Wednesday, November 28, 2012

2012 Round 3 La Porte vs Katy Preview

The 11-1 La Porte Bulldogs will once again take on the 12-0 Katy Tigers in round three of the Texas state playoffs.  This will be these school's fourth meeting in the last five years.  Katy leads the series 2-1.  However, La Porte won last years contest 9-7 on a blustery night at Tully Stadium.

This years game will take place at Reliant Stadium on Saturday at 11am. Gates are scheduled to open at 945.  With both teams large fan bases, I expect we will have a huge crowd Saturday morning.

Katy has blown out their first two playoff opponents Westbury (77-7) and Langham Creek (49-0).

La Porte has just gotten by their first two opponents Pasadena Memorial (29-21) and Fort Bend Bush (21-17).

La Porte's offense has struggled some without their top two running backs Senior Keith Whitely (1347 yards, 9tds) and Junior Jonathan Lewis (1091 yards, 17tds) the last two weeks.  Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson (1138 passing yards, 22 touchdowns) has thrown four touchdowns in the playoffs and is four touchdowns away from tying the school record.  Senior Receiver Jahvey Mark (535 yards, 9 tds) has really turned it on in the playoffs with back to back 100 yard receiving games.  Sophomore Running Back Britt Grant (600 total yards, 4tds) has carried the load in the playoffs so far with 169 yards rushing. Junior's Hoza Scott and Victor Holmes have seen time at running back the last two weeks along with their duties on defense. The big men up front will need to have their best game this week with experienced Seniors Maurice Morris, Tony Briones, Justin King and Joey Garcia along with Junior Michael Leagan leading the charge for the offense.

The Bulldogs defense has turned the last two games around by forcing turnovers and will be looking to continue their strong play this week.  Seniors Alex Jones, Corey Lee, Ellis Hutchinson, Malik Graves, Mark Guzman and Justin Pickell will have to step it up and lead La Porte.  Junior Linebacker Hoza Scott will need to make some of those big plays he's famous for.  Juniors Lane Albertson, Trevor Nelson, John Nelson and Vic Holmes have stepped up huge the last four weeks.  This will be a big task slowing down the Katy ground attack that has been unstoppable.

Katy's offense features powerful Senior and Nebraska commitment Adam Taylor (1781 yards, 29tds) at running back. Taylor was out with an injury in last year's matchup.  The Tigers are very deep at running back with Sophomore Rodney Anderson (1085 total yards, 19tds) and Senior Ricky Bickam (479 yards, 10tds) also having big years.  Senior Quarterback Kiley Huddleston (1249yds, 16tds) has managed the offense well and kept the turnovers to a minimum with only two interceptions on the season.  The Tigers run a power running offense, but are capable of throwing as well.  Senior Receiver Kyle Fulks (298 yards, 4tds) is a big play threat and very explosive in open field.

Katy's defense has been dominant as usual with Senior Defensive End and Oklahoma commitment Matt Dimon along the front line.  What has really improved this season for the Tigers is the secondary play.  Senior Defensive Back Isaiah Brown has 10 interceptions on the season, a very impressive total. Senior defensive back Quinn Atwood has four interceptions himself.  Katy has given up just under 10 points per game this season.

Keys for La Porte:
-Don't let Katy eat up the clock with long drives on offense.  LP defense must keep them off the field.
-Win the field position battle all day
-Offense must control the ball and make some big plays
-The Bulldogs need a few turnovers and preferably early in the game.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Final La Porte 21 Fort Bend Bush 17

The La Porte Bulldogs advanced to the third round of the playoffs after a thrilling 21-17 victory over the Fort Bend Bush Broncos last Saturday in Pearland.

The game started slow with a scoreless first quarter.  The Bulldog defense slowed down the Bush passing game and the La Porte offense was able to move the ball, but a missed field goal and an interception would keep the score knotted at zero after one.

Bush would get on the board first early in the second quarter on a Junior Quarterback Ronald Moore 57 yard pass to Junior Receiver Kasey Poole, who broke a tackle and sprinted to the end zone.  Bush lead 7-0 with 8:50 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs would have an answer two possessions later when Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson found Senior Receiver Jahvey Mark for a 42 yard strike behind the Bush secondary. The game was tied 7-7 with 1:24 left in the half.

The Broncos had enough time, however, as Monroe completed six consecutive passes to drive deep into La Porte territory.  Monroe would then find Senior Receiver Wayne Grice on a fade route for a 20 yard touchdown pass.  Bush had the lead and the momentum, up 14-7 at the half.

The Bulldogs would get the ball to start the third quarter, but again gave the ball back to Bush when Junior Safety Jyren McCain got the Bronco's second interception of the game.  Both defenses forced three and outs and Bush had the ball again.  The Broncos got a good drive going with their running game as Senior Running Back Domonique Rodgers had runs of 21 and 11 yards to get them deep into Bulldog territory.  However La Porte's defense held strong and forced Bush to kick a 24 yard field goal which was good.  Bush was now ahead 17-7 with 7:45 left in the third quarter and things were not looking good for the Bulldogs.

La Porte would answer quickly and change the momentum of the game shortly thereafter.  Jackson again would find his favorite target Mark on a wide receiver screen.  Mark split two Bush defenders and sprinted down the sideline and over the goaline for a 62 yard touchdown.  The Bulldogs were back in the game, but still down 17-14.

Three plays later it was the La Porte defense coming up big with Junior Defensive End Lane Albertson, who had a great game along with the rest of the Bulldog defensive line, sacking the Bush quarterback, forcing a fumble and recovering all on the same play.  However La Porte would not capitalize after another missed field goal.  At the end of the third quarter the score remained 17-14 Bush.

