Big Spring preparing for district opener against first-place Andrews on Friday
The long wait is over.
After a three week hiatus from the field, the Big Spring Steers will take the field for their first district game of the year against Andrews at Memorial Stadium this Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
Big Spring will be looking to redeem themselves against Andrews when they go for their first win over the Mustangs since 2013. Andrews defeated Big Spring 48-14 last fall, but this group of Steers is ready to start a streak of their own as they look to begin 1-0 in district play.
The last few weeks have thrown some adversity Big Spring’s way and they have had to deal with off-field health issues and quarantining since the loss to Lubbock High on Sept. 24. The Steers have now been practicing for a weekand-a-half and the group is itching to get back on the field.
“It’s just been an interesting time,” Head Coach Cannon McWilliams said. “I think everybody’s had to go through it at some point. If not, they’re really lucky. Our kids that have been able to show up have been good and we’ve just been working on the fundamental things. We are excited to get back to some sort of normalcy this week and open up district.”
Andrews (5-2) is coming off their second loss of the season, a 45-14 drubbing at the hands of the powerhouse Canyon Eagles. Their only other loss of the season was to Midland Greenwood (36-29). They have grabbed wins over Levelland, Monahans, Seminole, Estacado, and Hereford where they have scored over 40 points in each contest.
Overall, the Mustangs are averaging 41.6 points per game on offense and are led by sophomore quarterback EJ Lopez. McWilliams knows that his team will not be able to stop Andrews the entire night, but hopes that his defense can make enough stops to be able to pull out the win.
“We have to get pressure on the quarterback. It seems like they just rinse and repeat when it comes to quarterbacks. One graduates, one steps in, and they don’t miss a step at all. Our secondary will be tested but I think that if we can get pressure with our front-four, then we’ll have a better chance. Don’t get me wrong, they’re going to score. They score on everybody that they play. We just need to limit big plays and get pressure on the quarterback,” McWilliams said.
On defense, the Mustangs are very skilled at getting after the quarterback. They have nine players who have recorded at least one sack. The junior duo of Andrew Vasquez and Ezekiel Rivera have compiled eight sacks this season and the defense has also totaled 68 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
“The offensive line needs to do their job and the quarterback needs to be able to recognize if they’re bringing six or seven. We’ll always have our dump-off pass and we need to take what they give us. Biggest thing is, we just need to get the ball out quick.”
The Steers will be looking to execute their usual quick passing game and hopefully find some holes in the secondary when the Mustangs bring an extra pass rusher or two.
There are only three games remaining on Big Spring’s schedule and they will be looking to knock Andrews down a notch in the standings on Friday night.