Bangs, Tolar clash for top spot in District 5-2A Division I standings

October 20, 2022 at 7:20 am Derrick Stuckly

High School Football

Hunter Newton (4) and the Dragons average 36 points and 368 yards per game, while the Rattlers give up just 10 points per outing on average.

BANGS – The Bangs Dragons find themselves in a position not many expected at this point, but Friday night at Memorial Stadium the No. 5 Tolar Rattlers come to town with the top spot in the District 5-2A Division I standings at stake.

Kickoff between the Dragons (5-2, 3-0) and Rattlers (7-0, 3-0) is slated for 7 p.m.

“Our No. 1 goal for the year was to try and find a way to get to Game 11, and we’re getting close to that,” said Bangs fifth-year head coach Kyle Maxfield, whose team was not projected to make the playoffs by most preseason prognosticators. “We knew the first three district games were going to be really big because we know what Tolar, Coleman and Hamilton bring to the table. We’re really proud of the kids and the way they’ve taken one game at a time and got us to 3-0 in district. We’re going into the game with a lot of confidence and we’ve improved each and every week. We’re a lot further along than we were the first couple of games, but we haven’t lined up against a team like this since we lined up against Canadian in the second round two years ago. ”

Bangs held off San Saba, 42-35, last week for its fifth straight victory while undefeated Tolar hammered De Leon, 50-7.

For the season, Tolar is generating 43 points and 374 yards – 269 rushing and 105 passing – per outing.

The rushing attack is sparked by Peyton Brown (1,352 yards, 21 TDs), the main weapon in Tolar’s attack – much like Bangs with Guy Powell. Quarterback Jackson Lecluyse has completed 36 of 71 passes for 548 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Receiving threats include Wyatt Jones (19-340, 5 TDs) and Matthew Behrens (12-185, 2 TDs).

“They’re pretty scary,” Maxfield said. “They’re ranked high in the state for a reason, they’re a total team. You can tell they’re really well coached. Where they’ve really done a good job is they have one set of offensive linemen and a whole other set of defensive linemen. That’s hard to do at our level, even if you have the numbers you have to have the philosophy to be willing to do that. The running back is the best we’ve seen this year and we’ve seen some good ones, and he only plays one way.”

Defensively, the Dragons are yielding 22 points and 387 yards – 262 rushing and 125 passing – per game, while forcing 15 turnovers.

Leading the charge for the Bangs defense are Powell (76 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries), Nate Stoffer (75 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries), Keygan Pitts (74 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 fumble recovery), Ethan Ethridge (47 tackles, 1 interception), Sergio Lopez (34 tackles, 2 for loss), Braydon Fields (27 tackles, 1 interception), Weston Jundt (24 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception), Skylar Minshew (21 tackles), David Herrera (19 tackles).

“No. 40 (Brown) will wear you down and trying to tackle him gets tough after a while,” Maxfield said. “If he gets to the second or third level, he’s so big and strong it’s hard for one guy to bring him down. He’s deceptively fast and has made some really athletic moves. They’ve also been able to develop a play action passing game off what he’s able to do. One reason we’re 3-0 in district is our defense is creating turnovers. If we can do that, we should be able to stay in the game.”

On the flip side of the ball, Bangs is producing 36 points and 368 yards – 276 rushing and 92 passing – per game, with six turnovers.

Powell has rushed for 1,360 yards on 105 carries with 19 touchdowns while quarterback Kenny Cole is 40 of 93 through the air for 644 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions, to go along with 289 yards and four scores on the ground. Weapons in the passing game include Hunter Newton (11-286, 2 TDs), Guy Funk (9-178, 3 TDs), Stoffer (8-126, TD), and Minshew (7-84, TD).

Tolar’s defense is giving up just 10 points per game with 16 turnovers forced and 15 sacks. Defensively stalwarts include Brock Owens (67 tackles, 2 for loss), Issac Blessing (52 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack), Mason Berry (37 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks), Keaton Morrison (36 tackles, 11 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries) Cash Clark (32 tackles, 1 for loss), and Luke Willmon (31 tackles, 14 for loss, 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries).

“We’ve been able to move the ball pretty well, but this is a whole different animal,” Maxfield said. “We’ve played some really good defenses in Early and Comanche and you saw what Tolar did to them. Their secondary hasn’t had to make very many tackles because the front two lines take care of the run so well. Their scheme and the way they attack offenses is really sound and it’s hard to find any weaknesses. We’re going to have to be patient and try and get 3, 4 or 5 yards at a time and that’s not a bad thing against them. We’ve been an explosive team with Guy so we have to make sure we don’t get frustrated because we’re probably not going to have many explosive plays against these guys.”

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Bangs is a 34-point underdog.

***

Bangs Dragons 2022 Football Season Stats

Through 7 Games (5-2, 3-0)

TEAM OFFENSE

35.7 points per game (250)

368.1 yards per game (2,577)

276.1 rushing yards per game (1,933)

92.0 passing yards per game (644)

PASSING

* Kenny Cole

40 of 93 for 644 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs

RUSHING

* Guy Powell

1,360 yards on 105 carries, 19 TDs

* Kenny Cole

289 yards on 59 carries, 4 TDs

* Keygan Pitts

118 yards on 13 carries, 1 TD

* Hunter Newton

57 yards on 6 carries, 1 TD

* Skylar Minshew

46 yards on 5 carries

* Ethan Ethridge

34 yards on 6 carries

* Guy Funk

24 yards on 2 carries

* Nate Stoffer

5 yards on 1 carry

RECEIVING

* Hunter Newton

11 catches, 186 yards, 2 TDs

* Guy Funk

9 catches, 178 yards, 3 TDs

* Nate Stoffer

8 catches, 126 yards, 1 TD

* Skylar Minshew

7 catches, 84 yards, 1 TD

* Guy Powell

2 catches, 47 yards, 1 TD

* Keygan Pitts

1 catch, 19 yards

* Kade Minshew

1 catch, 3 yards

###

TEAM DEFENSE

21.6 points per game (151)

386.8 yards per game (2,708)

261.5 rushing yards per game (1,831)

125.3 passing yards per game (877)

TACKLES

* Guy Powell

76 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries

* Nate Stoffer

75 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries

* Keygan Pitts

74 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 fumble recovery

* Ethan Ethridge

47 tackles, 1 interception

* Sergio Lopez

34 tackles, 2 for loss

* Braydon Fields

27 tackles, 1 interception

* Weston Jundt

24 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception

* Skylar Minshew

21 tackles

* David Herrera

19 tackles

* Hunter Newton

15 tackles

* Zack Ferguson

13 tackles, 1 interception

* Noah Pin

10 tackles

* Kade Minshew

8 tackles

* Brody Newton

8 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack

* Guy Funk

7 tackles, 3 interceptions

* Isaiah Serrato

7 tackles

* Chris Valdez

3 tackles

* Donovan Ruiz

2 tackles

* Caedmon Tidwell

2 tackles

* Noah Castillo

2 tackles

###

TURNOVER MARGIN (+9)

* Bangs: 6 (2 fumbles, 4 interceptions)

* Opponents: 15 (5 fumbles, 8 interceptions)