The beginning of the fourth quarter La Porte was forced to punt and it was muffed by the Bush returner and Senior Cornerback Ellis Hutchinson jumped on it, giving La Porte the ball back.  Junior Hoza Scott would make sure the Bulldogs were leaving with a win as he took three handoffs, the first two for nine yards a piece and the last one a three yard plunge into the end zone.  He was running like a freight train.  La Porte finally had their first lead 21-17 with nine minutes left and it would stay that way.

Bush would have one more possession to score and Senior Nose Tackle Corey Lee blew up the line of scrimmage and sacked the quarterback on fourth down to give La Porte the ball back and run out the clock. Facing adversity and being behind the whole game, this team found a way to win.  Sophomore Running Back Britt Grant carried the load on offense, grinding out yards.  He ended up with 65 yards on 21 carries against a tough Bronco defense.

This sets up a big rematch in round three as La Porte will travel to Reliant Stadium Saturday at 11am to face the undefeated Katy Tigers.  I expect it will be a packed house for sure and a fun game to attend!


Thursday, November 22, 2012

Playoffs Round 2 La Porte vs Fort Bend Bush Preview

The La Porte Bulldogs travel to Pearland Saturday 11/24 at 2pm to take on the Fort Bend Bush Broncos in round two of the playoffs.

This game is a rematch of last years round two game in which La Porte took down Bush 42-6.  The winner this week would face the winner of Katy-Langham Creek who are playing Friday at 12 at Reliant Stadium.

La Porte's offense took some time to adjust last week with star running backs Senior Keith Whitely and Junior Jonathan Lewis out.  This week the two running back's status is unknown.  Sophomore Britt Grant (104 yards) and Juniors Victor Holmes (120 total yards, 3 tds) and Clifton Figaro stood in well against Pasadena Memorial.  Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson had one of his best games as a Bulldog last week, going 11/19 for 159 yards and two scores.  Senior Receiver Jahvey Mark also had a great game with 7 catches and 117 yards with one score.  Overall it was the most balanced attack La Porte has shown this season.  The offensive line lead by Seniors Maurice Morris, Tony Briones and Justin King will be key this week against a fast Bush defense.

Bush's offense has been a very balanced attack this season out of their spread offense.  Junior Quarterback Ronald Monroe (1742 total yards, 23 touchdowns) is a highly recruited prospect for the class of 2014.  He does not have a lot of yards running (220 yards), but definitely has the ability.  Senior running back Dominique Rodgers (936 yards, 8 tds) leads the rushing attack.  The Broncos like to get their receivers downfield and Senior speedster Wayne Grice (474 yards, 8 tds) leads the team in receiving yards and averages a whopping 34 yards per reception.  Monroe has a big arm and will be looking to make plays.

La Porte's defense had a bad game against Pasadena Memorial and will be looking to rebound this week.  The Bulldogs did make big plays when needed in round one with Junior Linebacker Hoza Scott causing a fumble and recovering at the end of the first half and blocking a field goal in the fourth quarter.  Junior cornerback John Nelson also picked up the game sealing interception in the fourth quarter.  This week the main focus will be slowing down Monroe.

The Bronco's defense is very stingy, giving up only 14 points per game. Junior Cornerback Jyren McCain leads the team in interceptions with three.  Senior defensive tackle Romelius Rhone is a big college prospect  and is a terror on the line of scrimmage.  Bush runs a 4-3 defense and have great athletes all over the field.

Keys to this week's game:
-La Porte must sustain long drives on offense.
-Defense will be covering multiple receivers and must get pressure up front and get to the quarterback before those receivers get open.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Playoff Round 1 Final La Porte 29 Pasadena Memorial 21

The La Porte Bulldogs went into their round one playoff matchup shorthanded against the Pasadena Memorial Mavericks last Saturday, but found a way to win in the end 29-21.

The Bulldogs were without the services of Senior Running Back Keith Whitely (1415 yards, 9 tds) and Junior Running Back Johnathan Lewis (1091 yards, 17 tds).  The pair of backs were out due to injury.

The game started and it was ugly for La Porte.  After a Bulldog three and out the Mavericks were able to move the ball into Bulldog territory, but the La Porte defense would get a stop.  With good field position the Bulldogs were stopped on 4th and 2 and the Mustangs were able to take over on downs.  Pasadena Memorial would get a big pass into La Porte territory and Senior Kicker Tara Cole would put the Mavericks on the board with a 32 yard field goal and give Memorial a 3-0 lead with 3:49 left in the first.

La Porte would get the kickoff and go backwards the next three plays.  Senior Punter Eric Medina would punt the ball away again.  The Bulldog defense held strong this time and Memorial would punt to the La Porte three yard line.  La Porte started to show some signs of life, but the drive would stall again at their own 37.  Pasadena Memorial would again put together a good drive, this time it ended in a touchdown when Senior Quarterback Jordan Wyatt found Fullback Justin Acosta for a 19 yard gain to the one yard line and Wyatt would run it in from the one.  The extra point failed and Pasadena Memorial lead 9-0.

The bad play would continue for the Bulldogs as the next drive would feature 5 penalties and end in another punt with a La Porte player being kicked out of the game for talking back to the officials.  The La Porte defense would come up with a big stop and get great field position as the Mavericks punt only traveled to the 25 yard line.  Three plays later Eric Medina would get the Bulldogs on the board with a 42 yard field goal to make the score 9-3 Memorial.

