An 0-2 start in an eight-team football district is about the equivalent to a 1-6 start in an NFL’s 16-game schedule.
Right, Houston Texans?
So head coach Jamie Crocker’s Pasadena Memorial Mavericks were essentially in a must-win situation Thursday night, looking to avoid such an unpleasant start.
And avoid it they did as contributions on both sides of the ball allowed the Mavs to motor to a 34-17 District 22-6A victory over South Houston in the 17th annual meeting at cold and windy Veterans Memorial Stadium Thursday night.
Christian Vega was the workhorse on the offense, exploding for 158 yards rushing and two touchdowns over 24 carries. Quarterback Luke Giron threw second-half touchdown passes of six and 40 yards as Memorial outscored the Trojans 27-14 in the second half after only leading 7-3 at the break.
“After last week in Deer Park, our kids got a little wake-up call and I think they answered the bell tonight,” said Crocker, who watched the series lead on the Trojans improve to 13-4.
If the Mavs were to start making a move towards a state playoff berth, they had to find a way to slow down South Houston’s freshman quarterback in Kam’ron Webb, who in the previous two games had rushed in the neighborhood of 300 yards.
Webb got his yardage, finishing in triple digits (117) for the third straight week, but 74 of those 117 yards came on three plays and after Memorial were owners of a 21-3 lead. The Mavs defense tackled Webb for negative yardage on four plays and zero yardage for five additional plays. Other times, Webb got yardage but only after scrambling for his life.
“Coach (Patrick) Longstreet and his staff do a great job of getting that young man the ball. He is an explosive and dynamic young man. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come in this district. We just feel blessed that our kids were able to rally to the ball. That was a great defensive effort by our kids. We worked on pursuit angles all week long. We worked on responsibilities. We put in a lot of work planning for that young man,” Crocker said.
It may have been the best defensive effort by a Memorial team against South Houston in four years. The 17 points were the fewest by the Trojans since the 2016 game. South Houston even had the wind advantage in the first quarter and still couldn’t do anything with it.
Memorial collected the victory when it scored two touchdowns in rapid-fire fashion. First came a handsome drive that had Giron complete 3-of-4 passes for 37 yards, topping it off with a six-yard pass to Aidan Granger.
After an Elvis Castro PAT made it 14-3, South Houston went nowhere on its sixth possession and the ensuing punt saw the ball take a convenient bounce where Kolbey Taylor simply grabbed it in midair and ran untouched 55 yards for the touchdown.
A Webb 47-yard run set up South Houston’s first touchdown, getting the team within striking distance again only to have Memorial answer with its fourth touchdown.
But actually, it was a gift score because Memorial was about to face a fourth and long situation when a Trojan player was penalized for taunting, a 15-yard infraction and two plays later, Giron really made South Houston pay for the crucial penalty when he connected with Taylor for his 40-yard touchdown pass. Taylor made a nice grab on the run.
Crocker mentioned that injuries have caused some shuffling of players around and he believes there’s a definite connection between the pandemic and the injuries. From strength and conditioning workouts, the cancellation of the 7-on-7 season in June and most importantly, spring drills in April and May, covid-19 has put a definite crimp in physical preparations for the 2020 season.
“I think in this covid era, we’re finding out how the kids are missing an offseason. We’re missing a conditioning program so we’re seeing a rash of injuries around the area and now it’s next man up. I know coach Longstreet has talked about injuries and we’ve had our share, from ACLs to shoulders to ankles,” Crocker said.
Vega’s first touchdown was a 33-yard run that was set up by a 29-yard scamper by Giron.
GAME NOTES: Memorial’s Cleveland Tucker intercepted a second-quarter pass as the Trojans attempted a trick play. … Memorial has now scored 561 points in the 17 meetings, an average of 33 points per game. … South Houston has scored 377 points. … Another reason Memorial didn’t want to start district with an 0-2 record is because it’s only happened twice in the program’s 17-year history and those were the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
"avoid it" - Google News
October 30, 2020 at 12:30PM
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Mavericks put the chill on South Houston in 34-17 victory - Houston Chronicle
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