Over Bryan’s first four District 14-6A games, the Vikings (1-5, 0-4) faced three of the league’s most proficient passing attacks and offenses powering teams vying for 14-6A’s four playoff spots.
Against Cy-Park (1-5, 1-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Bryan will play a team near the bottom of the district’s standings whose offensive philosophy is to keep it on the ground out of the Wing-T.
“Some of these other teams are pretty flashy right now, so when you do face somebody with the same type of record and is not as prolific on either side of the ball, we feel like this a great opportunity for us, and I’m sure they think the same thing,” Bryan coach Ross Rogers said.
Bryan is still looking for its first win in 14-6A, while Cy-Park’s came against winless Cy-Springs, the Vikings’ Homecoming opponent on Oct. 25 at Merrill Green Stadium.
“We talk about it,” Rogers said. “We hate to bring up the one win. That is a negative, but there is an opportunity here, guys, and we are not going to quit coaching, and you are not going to quit playing. So let’s have some fun and look at it as another opportunity to go get a win and come back home next weekend and have a chance for another one.”
Bryan has stayed close in just one of its district games, leading Langham Creek until late in a 35-31 loss. Whether it was the hurry-up passing game of Bridgeland or the balanced attack of Tomball Memorial or Cypress Lakes, Bryan has had to look for other incentives other than getting the victory late in games.
It’s not been easy, but Rogers has continually said his players have not quit, and with four games remaining, the Vikings still believe there are wins on the table in 2019.
“You have to look at work ethic, and I feel like we are working in practice,” Rogers said. “It’s brought up by some of the leaders that, guys, we don’t have many more of these, so let’s do the best we can and be as ready as we can and make some good things happen.”
If something good is to happen Thursday for the Vikings, they will have to stop the Tigers’ running game. Cy-Park ranks last in passing in 14-6A with less than 50 yards a game but is fourth in the nine-team district in rushing at nearly 225 yards a game.
Over the past four weeks, Bryan has faced the district’s two leading passers, two leading rushers and six leading receivers. Cy-Park’s highest-ranked offensive player is senior James LeBlanc, who is fifth at 76 yards a game while averaging 10 yards a carry. With the Wing-T offense, any number of backs will get carries, including quarterback Cameron King, who averages 7.4 yards a carry.
“If we bow up, get a lot of second-and-8s, there’s a chance we will see some passing,” Rogers said. “They believe they are going to have a lot of second-and-5 or -6 and third-and-2s and -3s and pick it up that way. I used to run [the Wing-T]. My dad ran it, so I appreciate the nuances of it.
“We will have to tackle well, and our young defensive line is going to have to do a better job of staying down. Defense is the interruption of execution, so we have to interrupt their execution.”
On the other side of the ball, Cy-Park’s defense is the worst statistically in the district in both yards and points allowed a game, surrendering 411 and 40.7, respectively.
Bryan will start senior tailback Christian Richardson, who scored the Vikings’ lone touchdown last week in a 62-10 loss against Cy-Lakes. His 67-yard TD run on fourth down helped him become the first Viking to rush for 100 yards in a game this season.
Bryan also will benefit from the return of sophomore safety Du’Wayne Paulhi... Click here to read full article
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