The Bulldogs would finally settle down and find some things that worked.  The Mavericks next possession ended when La Porte Junior Linebacker Hoza Scott knocked the ball free from the running back and recovered the fumble.  With La Porte set up at the 25 yard line and 1:18 left until halftime, Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson would find Junior Victor Holmes on a corner fade route for a 25 yard touchdown pass.  Just like that La Porte went from being outclassed to the lead 10-9 going into the half.

Pasadena Memorial would come out of halftime throwing it. Wyatt found Adrian Boutte (5 catches, 161 yards on the day) twice for big gains into La Porte territory.  Running back Ahrmon McLeod would score with a 17 yard run to put the Mavericks back in the lead after another missed extra point 15-10.

La Porte's offense made some great adjustments at the half and Sophomore Running Back Britt Grant (104 yards on 23 carries) would have lots of success running up the middle.  The Bulldogs pounded the ball to the Maverick  23 yard line where Jackson would find Senior Receiver Jahvey Mark, who had the best game of his Bulldog career with seven catches and 117 yards, for a 23 yard touchdown pass on a wide receiver screen.  The Bulldogs extra point was no good making the score 16-15 La Porte.

Back and forth the game went at this point.  Memorial's Wyatt would again find the fullback Acosta out of the backfield for a 70 yard reception and a touchdown.  Memorial went for two and it failed.  The Mavericks went up again 21-16.

La Porte's performance in close games this season came in handy as the teams would trade punts as we moved to the fourth quarter.  The Bulldogs run game continued to come to life with five straight big runs capped off by a Victor Holmes six yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt would fail, a common theme for the game. La Porte would never relinquish the lead again.  La Porte lead 22-21 with 10:18 left in the game.

The game would not end without a scare for the Bulldogs, however.  With 6:50 left Pasadena Memorial started a 13 play drive getting all the way down to the La Porte four yard line.  With a chance to put up a lead with a little over four minutes left the Mavericks set up for a 16 yard field goal.  Hoza Scott would not let that happen as he charged through the blockers and blocked the field goal attempt.

La Porte would set up on the 20 yard line as the blocked kick went through the back of the end zone.  The very next play Victor Holmes (120 total yards, 3 tds) would take the handoff around the left side and sprint 80 yards for the touchdown, this time the extra point was good.  La Porte lead 29-21 with 3:58 left in the game.

La Porte Junior Cornerback  John Nelson would seal the game with a big interception down field an the Bulldogs were able to run the clock out sending La Porte to the second round of the playoffs.

Grant, Holmes and Junior Running Back Clifton Figaro stepped up in the second half behind a great effort along the offensive line and found the offense La Porte needed after rushing for negative four yards in the first half, the Bulldogs ran for 230 in the second half.

Great effort by the Pasadena Memorial Mavericks against a heavily favored team to almost come out with a shocking result.

La Porte will face Fort Bend Bush in round two on Saturday 11/24 at 2pm in Pearland.


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

La Porte vs Port Arthur Memorial Vidoes


La Porte Final Regular Season Statistics

Passing Completions Attempts Yards Touchdowns Interceptions
Jordan Jackson 59 116 861 18 6
Britt Grant 1 2 36 1 1
Nick Brown 1 3 10 0 2
Vic Holmes 0 0 0 0 0
Hoza Scott 0 1 0 0 0
Rushing Attempts Yards Touchdowns YPA
Keith Whitely 169 1347 9 7.97
Jonathan Lewis 109 906 13 8.31
Britt Grant 59 275 1 4.66
Vic Holmes 17 158 1 9.29
Clifton Figaro 24 116 0 4.83
David Terrebonne 8 27 1 3.38
Josh Marrujo 8 27 0 3.38
Hoza Scott 5 15 0 3.00
Jordan Jackson 9 6 1 0.67
Nick Brown 1 2 0 2.00
Trevor Nelson 1 2 1 2.00
Receiving Catches Yards Touchdowns YPC
Jahvey Marks 16 314 6 19.63
Jonathan Lewis 9 185 4 20.56
Britt Grant 15 154 3 10.27
David Terrebonne 5 76 2 15.20
Keith Whitely 8 68 0 8.50
Michael Rodriguez 2 32 1 16.00
Vic Holmes 1 30 0 30.00
Hoza Scott 3 23 2 7.67
Jaron Dykstra 1 13 1 13.00
Clifton Figaro 1 12 0 12.00
Defense Sacks Int Fumble Rec Forced Fumble TD
Ellis Hutchinson 1
Malik Graves 1
Jahvey Marks 1
Keith Whitely 1
John Nelson 2
Hoza Scott 2 2 1 1
Vic Holmes 4
Alex Jones 1 2
Mark Guzman 1 2
Corey Lee 1 2
Keith Whitely 1
Tyler Davis 3
Trevor Mouton 1
Garrett Green 1 1
Lane Albertson 1
Rushing Passing Total         Avg/game
TOTAL OFFENSE 2848 907             3755          375.5
Rushing Passing Total         Avg/game
TOTAL DEFENSE 1323 1416 2739 273.9

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Playoffs Round 1 La Porte vs Pasadena Memorial 2012

The La Porte Bulldogs, fresh off another district championship, will take on the Pasadena Memorial Mavericks in round one of the 5a division two playoffs.  The game will be played Saturday November 17 at 1pm in Deer Park. These two teams faced each other last season in round one of the playoffs with La Porte winning 35-7.

La Porte (9-1) enters the playoffs having won seven consecutive games, including the last two over state ranked opponents North Shore (27-10) and Port Arthur Memorial (37-33).  The Bulldogs swept district 21-5a.

