Kickoff between the Longhorns (6-5) and No. 2 Canadian Wildcats (11-0) in the Region 1-3A Division II area football playoffs is slated for 7 p.m. Friday at Wolfforth Frenship High School.
Last season the Longhorns squared off with Canadian, which made its way to the Class 3A Division II state championship game, in the second round and dropped that contest by a 42-14 count. Having faced Canadian previously could prove to be an advantage for Early in Friday night’s rematch.
“I think that helps tremendously cause we’ve been on the field with them,” Price said of the Longhorns facing Canadian last year in the playoffs. “When you play a team with the rich tradition they have you often find yourselves showing up not knowing what to expect in that first quarter. Having been on the field with them last year we all have an idea of what to expect. I think that gives us an opportunity to be a little more prepared knowing nothing’s changed a whole lot for them over the team they had last year. What they do will be a little familiar and not brand new to us.”
A performance similar to the one Early put forth against Odessa Compass last week would also help greatly. The Longhorns allowed just 255 yards of total offense and intercepted five passes, while the offense churned out 558 yards and coughed up the ball just once.
“We played real well Friday night,” Price said. “We gave up a couple of big plays early to them and then settled in. We executed the game plan on both sides of the ball minus the opening drive for the defense. We ended the regular season a little sloppy and then to see us play as sharp as we were, it was good to see them bounce back and play well.”
Turnovers have plagued the Longhorns at points throughout the season, including during a four-game skid prior to the start of district play. Though Early has given the ball away 23 times this season, a recent surge in takeaways by the Longhorn defense has resulted in 21 turnovers for the opposition.
“We’ve been hit or miss on the turnover battle and a lot of the year it went against us,” Price said. “This past Friday it went in our favor. When you get five turnovers, and big ones early in the game, that really sets the tone for the rest of the team. We were able to generate points off that. We maintained the football on offense, finished drives with touchdowns and when you do that you put yourself in position to win.”
A near flawless game on both sides of the ball will be required from Early to upend Canadian, which is coming off a 65-7 bi-district victory over Littlefield.
The Wildcats, who outscore their foes 62-14 on average this season, racked up 42 points in the first quarter alone against Littlefield last week and finished with 521 yards of total offense – 336 passing and 185 passing. Meanwhile, the defense yielded 86 total yards, recorded four sacks and recorded a pair of takeaways.
Quarterback Camren Cavalier connected on 14 of 18 passes for 322 yards with six touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards and three more scores on nine carries. Leading receivers were Max Dumbauld with five grabs for 122 yards and two scores, Preston Neumeier also caught two touchdowns and finished with three catches for 70 yards, Luke Flowers added three receptions for 92 yards with a trip to the end zone and Camden Cook hauled in two catches for 38 yards and scored once. Kaden Crooks contributed 72 yards on the ground as well.
“Watching them on film they’re fast and physical,” Price said. “They’ll have a four-man front against us which is something we haven’t seen a whole lot this year so that will be interesting for our offense and something different than what we’ve seen. Offensively, they play fast, and they have an experienced quarterback who’s the coach’s kid. It’s a big task for us but I’m excited with where we’re at. At this point in the playoffs, all it takes is a one-hit wonder and anything can happen.”
Early enters the contest averaging 30 points and 378 yards – 200 through the air and 178 on the ground – per game.
Quarterback Rohyn Price has completed 113 of 186 passes for 1,747 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while leading receivers include Andrew Reedy (47-709, 7 TDs), Weston Barton (33-426, 3 TDs), Ki Houston (32-668, 4 TDs), and Reece Middleton (17-238, 3 TDs).The running game is anchored by Griffin Cheslock (1,214 rushing yards, 16 TDs).
The Longhorns defense is yielding 27 points and 319 yards – 174 rushing and 145 passing – per outing.
Standouts include Kaleb Ozuna (103 tackles, 7 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries), Dalton Adams (69 tackles, 20 for loss, 9 sacks), Brooks Clippinger (55 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries), Middleton (50 tackles), Kaeden Byrd (46 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception), Izik Delgado (44 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery), Reedy (36 tackles, 4 INTs), Price (29 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 2 INTs), Houston (26 tackles, 1 INT), and Giovanni Guevara (25 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 fumble recovery).
