Liberty-Eylau (1-3) at Van (0-4)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.,
Memorial Stadium, Van, Texas
LAST WEEK: Celina scored three fourth quarter touchdowns to pull away from LE, 28-12. Van’s offense was stopped inside Kaufman’s 10 three times in the first half as the Vandals lost, 27-6.
LAST YEAR: Sophomore running back Matt Savis ran for 148 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Vandals outscored L-E, 34-27.
GAME FACTS: Savis is averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground this season with 834 yards and 7 TDs. Quarterback Peter Maddox has passed for 684 yards and 5 TDs. Luke McGowan has 24 receptions fr 228 yards and 3 TDs. Like L-E, the Vandals’ four setbacks have been to tough teams (Pine Tree, Hallsville, Lindale and Kaufman). Van’s defensive leaders have been Hunter Redmond with 45 tackles. Brock Moore has 43 tackles and Colton Hayes has 40 tackles, all solos. L-E’s running game is led by tailbacks D.Q. Steels and Donelle Hoof who have combined for 386 yards and 3 TDs. Senior Rashaan Donelson has passes for 766 yards and 7 TDs, but has also thrown 7 interceptions. Senior Keith Wynkoop is Leopards leading receiver with 14 catches for 323 yards and 3 TDs. Linebackers Ricky Johnson and Ricardo Lockett led L-E defense with 36 and 33 tackles, respectively.
L-E is a 17-point favorite according to one service. COACHES’ COMMENTS: L-E’S BRIAN BROWN — “Van’s quarterback is very similar to the one they had last year. He can throw and has some good receivers. They’ve got the little running back (Savis) back who is pretty good. Van’s offense is similar to what we’ve been seeing. They’re good offensively, but I don’t think they’re as good as last year. Our defense is playing well. We need to score some points to win, more than we’ve been scoring. It’s be important for us to win this week and gain some confidence going into district.”
VAN’S JARED MOFFATT— “L-E has got a new offensive coordinator (Steve Wells) and they line up in the shot gun almost every down. That’s a big difference this season. They’re throwing the ball more. Defensively they’re very similar to what they’ve been. Their 1-3 record is a bit deceiving playing the folks they’ve been playing, because nobody wants to play L-E. They’re playing better football than they did last year. They’ve been playing without some of their best players because of injuries. The (Davion) Hall kid is a stud, one of the best players in the state. We’ve moved the ball this year, we just can’t get in the end zone. We’ve been inconsistent throwing and catching. I’m not taking anything away from Kaufman because they deserved to win, but we really played poorly.” RADIO: KMJI (93.3 FM), 7:15 p.m.
—LOUIE AVERY