Pasadena Memorial (8-2) has improved greatly this season and their only losses in the regular season were to Manvel (35-14) and Pearland (42-16) in district 22-5a play.

La Porte's offense is coming off a great rushing performance.  Senior Running Back Keith Whitely's status is uncertain this week after an injury last week and he leads the team in rushing with 1347 yards and nine touchdowns.  Junior Running Back Jonathan Lewis (1,091 total yards, 17 touchdowns) had a breakout performance last week against Port Arthur with over 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns.  Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson has 18 touchdown passes on the season and will continue to try and find Senior Receiver Jahvey Mark (314 yards, 6 touchdowns).  The offensive line has been playing very well the last half of the season and will look to continue to dominate up front.

Pasadena Memorial's offense is lead by Junior Running Back Reggie Turner (1590 yards, 19 total touchdowns).  He has been a very explosive playmaker out of the backfield.  Senior Quarterback Jordan Wyatt (645 yards passing, 7 touchdowns; 681 yards rushing, 9 touchdowns) has been more of a threat running than passing.  The question mark this week will be how the Maverick line holds the Bulldog front seven back from penetrating into the backfield.  Memorial averages over eight yards per carry on the season.

La Porte's defense had a tough matchup last week against Port Arthur Memorial.  Junior Defensive Back Victor Holmes had his fourth interception of the year, returning it for a touchdown.  Junior Linebacker Hoza Scott made some plays in more of a coverage role.  The Bulldogs will be looking to slow down Turner this week with the front seven playing a major role. Seniors Alex Jones and Corey Lee will look to plug up the middle of the Maverick's line.

Last week against Alvin, the Mavericks defended the run well, but showed some weakness against the pass. They will have a tough time slowing down La Porte's offense this week.  Senior Defensive Back Adrian Boutte is a team leader for the defense and has two interceptions on the season.  The Mavericks will need some turnovers to keep La Porte's offense off the field.

Keys to the game:
-La Porte must control the ball on the ground and through the air.  Avoid turnovers.
-Bulldogs defense needs to keep an eye on Turner every play and watch the QB keeper.

La Porte fans will be on the visitor side Saturday at Deer Park.  The Bulldogs need a loud crowd as they had last week in Port Arthur!

District 21-5A Final Regular Season Stats



Season Standings                           WINS  LOSSES     PCT    PTS   OPP
La Porte Bulldogs (7) ------------------   9     1       0.9000     369   182
North Shore Mustangs (1) ------------ 9     1       0.9000     425   136
Memorial (PA) Titans (6) -------------  8     2       0.8000     376   192
Deer Park Deer (2) ---------------------  5     5       0.5000     335   231
West Brook Bruins (5) ------------------4     6       0.4000     265   307
Channelview Falcons (4) -------------- 1     9       0.1000     107   403
Sterling (B) Rangers (3) ---------------  1     9       0.1000     156   396

District Standings                         WINS  LOSSES  PCT    PTS   OPP
------------------
La Porte Bulldogs (7) (D-II,C) - (C) --  6     0      1.0000  234   101
North Shore Mustangs (1) (D-I,C) --- 5     1     0.8333  204    72
Memorial (PA) Titans (6) (D-II,R) ----4     2      0.6667  244   134
Deer Park Deer (2) (D-I,R) ------------ 3     3      0.5000  223   118
West Brook Bruins (5) ----------------- 2     4      0.3333  147   229
Sterling (B) Rangers (3) ---------------  1     5      0.1667   98   260
Channelview Falcons (4) -------------- 0     6      0.0000   67   292
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Offense
------------                               GA  RUSHING  PASSING  TOTAL    AVER.
North Shore ------------------   10    2961         989        3950      395.0
Memorial (PA) ---------------- 10    1744        2188        3932     393.2
La Porte ------------------------ 10    2851          904         3755     375.5
Deer Park ------------------------ 10    2018        1599    3617    361.7
West Brook ----------------------   9    1630        1160    2790    310.0
Sterling (B) -----------------------10    2047          435    2482    248.2
Channelview -------------------- 10    1155          915    2070    207.0

Team Defense
------------                               GA  RUSHING  PASSING  TOTAL    AVER.
North Shore ----------------- 10       1226        1181       2407    240.7
Memorial (PA) -------------- 10       1980         596        2576    257.6
La Porte ---------------------- 10        1318       1416       2734    273.4
Deer Park -------------------- 10        1911       1372       3283    328.3
West Brook ------------------  9        1638        1498       3136    348.4
Channelview ----------------10        2564        1007        3571    357.1
Sterling (B) ------------------10         2474       1363        3837    383.7
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                  OPPONENT
Team Fumbles      FUMBLES-LOST - FUMBLES-LOST    TEAM INTERCEPTIONS:         NO
------------      ------- ----   ------- ----    -------------------         --
Channelview -----    14    10       11     7                           1. North Shore ---------   12
Deer Park -------    13    10       11    10                            2. Memorial (PA) -------   10
La Porte --------     9     9       18    11                                3. La Porte ------------    9
Memorial (PA) ---    18     6       21    10                          4. Deer Park -----------    8
North Shore -----    18     8       29    20                           5. Channelview ---------    5
Sterling (B) ----    23    17       14     7                                   West Brook ----------    5
West Brook ------     7     3       21    15                              7. Sterling (B) --------    3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rushing (Player,School,Class)               TC    YARDS     AVG.     TD      LG
-------
 1.) Keith Whitely,La Porte,Sr ---------   170     1348     7.93      9      65
 2.) Noah Cano,Deer Park,NA ------------   159      990     6.23     13      45
 3.) Elijah Chenier,Sterling (B),NA ----   184      916     4.98      7      45
 4.) Johnathan Lewis,La Porte,Jr -------   110      905     8.23     13      85
 5.) Ricky Fisk,Memorial (PA),Sr -------   145      897     6.19     12      63
 6.) Justin Hervey,West Brook,Jr -------   164      827     5.04     11      29
 7.) Chris Jefferson,Channelview,So ----   139      739     5.32      3      75
 8.) Micah Thomas,North Shore,Sr -------   101      726     7.19     10      63
 9.) Triston Houston,North Shore,So ----    53      705    13.30     11      80
10.) Jarred Pendleton,North Shore,Sr ---    82      511     6.23     12      41
11.) Cameron McBride,West Brook,Sr -----    85      446     5.25      7      65
12.) Connor Means,Deer Park,NA ---------    71      393     5.54      6      85
13.) Justin Green,North Shore,So -------    46      347     7.54      4      37
14.) Lawance McCardell,North Shore,Jr --    34      332     9.76      5      60
15.) Jaime Acosta,Sterling (B),NA ------    74      325     4.39      3      30

