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D’Andre Peoples (99) and Wildcat teammate Kohlson Ivery (97) take on Lucas Lovejoy players at the line during Friday, Sept. 7 action in Lucas. The Wildcats open district play Friday in Terrell. Courtesy/Isabel Reyna
Sulphur Springs | Football
It’s show time now for sure.
District play starts this week with a sense of urgency that hasn’t been felt in several months.
Sulphur Springs head coach Greg Owens admitted it was a “change in gears” to get his team ready for a 8-5A, DII encounter after two weeks of non-district play.
Both Sulphur Springs and Terrell are winless for the season both posting 0-2 records as they enter district competition.
Owens said as he did not think his team would take Terrell lightly despite the Tigers being picked below the Wildcats.
“As hard as we’ve been working, we just want a win. This is district; it’s go time now. Our motto for the week is ‘Little Things.’ If we all do the little things right, then the bigger things take care of themselves,” Owens said.
The predictions have Ennis taking the district football title with Corsicana, North Forney and Kaufman making the playoffs.
Sulphur Springs was picked sixth overall, and Terrell was tabbed at eighth after going 1-8 a year ago. This week the Wildcats are a 17-point pick to win over the Tigers on the road.
Other picks from statewide services in district include: Corsicana, a 20-point favorite over Greenville; North Forney is selected to win by 17 over Forney; and Ennis should take care of Kaufman by a 37-point spread.
Owens said the Wildcats have been preparing for the Terrell attack which features a unique offensive formation.
“They are kind of old school, going back to the Wing T. You don’t see that formation much, and we’ve been working hard to stop it in practice. Most teams, like us, use a form of the spread offense. The Wing T is different, and it causes problems because we have to learn our responsibilities,” Owens said. “Terrell has some talented players. If we don’t tackle well, they will break a long one for a score. They are very capable of putting up points.”
The Wildcats won a high scoring affair against the Tigers last year. Sulphur Springs scored a 42-27 victory.
Since that time, the Tigers have made a change in their coaching staff.
The new head coach is Marvin Sedberry Jr., who took over the program after a successful run at several schools, including Fort Worth Namaan Forest.
Sedberry said he thinks the matchup between Sulphur Springs and Terrell to open district will be a good one.
“Sulphur Springs is traditionally a strong football team. They will present us with an uphill challenge. They are a well-coached, physical ball club. They will be a tough district opponent for us. We are just hoping to keep the game competitive,” Sedberry said.
The Tigers have been battling low numbers on the team.
Terrell will have eight to nine players who will be key contributors on both offense and defense.
In two games of non-district play the Wildcats have accounted for 429 yards passing and 224 rushing.
Top ground gainer for the Wildcats is Caden Davis with 32 rushes for 203 yards.
Wildcat junior quarterback Kaden Wallace has completed 36-of-64 passes (56%) for 429 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Top receiver for the Wildcats is Chase Haney with five catches for 90 yards.
Leading the Wildcats in total tackles are: Ryan Carrillo with 17; Haney, 15; Kylan Wade, 13; George Greenway, 11; and Koderrian Turner with 10.
“We’re making improvements and our last game was better than our opener. We need to play well to beat Terrell. It’s a big district game,” Owens said.
The Wildcats play at rival Terrell Friday at 7:30 p.m.