Slot-T offenses collide in 3A Division II
East Bernard players know their team is circled on opponents’ schedules, but the Brahmas approach their own schedule like it’s full of top-ranked teams.
It’s why they’re deep into December so often.
“They go out and treat every opponent, no matter their record, no matter what they’ve done, like they’re the best football team they’re ever going to face,” East Bernard coach Wade Bosse said. “That bodes well for us.”
Fifty miles southwest of Houston through Sugar Land and Rosenberg, they’re at it again. East Bernard meets Omaha Pewitt at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Waco ISD Stadium in a Class 3A Division II state semifinal.
It’s East Bernard’s second consecutive state semifinal game and fourth since 2012, when it won its first state title since 1977.
East Bernard (14-0) has five shutouts this year, the smallest margin of victory in those being 42, twice. The Brahmas went a three-week stretch — starting with the regular season’s final two games and ending with a bi-district playoff game against Sonora — outscoring opponents 159-0.
This is East Bernard’s ninth straight season with at least 10 wins. Whichever name-brand 6A or 5A school in the Houston you pick, East Bernard is a good equivalent.
The Brahmas and their everpresent Slot-T offense haven’t had leading rusher Kobe Brown since the bi-district playoffs. Pewitt runs the Slot-T as well, which should make Friday’s matchup even more interesting.
East Bernard has been running it for some 14 years through the Jerry Long era, now with Bosse at the helm in his fourth season. It’s considered a perfect match for a blue-collar group.
“It fits these kids. It fits the kids that we have here, the mentality that we have, and it turns around and really helps us defensively because of that mentality,” said Bosse, referring to the fact the majority of his players play both ways. “So both feed on one another, and it’s a great fit for kids in this community.”
As dominant as East Bernard has been, it hasn’t been back to a state title setting since that 2012 season, which might seem like seven years too long, considering its recent run.
Not much has been tinkered with, and there hasn’t been a panic to get back to that point. It’s just plans falling into place — injury luck, for example — and players tapping into long-lasting mantras consistently passed from upperclassmen to underclassmen.
“We’re going to play as long as you want to play” is one that Bosse constantly repeats.
“That, to me and this program, is what it’s really about,” Bosse said. “The kids understanding that they’re going to have to work hard, and there’s a lot of sacrifice you have to make. If you want to do it together, we can all do it.”