Passing (Player,School,Class)             ATT  COMP  YARDS    PCT   LG  INT  TD
-------
 1.) Ricky Fisk,Memorial (PA),Sr -------  221   138   2025  0.6244  91    5  20
 2.) Connor Means,Deer Park,NA ---------  169    98   1458  0.5799  69    5  17
 3.) Micah Thomas,North Shore,Sr -------  108    53    942  0.4907  57    3   6
 4.) Jordan Jackson,La Porte,Jr --------  114    59    858  0.5175  80    6  18
 5.) Chris Clack,West Brook,Sr ---------  121    81    830  0.6694  75    9   5
 6.) Brendan Mcrae,Channelview,So ------  101    44    413  0.4356  19    2   1
 7.) Archie Moyers,Sterling (B),NA -----   67    24    380  0.3582  51    4   3
 8.) Devin Padia,West Brook,Jr ---------   43    22    286  0.5116  25    3   1
 9.) Trevin Watson,Channelview,Jr ------   78    29    241  0.3718  23    4   3
10.) Kevshaud Busby,Channelview,Sr -----   51    23    168  0.4510  25    3   1

Receiving (Player,School,Class)            TC    YARDS      AVG.      TD     LR
---------
 1.) John Leday,Memorial (PA),Sr -------   44      514     11.68       4     40
 2.) Roderic Rucker,Memorial (PA),Jr ---   42      734     17.48      11     91
 3.) Eric Luna,Deer Park,Sr ------------   37      572     15.46       5     69
 4.) Albert Jacobs,Memorial (PA),NA ----   32      460     14.38       2     76
 5.) Ladarius Spearman,West Brook,Sr ---   31      609     19.65       3     75
 6.) Josh Rutherford,Deer Park,Sr ------   29      469     16.17       4     56
     Matthew Williams,Channelview,Sr ---   29      266      9.17       2     40
 8.) Chris Jefferson,Channelview,So ----   25      196      7.84       0     21
 9.) Devonte Holt-Watson,Channelview,So    20      144      7.20       0     23
     Brandon Leday,Memorial (PA),Sr ----   20      286     14.30       2     64

Punting (Min. 20  Punts)                   NP    YARDS      AVG.      BK     LK
-------
 1.) Eric Medina,La Porte,Sr -----------   29     1121     38.66       0     50
 2.) Zane Gonzales,Deer Park,Sr --------   35     1259     35.97       0     49
 3.) Mickey Tamez,North Shore,Sr -------   29     1003     34.59       0     58
 4.) Diego Uribe,West Brook,Sr ---------   36     1166     32.39       0     62
 5.) Adalverto Castaneda,Channelview,Sr    61     1739     28.51       0     60
 6.) Austin Purswell,Sterling (B),NA ---   24      593     24.71       2     48

Punt Returns (Min.  5 Returns)             NR    YARDS      AVG.      TD     LR
------------
 1.) Kevian De Leon,North Shore,Jr -----    7      158     22.57       1     47
 2.) Keith Whitely,La Porte,Sr ---------   14      251     17.93       0     61
 3.) John Leday,Memorial (PA),Sr -------   18      252     14.00       1     53
 4.) Albert Jacobs,Memorial (PA),NA ----   10      126     12.60       0     25
 5.) Brett Grant,La Porte,So -----------    7       88     12.57       0     24
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Kick-Off Returns (Min.  5 Returns)         NR     YARDS      AVG.     TD     LR
----------------
 1.) Victor Holmes,La Porte,Jr ---------    5       181     36.20      1     99
 2.) Jacob Hickman,Deer Park,Sr --------    9       271     30.11      1     87
 3.) Isiah Wilkerson,West Brook,Jr -----    5       150     30.00      0      0
 4.) Darius Mouton,North Shore,So ------    7       185     26.43      0     97
 5.) James Jenkins,Memorial (PA),Sr ----   11       263     23.91      0     47
 6.) Josh Rutherford,Deer Park,Sr ------    9       200     22.22      0     50
 7.) John Leday,Memorial (PA),Sr -------    5       107     21.40      0     27
 8.) Devonte Holt-Watson,Channelview,So    12       254     21.17      0     84
 9.) Robbie Miller,Channelview,Sr ------   10       193     19.30      0     35
10.) Alfred Brown,Sterling (B),Sr ------   10       182     18.20      0     30

