Redwater, Hooks set to tangle

HOOKS, Texas—Two familiar foes will meet tonight at Hornet Stadium.

Redwater (0-5, 0-1) looks for its first win as it travels to Hooks (2-2, 0-0) in a District 7-3A clash.

The Hornets are coming off a bye week, while the Dragons are looking to bounce back after a 54-6 district loss to Atlanta.

“We are getting back some of our three-year starters who are healthy now after the bye week,” Hooks’ head coach Chris Birdwell said. “When we play Redwater, it is usually a close game. Coach Tommy Graf does a good job with the kids. Redwater runs the flexbone and not a lot of teams want to have to prepare for that kind of offense.”

After dropping the first two games of the season, the Hornets have won their last two. Hooks has

wins over Queen City and Cooper. The Hornets are putting up 32.8 points per game and have given up 19.5.

Redwater is averaging 20 points per game but have given up 54.0 points. The Dragons look to improve their defense in order to give the team a better chance of success.

“Hooks is athletic and really fast,” Redwater head coach Tommy Graf said. “I am impressed with what they do, and the kids are well coached on both sides of the ball. They are the kind of team that won’t beat themselves. They have a balanced offense; they can throw and run the ball.

“We are going to have to have great effort from our team. We are going to have to execute; we can’t afford to be behind the sticks. And we are going to have to win the turnover battle.”

Redwater runs the ball a lot, while Hooks tends to balance its run and pass games. The deciding factor could come down to whichever team can run the ball most effectively.

Peyton Davis is the Dragons’ leading rusher with 493 yards on 55 carries (through five games), while teammate Jackson Feemster has 421 yards on 74 totes.

Mason Vasquez leads the Hornets with 447 yards on 64 carries over a four-game span, while teammate Jack Dedner has 278 yards on just 36 totes.