October 17, 2013
Gabe Pruett The Port Arthur News
NEDERLAND — Port Neches-Groves at Nederland
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bulldog Stadium
Records: PN-G 4-2, 2-1; Nederland 5-1, 3-0
Last Year: Nederland 37, Port Neches-Groves 12
All-Time Series: PN-G leads 48-34-7
TV: Port Arthur News Friday Night Experience, Time-Warner Digital 888 or 1888 at noon Sunday.
Radio: KLVI (560-AM); KCOL (92.5-FM)
Words are hard to come up with to describe the atmosphere and magnitude of tonight’s game between Port Neches-Groves and Nederland.
The Nederland Athletic Department sold out of tickets on Tuesday. That same day PN-G only had 200 left to sell on Thursday.
Around 5 p.m., traffic will pour into Nederland headed to Bulldog Stadium. By the time kickoff takes place, all three cities will start to resemble ghost towns.
The Indians start the night losers of the past three contests against Nederland by a combined score of 100-65. A Nederland win would match its longest winning streak in Mid County Madness history. The Bulldogs are also riding a 20-game District 20-4A winning streak.
Both teams still have legitimate aspirations of winning the District 20-4A crown. Those decked out in purple and white also want to be the ones to end the Bulldogs lengthy district winning streak.
“You can’t treat this week as a normal week,” Nederland coach Larry Neumann said. “We embrace the uniqueness of this game and we expect them to do the same thing. In my experience with this rivalry, many people in the state of Texas would feel lucky to coach in this game. It is a special honor to be on that field across from the Indians.”
It is so unique Neumann will not be certain which side of the stadium one of his grandchildren will be sitting.
“I think she will at one point be dressed up in one set of colors and sitting on one side,” Neumann said. “Then later she might have a different color shirt on and sitting on the other side. That is a wonderful thing and it all has to do with the geographical locations of the two schools.”
PN-G Coach Brandon Faircloth echoed Neumann’s statements in admitting this week is far different from the rest of the season.
“In my mind, this is the biggest high school football game in Texas every year,” Faircloth said. “We are excited to be a part of it. The kids on both sides grow up together and there are parents in Nederland who work in Port Neches and Groves. There are families within PN-G who are split with Nederland ties. Those types of things make this game so special.”
This will be the 21st time Neumann will square off against the Indians. He’s 14-6 against PN-G since he became head coach in 1993. Faircloth is 1-3 against Nederland since coming to PN-G in 2009.
Faircloth said his entire staff and team have the utmost respect for the Nederland program.
“Their 20-game winning streak in district is phenomenal,” Faircloth said. “We are going to do our best to be the ones to knock them off. It is going to be tough and will take us playing our best game of the year. We want this game to be a part of us finishing our season strong. That is what we are aiming for.”
PN-G is coming off a very emotional win against Beaumont Central. It took three overtimes and a Michael Hughes sack for PN-G to beat Beaumont Central, 31-29.
“Last week certainly had to be a boost in their team moral,” Neumann said. “That was a great-played game. For PN-G to prevail speaks to that team’s character. I wish we had experience in a game like that going into Friday night. You can’t practice for those types of situations. We are preparing like this game is going to come down to the final play. If you don’t prepare that way for Mid County Madness, you sell yourself and your team short.”
Neumann said PN-G will be tough to beat because of the players the Indians will line up on both sides of the football.
“We have to be alert and focused when the Indians have the football,” Neumann said. “(Jeremiah) Rose is a major threat at wide receiver and then they put him in the secondary at times and he is just as dangerous. (Austin) Mangini is a great player at nose tackle and I have been real impressed with (Austin) Milan at the defensive tackle position. Their quarterback (Ky Walker) does a great job spreading the ball around and then you have to worry about Brant Halfin at the same time. They are a great football team.”
PN-G enters Mid County Madness with the district’s second-rated offense. The Indians average 369.2 yards and while opponents average 347.8 yards against the PN-G defense. Halfin is second in the district with 808 yards on 136 carries with a league-high nine touchdowns. He averages 5.94 yards a carry.
Quarterback Ky Walker leads 20-4A with 1,023 yards on 83-for-139 passing.
Rose’s 44 receptions are 13 more catches than the second-best receiver in 20-4A. Rose has 524 yards and six touchdowns. Kaleb Sparks has added 30 receptions for 306 yards and one score.
Faircloth said his team equally has a lot to worry about when trying to stop the Nederland offense and trying to score against the Bulldogs defense.
“Those guys have been able to win 20 straight games in 20-4A by putting together a great game plan and having great players,” Faircloth said. “Their defense starts with those tackles in DeShawn (Washington) and (Caleb) Malveaux. They both make it hard to get a running game going. They have excellent linebackers led by Sage Seay and Colton Kimler is one of the best all-around players in the area.