Interceptions  (Player,School,Class)       NI     YARDS      AVG.     TD     LR
-------------
 1.) Robbie Miller,Channelview,Sr ------    5       125     25.00      0     61
 2.) Victor Holmes,La Porte,Jr ---------        4        95     23.75      1     58
 3.) James Jenkins,Memorial (PA),Sr ----    3       107     35.67      0     36
     Earnest Thomas,North Shore,Sr -----    3        65     21.67      0     55
 5.) Eric Benavidez,Deer Park,NA -------    2        68     34.00      0     35
     Justin Guillory,West Brook,Sr -----    2        40     20.00      1      0
     CJ Levine,Memorial (PA),NA --------    2         0      0.00      0      0
     J.T. Matthews,North Shore,Jr ------    2        43     21.50      0     35
     Marquis Mitchell,Sterling (B),Sr --    2        87     43.50      0     62
10.) 27 TIED WITH 1 EACH

Scoring (Player,School,Class)              TOUCHDOWNS  PTS. AFTER TD
-------                                    R   P  RET  Ki    R     P    FG  TTL
 1.) Johnathan Lewis,La Porte,Jr -------  13   4    0   0    0     0     0  102
 2.) Noah Cano,Deer Park,NA ------------  13   0    0   0    0     0     0   78
 3.) Carlos Perez,North Shore,Sr -------   0   0    0  52    0     0     7   73
 4.) Ricky Fisk,Memorial (PA),Sr -------  12   0    0   0    0     0     0   72
     Justin Hervey,West Brook,Jr -------  11   0    1   0    0     0     0   72
 6.) Triston Houston,North Shore,So ----  11   0    0   0    0     0     0   66
     Jarred Pendleton,North Shore,Sr ---  11   0    0   0    0     0     0   66
     Roderic Rucker,Memorial (PA),Jr ---   0  11    0   0    0     0     0   66
 9.) Eric Medina,La Porte,Sr -----------   0   0    0  44    0     0     6   62
10.) Zane Gonzales,Deer Park,Sr --------   0   0    0  40    0     0     7   61

Scoring by Kicking
------------------                            PAT-KICK       FG    TOTAL
 1.) Carlos Perez,North Shore,Sr -------         52           7      73
 2.) Eric Medina,La Porte,Sr -----------         44           6      62
 3.) Zane Gonzales,Deer Park,Sr --------         40           7      61
 4.) Ricardo Estupinan,Memorial (PA),Jr          45           3      54
 5.) Diego Uribe,West Brook,Sr ---------          5           8      29
 6.) Austin Purswell,Sterling (B),NA ---         17           1      20
 7.) Adalverto Castaneda,Channelview,Sr           9           1      12
 8.) Wyssom Zaban,La Porte,NA ----------          3           0       3
 9.) Yael Castellano,Sterling (B),NA ---          2           0       2
===============================================================================

Final La Porte 37 Port Arthur Memorial 33

The La Porte Bulldogs secured their second consecutive district championship last Friday, holding on for a 37-33 victory over the Port Arthur Memorial Titans in the regular season finale. La Porte finished the district schedule undefeated for the second year in a row and finish the regular season with a 9-1 record heading into the playoffs.

The Bulldogs came out of the gate with their pants on fire.  La Porte started with the ball on the 25 yard line after a touchback.  The very first play from scrimmage Senior Running Back Keith Whitely took the handoff and sprinted 65 yards, finally getting tracked down at the ten yard line.  Three plays later Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson found Junior Running Back Jonathan Lewis for a 8 yard pass and a touchdown giving the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead 1:32 into the game.

The Titans came out passing early after a good kickoff return, however the Bulldogs were up to the task forcing a punt.  La Porte would get the ball and start driving with seven runs into Titan territory.  However the drive would stall and Senior Kicker Eric Medina got off a great punt pinning Memorial to their own 4 yard line.  A three and out for La Porte forced the Titans to punt from their own end zone.  That's when Senior Defensive Tackle Corey Lee charged through the front of the Memorial line and blocked the punt out of the back of the end zone.  It was a safety and La Porte now lead 9-0 with 1:54 left in the first quarter.

After the safety La Porte would get the ball and a penalty on the kickoff moved the ball back to the 15 yard line.  Jonathan Lewis would get his career rushing day off and running with a 85 yard touchdown run around the right side on the first play.  It was a great run as he set up a Titan defender in the backfield and used his quick burst around the edge, cut back to the middle of the field after some great blocks and was gone. La Porte jumped all over the Titans 16-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was a wild one with penalties on both teams seemingly every play.  The scoreboard operator got a work out as well.  The Titans would get a long drive with running almost the whole way with Senior Quarterback Ricky Fisk getting 39 yards on 6 carries and finishing it off with a scramble to the right side inside the ten yard line where he found Junior Receiver Roderic Rucker for the five yard touchdown pass.  Memorial went for two and La Porte Senior Defensive Back Malik Graves intercepted it.  La Porte lead 16-6 with 8:55 left in the half.

It wouldn't take long for La Porte to find the end zone again as Lewis again took the first play, this time 66 yards for the touchdown.  The run went straight up the middle untouched and Lewis pulled away from the secondary.  Lewis had 160 yards on four carries at this point.  La Porte lead 23-6 with 8:34 left in the half.

Port Arthur again moved the ball down the field with passes and four La Porte penalties.  Big Titan Senior Defensive Lineman Mathew Romar would leap over the top for a one yard touchdown run to get Memorial back in the game 23-13 La Porte with 3:13 left in the half.

