The first game of the season for the Bulldogs is in La Porte against the Clements Rangers. These are two very similar teams. Clements is a preseason favorite to challenge Hightower for the district title in 23-5A. The Rangers feature one of the top returning running backs in the area, Jarrod Johnson. Last season Johnson was shut down after week 5 due to a broken leg, although he did rack up 592 yards and 7tds in those first five games. Clements also returns their starting quarterback Austin Decell who is not a prolific passer, but is efficient and has a year of experience under his belt.
Clements defense features a strong secondary and standout middle linebacker Alec Davison.
La Porte features their own standout running back/middle linebacker combo with University of Houston commitment senior RB Anthony Webb and Junior MLB Chad Sutherland. Both will anchor strong returning groups on both sides of the ball.
Webb comes off a 2009 season in which he evenly split carries with Kendrick Perkins now of the Boston Red Sox and still blazed his way to 1600 yards and 12tds, he is also a good pass-catching threat out of the backfield. La Porte's new starting QB Jeremy McNeal should be an exciting player to watch with his combination of speed and throwing ability that lead the Bulldog 7 on 7 team to an undefeated record this summer. Karl Terrebone returns as La Porte's leading receiver.
La Porte also returns a strong secondary even with Jeremy McNeal receiving less reps due to his switch to QB. Senior Ryan Moye should see more action this season at safety and he showed a nose for the ball in 2009 in limited action. The linebackers are the Bulldog's calling card this season with Sutherland and Senior Jamarcus Erskin. Sutherland has a knack for shedding blockers and getting into the backfield for big plays. Erskin is a speedy linebacker who makes plays all over the field.
The key for La Porte's Defense will be putting pressure on the inexperienced offensive line of Clements and slowing down Jarrod Johnson. The Bulldogs offense must establish the running game early to open up passing lanes later in the game.
Overall this is one of the better Houston area matchups for week 0. I will be tweeting live at http://twitter.com/LPBulldogBlog.
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