“He can beat you at safety and at receiver. I think they have about three guys on their offensive line with three years of experience. I haven’t even mentioned Kendrick Hopkins. All he does is lead the district in rushing for a lot of the season. His performances speak for themselves. They also get great play from that fullback (Marcus Barton) of theirs.”
Faircloth didn’t leave out Nederland starting quarterback Preston White.
“We can sit here and go on and on and on about why they are a special team,” Faircloth said. “Coach (Monte) Barrow always does a great job with their quarterbacks and Preston White is another one in a long line of great Nederland quarterbacks. He does a great job managing the game and can strike with big plays real quick.”
Nederland comes into Friday with the league’s best offense and second-rated defense. The Bulldogs average 388.2 yards a game and limit opponents to an average of 248.5. Hopkins has rushed for 898 yards on 152 carries and averages 5.91 yards each attempt. Hopkins has eight touchdowns. Barton has 315 yards and one touchdown.
White is second in 20-4A with 880 yards on 68-for-85 passing with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. It is the same ratio Walker brings into the game. Kimler leads the Bulldogs with 21 catches for 434 yards and six touchdowns.
There is one area the two teams are the exact same.
Nederland’s Tanner Noel and PN-G’s Dylan East have identical scoring numbers. Each has 22 PATs and five field goals for 37 points.
No matter the outcome, both coaches realize something special will happen tonight.
“You can throw everything that has happened with both teams out the window,” Neumann said. “It is a classy rivalry with a mutual respect between the communities. I realized something last year. It took until the fourth round of the playoffs at Reliant Stadium to feel an atmosphere like we felt earlier in the year at PN-G. That is amazing.”
Faircloth called Friday nights in 20-4A a meat grinder and unfortunately he knows that since 2010 Nederland is the butcher.
“Every win from here on out will be a hard win to get,” Faircloth said. “We found a way to win last week against a Central team that will ultimately win a bunch of football games. Now the game this week will be against an even stronger opponent with an atmosphere that is unlike any other. We have to stay in our routine and be at our best come Friday night.”
May the best team and community go home with bragging rights. If not, next year’s Mid County Madness is only about 364 days away.
3 Keys to MCM
First: The Bulldogs must find a way to stop PN-G receiver Jeremiah Rose. Rose was held to five catches for 54 yards last week. Twenty one of those came on a touchdown in the third overtime. It is hard to imagine Rose going two straight games without about 10 receptions.
Second: PN-G will need to look to put pressure on Nederland quarterback Preston White. White, although playing like a seasoned veteran, has only started six games. If the Indians can rattle White early, the Bulldogs might be in trouble late.
Third: Both teams need to try to win the turnover battle. Both PN-G and Nederland have lost six fumbles and recovered five. Nederland has five interceptions and PN-G has four. In what could be one of the most even Mid County Madness games in recent years, turnovers could be the difference.
Indians Lineups
OFFENSE
QB – Ky Walker (12)
TB – Brant Halfin (27)
FB – Reece Wardlow (36)
WR – Jeremiah Rose (5)
WR – Avery Murdock (3)
WR – Kaleb Sparks (10)
LT – Aaron Orozco (70)
LG – Taylor Hanley (76)
C – Keaston Benoit (52)
RG – Allan Soriano (55)
RT – Hunter Hanratty (61)
DEFENSE
DE – Austin Milan (49)
DT – Chris Mangini (56)
DE – Leonel Arredondo (60)
LB – Bradley Broussard (6)
LB – Trey Rembert (48)
LB – Bobby Dawson (31)
LB – Michael Hughes (22)
CB – Brandon Bryan (23)
CB – Eli Vasquez (4)
S – Corbin Coy (21)
S – Blaine Peveto (20)
Nederland Lineups
OFFENSE
QB – Preston White (7)
RB – Kendrick Hopkins (24)
FB – Marcus Barton (3)
WR – Colton Kimler (8)
WR – Sage Seay (10)
TE – Brandon Dial (27)
OL – Justin Carr (77)
OL – Jacob Brinkley (66)
OL – Cole Brown (62)
OL – Logan Albritton (58)
OL – Chris Henry (53)
DEFENSE
DE – Connor Hughes (99)
DT – De Shawn Washington (6)
DT – Caleb Malveaux (5)
DE – Beau Stewart (8)
LB – Christian Contreras (14)
LB – Leon Mayfield (1)
CB – Sage Seay (10)
S – Osmar Mendoza (80)
S – Colton Kimler (9)
S – Travis Gallier (20)
CB – Trey Richardson (18)