Memorial would intercept a pass and return it 41 yards to the La Porte 16 yard line.  Two plays later it was Running Back Edwin Mayfield with a nine yard touchdown run and the Bulldogs lead was evaporating quickly.  The extra point was no good.  La Porte lead 23-19 with 33 seconds left in the second quarter.

La Porte would start on their own 25 and were not quite done.  Lewis had a big 15 yard gain.  The Bulldogs pulled out a passing formation with Junior Victor Holmes at quarterback and four receivers on the right side of the formation.  Junior Hoza Scott was the lone receiver on the left side of the formation.  Holmes took the snap and threw deep to Scott who drew a pass interference penalty and then the Titans got a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moving the ball all the way to the Titan 25 yard line.  Jackson threw a wide receiver screen to Senior Receiver Jahvey Mark who took it to the house for a 25 yard touchdown.  Finally the first half would end with La Porte ahead 30-19.

The Titans would receive the second half kickoff and start moving the ball again getting to the 50 yard line when Victor Holmes would seal the game with a interception and he returned it 58 yards for the touchdown. La Porte now lead 37-19 with 8:33 left in the 3rd quarter.

Memorial would make it interesting driving down the field easily and getting a 25 yard touchdown pass from Fisk to Taylor Labrie with 5:27 left in the third.  La Porte lead 37-26 with 5:27 left in the third.

La Porte would be forced to punt and again another long drive for Memorial would result in another score with Fisk finding Brandon Leday for a 19 yard touchdown.  La Porte lead 37-33 with 10:50 left in the 4th.

At this point the Bulldog defense had been on the field almost the whole game due to those long one play touchdowns and the interception return, however the Dark Side defense rose to the occasion in the 4th quarter.   The offense gave them the rest they needed with a 14 play drive eating over seven minutes off the clock and Medina with another outstanding punt to the Titan four yard line.

Port Arthur would again move the ball into La Porte territory and had the ball first and 10 at the Bulldog 35 with a touchdown needed to win the game and time running down.  A holding penalty would back up the Titans to first and twenty at the 45.  The next two plays the Bulldogs forced two incompletions with great coverage down field.  Fisk would scramble on 3rd down only to have Graves make a huge tackle for only a gain of two yards.  On fourth down Junior defensive end Lane Albertson beat his blocker and sacked Fisk for a huge loss and the Bulldogs were victorious.

What an intense and interesting game it was.  It was a total team effort as Keith Whitely (114 yards on 10 carries) was injured in the second quarter and did not return to the game.  Lewis picked up the pace with a huge game rushing for 217 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns.  The Bulldogs offensive line was executing at a very high level.  Congratulations to the La Porte Bulldogs, who won their second straight 21-5a district championship and head to the playoffs 9-1.

La Porte will play Pasadena Memorial this coming Saturday at 1pm at Deer Park.  Let's fill up that stadium and cheer the Bulldogs to another long playoff run!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

La Porte at Port Arthur Memorial Preview

The La Porte Bulldogs travel to Port Arthur this week to take on the Port Arthur Memorial Titans in the regular season finale.  Both teams have clinched a playoff berth and this game will decide the district 21-5A championship.  If La Porte wins it will be a outright championship for the Bulldogs.

The game also is a rematch of the Region III playoff finals last season in Reliant Stadium where Port Arthur beat La Porte 34-6.  La Porte won last year's regular season match-up 24-20.  The playoff game last season was the only time the Titans have defeated the Bulldogs in school history (1-6).

This season La Porte has a 8-1 record after last weeks defeat of North Shore.  Port Arthur also has a 8-1 record with their only loss to North Shore earlier in the season.  Last week the Titans defeated Beaumont West Brook 49-17.

Port Arthur Memorial on offense likes to spread the field with four good receivers.  Senior Quarterback Ricky Fisk leads the team in passing and rushing (1724 yards and 17 tds passing; 810 yards and 10 tds rushing) and is a dynamic playmaker. The Bulldogs will need to slow him down to win this week.  Junior Receiver Roderic Rucker (40 catches, 686 yards, 8 tds) leads the receivers.  Not too far behind him are Junior Albert Jacobs and Senior Receivers John and Brandon Leday.  Freshman Running Back Kameron Martin is the leading runner with 319 yards and 4 touchdowns.  If Fisk has time to throw he is a threat to scramble, run or find an open receiver.  Senior Mathew Romar is a very good defensive tackle, but also plays goaline running back (6 touchdowns).

La Porte's defense came up huge last week against North Shore.  They bottled up a very good quarterback and forced quick decisions due to heavy pressure up front.  That being said Port Arthur has a much better passing game than North Shore.  Junior Linebacker Trevor Nelson and Senior Linebacker Alex Jones plugged up the North Shore running game, Jones had an interception and fumble recovery.  The defensive line of Seniors Corey Lee and Mark Guzman and Junior Lane Albertson were very busy getting through the North Shore offensive line and got a very good push up front.  Junior Linebacker Hoza Scott makes plays all over the field and his speed will be very important this week bottling up the spread attack.  The secondary will be tested, but is very experienced with Seniors Ellis Hutchinson and Malik Graves to go along with Juniors Vic Holmes and John Nelson.  Open field tackling will be very important.

Port Arthur's defense is the best in 21-5A so far yardage given up, but are equal to La Porte in scoring defense, giving up 16 points per game.  Senior Defensive Tackle Mathew Romar is a highly recruited player who has many college offers.  The experienced Titan's secondary is very good with Senior James Jenkins and TJ Levine leading the team with two interceptions a piece.  The Titans are not as strong at the linebacker position this year after losing four to college scholarships last season, this has contributed to a weaker run defense this season (180 yards per game given up).  La Porte will try to exploit this.

