A quick turnaround is what was waiting for New Braunfels coach Chuck Caniford and his Unicorns after dismantling Corpus Christi Carroll 42-14 last week in the Class 5A Division II area playoffs at the Alamodome.
The celebration had literally just begun and the Unicorn coaching staff were trading films with Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North (11-1), who had defeated Eagle Pass 56-42 in the early game last week, and the race to formulate a gameplan was underway.
“We had no time, as a coaching staff, to rest before we had to get back to work,” Caniford said. “The kids are happy to have won, but they’re not satisfied. We won’t be satisfied until we’re playing in December. And we have one game left to complete that goal. Then we’ll set another goal for this team.”
Last week against the Tigers, New Braunfels quarterback John Simmons was a pure leader on the field, running for 121 yards and two touchdowns and passing for another score to ignite the Unicorns offensive explosion that saw them score 42 unanswered points.
Simmons ran for touchdowns of 31 and 50 yards and passed for 156 yards while hooking up with Ross Johnson on a 28-yard touchdown — Johnson’s first of the season.
But it was the New Braunfels defense that held Carroll running back Charles Coleman, who was averaging 190 yards per game, to just 72 yards and most importantly — out of the end zone.
Unicorn linebacker John Bordano said he was most proud of his defense’s play against a top-flight running back in Coleman.
“We were able to hold (Coleman) in check when nobody had done that all season,” Bordano said. “Our defense did a great job of rushing to the ball and closed off the running lanes so they couldn’t break off the big play against us.”
The Unicorn running game was on fire against the Tigers, racking up 254 yards and four touchdowns, with senior Jeremy Garcia carrying the ball 13 times for 94 yards and scoring on a one-yard touchdown dive in the fourth quarter.
Junior running back Karimu Osman scored on a 3-yard run and a blocked punt return against Corpus Christi Carroll.
New Braunfels (9-3) keeps putting up the points and the train keeps rolling toward a trip to Dallas for the Class 5A State Final Four, but Caniford won’t even entertain those thoughts yet.
“We have to take care of our business and that’s focusing on just one game at a time,” Caniford said. “The excitement is building, but the kids understand that they still have to go out and play football. PSJA North is next on our radar.”
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North’s offense was just as lethal last week, as the Raiders scored 35 unanswered points against Eagle Pass to rally from a 28-14 first quarter deficit.
Raider running backs Alex Gutierrez and J.J. Rodriguez energized the PSJA North offense by pounding the ball into the heart of the Eagle Pass defense.
Gutierrez had 10 carries for 175 yards and three touchdowns and Rodriguez carried the ball 23 times for 142 yards and four scores for the Raiders last week.
“PSJA North is a good football team,” Caniford said. “They’re not 11-1 by accident. They put a lot of points on the board and have big play capability. They’re very disciplined and do an outstanding job of execution.”
The Raiders passed the ball just nine times against Eagle Pass, so the smart bet is that Rodriguez and Gutierrez will get the bulk of the offensive load, which could work for the Unicorn defense, which is use to shutting down quality backs.
Bordano’s sideline-to-sideline speed was a key weapon last week in containing Coleman and the senior linebacker will have his hands full in containing a double threat from the Raiders.
“They use a lot of misdirection,” Bordano said. “So, we have to be responsible for our gap and not try to do too much on our own. We have to trust that our teammates are doing their assignments and not get caught out of position.”
With the fan intensity building and the crowds growing the farther the Unicorns get into the playoffs, Caniford is proud that his team has maintained grounded and not strayed from the things that got them to this point.
“As I said last week, we’re preparing like this is just another week of football,” Caniford said. “We’ve had good practices all week and we’re ready to play.
