The Herald-Zeitung

New Braunfels coach Chuck Caniford refuses to let his team focus on the big picture — a coveted District 26-5A playoff spot.

Instead, the Unicorn coach has his team excited about playing the game of football no matter the opponent.

“We know how much competition there is in the district and we know it’ll probably come down to the wire for the playoff picture to work itself out,” Caniford said. “I know the team is really excited about the opportunity to play against a team like (San Antonio) Reagan.”

The Unicorns (5-2, 3-2) are coming off an impressive 36-8 win over San Antonio Roosevelt that saw New Braunfels roll up 433 yards of offense on the Rough Riders.

“I’ve been really pleased with our offense the last couple of weeks,”Caniford said. “We’ve been extremely efficient and haven’t let a lot of scoring opportunities get by us.”

New Braunfels leads the district with 241 points this season and is second in points allowed with 83.

Senior running back Jeremy Garcia has scored six touchdowns over the past two games and had 220 all-purpose yards last week against the Rough Riders.

Reagan (4-2, 3-1) are coming off a bye, so they’ve had two weeks to prepare for New Braunfels.

In their last game, the Rattlers outlasted the Rough Riders 38-29.

Reagan quarterback Trevor Knight accounted for four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing) and is a constant threat that the Unicorns will have to account for at all times.

Reagan had 422 yards of total offense against Roosevelt and also has a dangerous running back in Devin Haywood, who ran for 137 yards in the last game.

“Reagan is rock solid in all phases of the game,” Caniford said. “They’re very disciplined and well prepared. It is going to be a great challenge for us.

“If you want to be one of the big boys, then you‘ve got to beat the big boys.”

Caniford said that the key to victory for either team will come from the trenches.

“In a game like this, it is going to come down to how the lines play and who controls the line of scrimmage.

“We’re going to have our hands full, but we’re excited to be playing and we expect to win every time we take the field.”