La Porte's offense is lead by Senior Running Back Keith Whitely (1233 yards, 9 tds) who had a great game last week against a very tough North Shore defense (173 yards, 2 tds).  Junior Running Back Jonathan Lewis (866 total yards, 14 tds) shows explosive playmaking ability on the ground and as a receiver; and if he gets daylight he is gone.  Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson (828 yards, 16 tds) did not throw much last week, but it was not needed.  Jackson has shown a great deep ball to loosen up opposing defenses.  The offensive line gave North Shore fits last week and will be looking to continue their dominance.

This week features teams with two very different styles. One thing that is the same between the two teams is their physical style of play which should be no different this week, expect a very hard hitting game.

Keys for La Porte:
1. They will need to pressure Fisk into making quick decisions and not losing containment on him in the backfield.
2. Cover the receiver long enough for the front seven to get to the QB.
3. Get the running game moving all game long, sustaining long drives and keeping the Port Arthur offense off the field as much as possible.

The winner this week avoids playing Manvel in the first round of the playoffs which is definitely worth playing for.


Monday, November 5, 2012

La Porte vs North Shore Videos

La Porte Varsity wins 27-10
Freshman A team pulls out a 19-13 victory over previously unbeaten North Shore
Keith Whitely's dominant performance vs North Shore

All videos courtesy of Dr. Mark Redd

Final La Porte 27 North Shore 10

The La Porte Bulldogs protected their home field for the final time this season in a huge 27-10 win against the previously undefeated North Shore Mustangs.  La Porte now controls the district lead and a win Friday against Port Arthur Memorial will give them the crown for a second year in a row.

The first half was a defensive slug-fest Friday night as both teams traded punts to start the game.  The Bulldog defense got a huge sack on North Shore's second possession from Junior Linebacker Hoza Scott to force the Mustangs to punt from their own end zone.  The Bulldogs used their good field position starting at the Mustang 34 yard line and gained 20 yards before being stopped at the North Shore 14.  La Porte got on the board first when Senior Kicker Eric Medina booted through the 31 yard field goal attempt to put the Bulldogs up 3-0 with 1:32 left in the first.

The game continued to grind with defense and both teams running the ball.  North Shore would answer with a field goal of their own after a big pass and a big run got them down to the La Porte 16.  Carlos Perez made the 34 yard attempt to knot the game 3-3 with 9:21 left in the half.

The Bulldogs would close the half with a 16 play drive that ate up 9:19 off the clock. Senior running back Keith Whitely ran the ball 10 times on the drive. Unfortunately the 40 yard field goal attempt into the wind would go just wide and the score would remain 3-3 going into halftime.

The second half began with La Porte receiving.  After a couple good runs, Whitely fumbled and North Shore recovered.  What could have been a game changing play was thwarted by the Bulldogs defense as two plays later Junior Cornerback John Nelson laid a huge hit on the Mustang's Senior Quarterback Micah Thomas which knocked the ball loose and Senior Linebacker Alex Jones pounced on it to give possession back to the Bulldogs.  This turned the tide for La Porte and they never looked back.

The very next play Whitely would not be denied as he took the hand-off to the right side, broke two tackles and sprinted free for a 62 yard touchdown run, diving over the goal line.  La Porte lead 10-3 with 9:22 left in the 3rd quarter.

The La Porte defense kept the momentum going strong forcing a big three and out.  The intensity by the defense could not be matched by the North Shore offense.  Junior Quarterback Jordan Jackson completed a big pass to Junior Running Back Jonathan Lewis down the right side for 28 yards.  Lewis again would find a hole and break an 18 yard run.  La Porte pounded the ball into the middle of the North Shore defense finally getting down to the one yard line where Jackson would keep it up the middle for a one yard touchdown.  La Porte lead 17-3 with 3:34 left in the third.

North Shore would have another three and out, but this time the Mustang defense rose to the occasion forcing La Porte to punt and Medina made it a good one pinning North Shore to the La Porte 12.  Two plays later Alex Jones would again come up with a big play, intercepting a pass, hurdling a defender and returning the interception to the North Shore 10 yard line.  Three plays later and Whitely would again put the Bulldogs on the board with a one yard touchdown run.  Now La Porte lead 24-3 and never looked back.

North Shore would get some yards from their passing game on the next drive, but the Bulldogs defense came up big on 4th down at the Bulldogs 31 yard line forcing a turnover on downs.  The Bulldogs running backs made use of the big offensive line opening up huge holes for big runs by Lewis and Whitely getting inside the North Shore 10 yard line before being forced to kick another Medina field goal, this one a 25 yard attempt.  La Porte lead 27-3 with 3:55 left in the game.

The Mustangs would finally get a touchdown on the board with only 1:13 left in the game on a short run and the Bulldogs were victorious.

North Shore had averaged 50 points per game going into the contest.  It was a great game plan by the La Porte coaches and a even better job by the players carrying it out.

The offensive and defensive lines controlled the game for La Porte in a dominating 2nd half effort. The run game was so good that Jackson only had to attempt four passes the whole game.

The Bulldogs clinched a share of the district championship with the win and will go for the outright district 21-5a championship this Friday against Port Arthur Memorial in what will be a grudge match from last season's regional finals.  The game will be played in Port Arthur at 7pm Friday.  It is also very important for playoff positioning as it will determine the number one and number two seeds in the division two playoff bracket.