As for what it will take to pull off the upset Friday night, Price said, “We have to put drives together, maintain ball security. That’s a big one for us. We need to not turn the ball over, maintain good field position and score some touchdowns. Defensively, we have to find a way to slow them down, make them earn everything and not give up the big plays. They beat a lot of teams with big plays, 60-, 70-, 80-yard touchdowns, so if we can eliminate big plays and make them earn it we could put ourselves in position to have some success.”
There is no line in this game according to Harris Ratings Weekly. Canadian was ranked 52 points higher than Early in the final regular season poll.
Friday’s winner will face either Idalou (7-4) or Alpine (6-5) in the Class 3A Division II Region I semifinals next weekend.
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Early Longhorns 2023 Football Season Stats
Through 11 Games (6-5, 4-1)
TEAM OFFENSE
30.2 points per game (333)
378.0 yards per game (4,159)
177.7 rushing yards per game (1,955)
200.3 passing yards per game (2,204)
PASSING
* Rohyn Price
113 of 186 for 1,747 yards, 18 TDs, 9 INTs
* Weston Barton
16 of 39 for 243 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
* Justin Pierce
15 of 27 for 214 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs
RUSHING
* Griffin Cheslock
1,214 yards on 158 carries, 16 TDs
* Rohyn Price
303 yards on 55 carries, 5 TDs
* Kaleb Ozuna
204 yards on 45 carries, 4 TDs
* Ben Morris
161 yards on 20 carries, 1 TD
*Reece Middleton
22 yards on 1 carry
* Weston Barton
21 yards on 7 carries
* Andrew Reedy
18 yards on 1 carry
* Ki Houston
16 yards on 4 carries, 1 TD
* Justin Pierce
-2 yards on 3 carries
* Jaxon Andrade
-2 yards on 1 carry
RECEIVING
* Andrew Reedy
47 catches, 709 yards, 7 TDs
* Weston Barton
33 catches, 426 yards, 3 TDs
* Ki Houston
32 catches, 668 yards, 4 TDs
* Reece Middleton
17 catches, 238 yards, 3 TDs
* Griffin Cheslock
8 catches, 54 yards
* Ben Bleth
5 catches, 83 yards, 2 TDs
* Kaleb Ozuna
2 catches, 16 yards
###
TEAM DEFENSE
27.2 points per game (299)
319.5 yards per game (3,515)
174.2 rushing yards per game (1,916)
145.3 passing yards per game (1,599)
TACKLES
* Kaleb Ozuna
103 tackles, 7 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries
* Dalton Adams
69 tackles, 20 for loss, 9 sacks
* Brooks Clippinger
55 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries
* Reece Middleton
50 tackles
* Kaeden Byrd
46 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 interception
* Izik Delgado
44 tackles, 8 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
* Andrew Reedy
36 tackles, 4 INTs
* Rohyn Price
29 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 2 INTs
* Ki Houston
26 tackles, 1 INT
* Giovanni Guevara
25 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 fumble recovery
* Dylan Brame
21 tackles, 1 for loss
* Weston Barton
20 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
* Griffin Cheslock
16 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT
* Ben Bleth
15 tackles
* Justin Pierce
12 tackles, 1 for loss
* Dillon Miller
10 tackles, 1 for loss
* Ben Morris
10 tackles
* Aaron Mendoza
6 tackles
* Ethan Moseley
5 tackles
* Jacob McDaniel
5 tackles, 1 INT
* Will Speck
5 tackles
* Rico Vasquez
4 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack
* Riley Barton
3 tackles
* Angel Del Villar
2 tackles, 1 INT
* Jaxon Andrade
1 tackle
* Jacob Braun
1 tackle
###
TURNOVER MARGIN (-2)
* Early: 23 (7 fumbles, 16 interceptions)
* Opponents: 21 (10 fumbles, 11 interceptions)