Tests get tougher for Clear Springs
Frank Maldonado knows his team was not picked by many to win last week’s playoff game. That doesn’t matter to the Clear Springs football coach. He’s seen plenty of upsets in Texas.
He’s just happy his team was the one that sprung one of the many in the first round.
Clear Springs led Alief Taylor early but then fell behind late. The Chargers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Lions, 28-24, and advance to a second round game against North Shore this week.
“It’s playoff football, you have to play,” Maldonado said. “You can predict scores. You can talk about how good this guy is and that this guy is ranked. But teams like Euless Trinity went down. A lot of big names went down. That just shows you that you have to be ready to pay football. If you’re not ready to do that you’re going to have some problems.”
Many may expect Clear Springs to have problems with North Shore this week. The Chargers already lost to North Shore 49-13 in the season opener this year. It is the second year in a row Clear Springs will meet North Shore twice. The Chargers have yet to beat the Mustangs.
In this year’s first meeting Clear Springs mustered four first downs. Like many teams still alive at this stage, the Chargers are drastically different now. Early in the season they were limited on offense and did not try to do much beyond a basic approach.
They can do different things now with quarterback William McBride. For one, McBride is utilizing
the wide receivers significantly more often.
Clear Springs is into the second round for the second year in a row and the third time in five years. The Chargers are looking for their first trip to the regional semifinals since 2009.
“The third round is a big deal,” Maldonado said. “For these seniors it’s about leaving a great legacy and a stamp on the program.”
Clear Springs’ victory over Alief Taylor helped District 24-6A sweep 236A in the first round. Another big victory came when Friendswood beat undefeated Hightower for the second year in a row.
Dickinson (10-1) is into the second round for the second year in a row thanks to a win over Alief Elsik. The Gators will face undefeated Pearland in round two. They will kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium. Dickinson beat Pearland in the second round last season on its way to the regional finals.
Clear Creek (11-0) set a school record for points scored in a postseason game when it beat Fort Bend Travis, 63-10, in the first round. The Wildcats are into the second round for the first time since 2010.
They will face Manvel (9-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Pasadean ISD Veterans Memorial Stadium. Manvel has been in the regional final the last two seasons and has one of the most talented rosters in the state.