Playoffs! Round 1 La Porte vs South Houston Preview

The La Porte Bulldogs (8-2) will face the South Houston Trojans (5-5) this Friday at 7pm at the Galena Park ISD stadium!  This is the first round of the 5A Division 2 Playoffs.

Here is the Division 2 bracket: http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=379099&tclass=Division%202

La Porte has a favorable bracket and could have another big playoff run in them this season.  However, before we get too far ahead of ourselves,  South Houston will be ready for the Bulldogs this Friday.

South Houston is in the playoffs for just the 4th time in the last 20 years.  They have won two playoff games in the school's history going back to 1958.  Things are changing this season under new coach and former NFL'er C.L. Whittington.  The Trojans are led by a spread passing attack and a very heavily recruited player on the defensive side of the ball.  They have underclassmen all over the field and will only get better in years to come.

These two teams have four common opponents this season:

Atascocita (3-7)
La Porte won 35-0
South Houston lost 38-18

Baytown Sterling (2-8)
La Porte won 56-21
South Houston won 51-50

Deer Park (7-3)
La Porte lost 21-19
South Houston lost 30-27

Port Arthur Memorial (7-3)
La Porte won 37-13
South Houston lost 48-13



On offense South Houston's spread passing attack features Junior QB Rudis Requeno.  He is a small QB (5-9, 175) with good feet in the pocket and good instincts.  He has racked up some yardage this season through the air with 2042 yards and 17 touchdowns.  He does not add much of a running threat, but he is quick.  Requeno's favorite target is Sophomore Receiver Torre Daniel (55 catches for 558 yards).  The Trojans spread the ball around to a wide number of receivers  South Houston will try to use quick passes to beat the big time La Porte pass rush.  They will keep the ball through the air, as their leading rusher is Sophomore back Byron Hodges with only 300 yards rushing on the season.  One player to look out for when he comes in on offense is Senior and UT commitment Cornerback Leroy Scott.  He only had 26 carries on the season, but put them to good use with 239 yards and 4 touchdowns.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him more on offense to try and extend South Houston's season.

La Porte on defense comes into the post season as one of the top defenses in the Houston area.  In the season finale against Beaumont West Brook's spread passing offense the Bulldogs shut down one of the best passers in the state Senior Bruce Reyes in the second half to come out victorious.  This was a great warm-up for this week.  La Porte's front 7 is very efficient stopping the run and did not give up 100 yards to any individual runner this season.  Junior Linebacker Chad Sutherland has been the team leader and finds himself in the right place at the right time continuously. I could name names all day and still not recognize everyone that has stood out this season on defense. This week the secondary will have to step up once again with Senior Cornerbacks John Wesby and Ben Flores leading the way.  La Porte will be prepared for the all-out passing attack and will mix up their coverages and blitz packages just like they did against West Brook.  The Bulldogs have forced 23 turnovers in 10 games and will need more of the same this week.

On defense South Houston is led by Scott who will be taking his talents to Austin next season.  At 5-10, 185 with a 4.4 40 yard dash, he is a great athlete and a shutdown cornerback.  The Trojans have struggled against the run and they will have to step it up this week to have a chance against the vaunted La Porte rushing attack.  Against the better rushing teams on their schedule they have given up 10 yards per carry to the other teams leading rusher every time.

La Porte on offense will be running, running and running.  There is a question whether Senior QB/Safety Jeremy McNeal will play this week after suffering a mild concussion against West Brook.  While his loss would take away a dimension of the Bulldog offense, Junior QB/Punter Josh Vidales showed he could fill in admirably. No matter who the Quarterback is this week this game will be won between the tackles for the Bulldogs.  UH commitment and Senior Running Back Anthony Webb comes into this week on a roll. racking up 400 yards and 7 touchdowns the last two weeks.  On the season he stands at 1300 yards and 20 touchdowns.  I don't expect much passing from La Porte this week as they will try to keep the South Houston offense off the field with long sustained drives.

Keys to the game:
-Stay focused and ready for South Houston, any team that makes the playoffs is a threat.
-The La Porte secondary must keep the South Houston receivers in front of them and make solid tackles.
-Pound the rock on the ground with Webb, Keith Whitely and Hoza Scott.  Don't let up.

This team needs all the support they can get and I expect a big crowd in Galena Park Friday night!

This is my inaugural article for lpinsider.com http://www.lpinsider.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124:playoffs-round-1-preview&catid=34:lp-football&Itemid=79

Check out that website, it has local La Porte news and also features other La Porte High School and junior high sports.