Liberty-Eylau at Carthage
TEAMS: Liberty-Eylau (0-1) at Carthage (1-0)
KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m., Bulldog Stadium.
LAST WEEK: The Leopards fell to Gilmer, 58-57, and the Bulldogs routed Gladewater, 49-7.
LAST YEAR : Carthage built a 21-0 lead en route to a 34-20 victory over L-E.
GAME FACTS: The Bulldogs went on to win the Class 4A, Division I state title, the fifth in 10 seasons under head coach Scott Surratt, who was the offensive coordinator for Texas High during the 2002 state championship season. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. Gilmer is No. 2 in 4A. The Leopards finished with 340 yards of total offense against the Bulldogs in 2016, while Carthage threw for 292 and had 449 yards of total offense. Tonight starts a 3-game road trip for LibertyEylau. Bulldog tailback and Texas commit Keaontay Ingram rushed five times for 137 yards and two TDs last week. L-E quarterback Decorian Phillips threw for 377 yards and three scores—all three TDs going to Dazawion Cooper, who caught six balls for 244 yards.
COACHES COMMENTS: L-E’s Steve Wells—“Carthage is a very good ballclub, very deserving of the No. 1 ranking. I've known (Bulldog coach) Scott Surratt for years, and he's always going to have his team prepared. I feel like our kids can play with their kids; we did last year.
“Defensively, they have two really good linebackers. They're very good at what they do. They run to the football and aren't going to give up a lot of big plays.
“Offensively, they're very strong and disciplined and run a pro-style offense. They're going to slow it down, compared to last week, and keep the ball out of your hands. They have one of the top running backs in the nation; he's been recruited by everybody. Their offensive line is big and can knock you off the ball, and they have three very good receivers.
“It's going to be another war, and we knew it would be. Hopefully, we can bounce back and get better this week.”
Carthage’s Surratt—“We have a long way to go as a team. We had a lot of good things happen early, and they (Gladewater) had some bad things. We're still uncertain about this group, that's for sure. We have to continue to get better and execute; we know it's a different animal with Liberty-Eylau coming in. The size, speed and athleticism is going to be totally different than what we saw last week.
“L-E runs the spread and is very fastpaced. You have to defend the option, you have to defend the deep pass, and they make you play sideline to sideline. They do a lot of good things, so we have to have eye discipline on defense. Offensively, we've got to execute and control the ball, keep their offense off the field some, and win in the kicking game.” RADIO: KMJI 93.3, 7:15 p.m. TONIGHT’S LINEUPS (Numbers in parentheses) LIBERTY-EYLAU OFFENSE: WR-El-Amin Greer (4), 170; WR-Dazawion Cooper (11), 148; WR-Isaiah Cross (10), 165; WR-Mahleik Darty (9), 145; LT-Kylar Cooks (76), 250; LG-Dayshuwn McChester (64), 285; C-Colton Bergt (52), 251; RG-Connor Green (65), 242; RT-Trey Parker (51), 221; QB-Decorian Phillips (1), 180; RB-Cedric Dickerson (33), 178; PK-Steven Goben (43), 158.
LIBERTY-EYLAU DEFENSE: DE-Gerald Webster (85), 195; DT-Antony Alexander (58), 225; NG-Tremaine Brown (54), 205; DE-Orion Williams (81), 215; LB-Cedric Dickerson (33); LB-Marzavin Riles (34), 160; LB-Orion Thompson (24), 185; CB-Davonta Vaughn (13), 155; S-Dominique Williams (23), 140; S-Ken’Trell Chatmon (14), 165; CB-Michael Conley (15), 150; PNT-Isaiah Cross (10).
CARTHAGE OFFENSE: LT-J.T. Romero (72), 220; LG-Kevion Booty (66), 285; C-Nate Brittenham (62), 220; RG-Austin Gray (51), 235; RT-Jesse Wayne Pierce (68), 220; TE-Callahan Baldree (4), 205; WR-Dewaylon Ingram (7), 175; QB-Gunner Capps (11), 205; WR-Dee Bowens (3), 165; FB-Kelan Foster (45), 185; TB-Keaontay Ingram (28), 195; PK-Alberto Sigala (99), 190.
CARTHAGE DEFENSE: DE-Desmond Hicks (84), 185; DT-Darian Ingram (44), 245; NG-Montario Wilson (29), 185; DE-Quintain Owens (80), 190; SLB-Jose DeJulian (47), 185; MLB-Mykel Gates (25), 225; WLB-Jace Dixon (13), 225; CB-Mekhi Colbert (5), 180; CB-Ashton Hicks (1), 170; SS-Kelvonte Dixon (10), 165; FS-Cole Whitlock (8), 165; PNT-Alberto Sigala (99).