game). You never have a year where (injuries) are not going to happen, but I wish I would.”
