The next foe standing in the way of the Longhorns (1-6, 0-2) and their potential first league victory are the upstart Brady Bulldogs (6-1, 2-0), who may be the surprise of the district thus far in 2024.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Brady.
“We need to go get that first district win under our belts so these kids can really gain some momentum,” Case said. “Our kids gained a little bit of confidence, and even in a loss we saw some really good things. We also saw some things we obviously have to clean up. No one is ever satisfied when you don’t win but I’m proud of the way our kids played and I’m proud of them competing for four quarters. But it’d be good for these kids and this school to go out and get a win on Friday.”
Brady carries a five-game win streak into Friday’s contest and is coming off its most impressive victory to date, a 47-7 clubbing of Eastland last week.
For the season, the Bulldogs average 34 points and 352 yards – 276 rushing and 76 passing – per outing. Johnny Menefield (807 rushing yards, 12 TDs) and Ashton Taylor (780 rushing yards, 7 TDs) anchor the running game, while Sean Jacoby (35 of 68 for 533 yards, 10 TDs, 4 INTs; 287 rushing yards, TDs) runs the offense from the quarterback position. Receiving threats include Ashton Ramsey (12-201, 3 TDs) and Mason Airheart (9-193, 4 TDs).
“They have a couple of guys over 300 pounds on their line, 6-2, 6-3 guys, just some big bodies,” Case said. “They’re physical, they’ll lean on you and they make you play for four quarters. They’re going to try and wear you down and continue to run it at you. Defensively, we’re going to have to hold the line up front. As big as they are and as physical as they are, we’re really going to have to do a good job up front making sure we don’t let them push us around, and we also have to tackle well.”
Early also put forth its best defensive outing since the season opener last week against Clifton. For the year, the Longhorns are yielding 41 points and 417 yards – 270 rushing and 147 passing – per contest, with 14 takeaways.
Standouts for the Longhorns include Kaeden Byrd (110 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack), Mario Vazquez (78 tackles, 3 for loss, 3 fumble recoveries), Ben Morris (41 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack), Brayden Schafer (33 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 fumble recovery), Rhett Williams (33 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries), Will Speck (32 tackles, 2 for loss), and Weston Barton (27 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 INTs, 1 fumble recovery).
“Our kids are coming on, they’re starting to get it,” Case said of the defense. “Clifton was really physical and I thought our kids did a good job of matching their physicality, and we’re really proud of the way they played. They took a lot of snaps on Friday, but I thought they did a good job with the amount of snaps they had to take.”
On the flip side of the ball, the Longhorns rushed for 254 of their 397 yards, led by 219 yards and three touchdowns from Cameron Love.
“Cameron Love’s doing a great job for us, our O-Line is doing a good job as well,” Case said. “He’s really come on here recently. We’re proud of his growth and taking over that running back job. He’ll continue to do a great job for us . He works hard, so we’re really happy about that.”
Early did turn the ball over four times, however, with three coming on interceptions and one returned for a touchdown.
“The pick six killed us early, put us in a 13-0 hole, and we had another turnover there at the end,” Case said. “We have to do a better job with that. There was a lot of things between those two plays that we could have done differently to affect the outcome. We have to learn and grow and we’re going to.”
The Longhorns average 21 points and 336 yards per game – 180 through the air and 156 on the ground – with 13 turnovers.
Barton has completed 100 of 184 passes for 1,260 yards with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Love has rushed for 502 yards and three scores, and Andrew Reedy (59-844, 7 TDs) and Ben Bleth (24-317, 2 TDs) continue to be the primary receiving threats.
The Brady defense yields 22 points per game with 11 sacks and 11 takeaways – six fumble recoveries and five interceptions. Leading the charge are Johnny Menefield (85 tackles, 14 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries), Demarcus Reed (51 tackles, 6 for loss), 2 sacks), Johnny Roque (48 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks), Nasir Menefield (42 tackles, 6 for loss, 2 sacks), Alijah Stark (33 tackles), Ethan Bernal (31 tackles, 1 for loss, 2 sacks), and Zach Ledezma (30 tackles, 1 sack). Ramsey leads the team with three interceptions.
“Offensively we have to clean up the turnovers, take care of the football and make the most of opportunities when we get them,” Case said. “They run the ball a lot and they’re going to eliminate some of our touches, so we’re going to have to punch it in the end zone when we get the opportunity.”
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Early is a 7-point underdog.
***
Early Longhorns 2024 Football Season Stats
Through 7 Games (1-6, 0-2)
TEAM OFFENSE
21.0 points per game (147)
336.1 yards per game (2,353)
156.1 rushing yards per game (1,093)
180.0 passing yards per game (1,260)
PASSING
* Weston Barton
100 of 184 for 1,260 yards, 10 TDs, 10 INTs
RUSHING
* Cameron Love
502 yards on 64 carries, 3 TDs
* Ben Morris
174 yards on 47 carries, 1 TD
* Weston Barton
167 yards on 31 carries
* Brandon Walker
127 yards on 23 carries, 1 TD
* Andrew Reedy
123 yards on 23 carries, 6 TDs
RECEIVING
* Andrew Reedy
59 catches, 844 yards, 7 TDs
* Ben Bleth
24 catches, 317 yards, 2 TDs
* Jaxson Stockman
5 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD
* Brayden Moya
3 catches for 17 yards
* Angel Marquez
3 catches for 17 yards
* Cameron Love
2 catches for 4 yards
* Da’Corrain McBride
2 catches, 1 yard
* Ben Morris
1 catch, -3 yards
###
TEAM DEFENSE
41.4 points per game (290)
417.4 yards per game (2,922)
270.4 rushing yards per game (1,893)
147.0 passing yards per game (1,029)
TACKLES
* Kaeden Byrd
110 tackles, 6 for loss, 1 sack
* Mario Vazquez
78 tackles, 3 for loss, 3 fumble recoveries
* Ben Morris
41 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 sack
* Brayden Schafer
33 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 fumble recovery
* Rhett Williams
33 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries
* Will Speck
32 tackles, 2 for loss
* Weston Barton
27 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 INTs, 1 fumble recovery
* Brandon Walker
24 tackles, 4 for loss
* Andrew Reedy
22 tackles, 1 INT
* Ben Bleth
21 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery
* Angel Marquez
21 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
* Brennen Rasor
19 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
* Da’Corrain McBride
17 tackles
* Rhett Smith
16 tackles
* Aaron Mendoza
7 tackles
* Cameron Love
5 tackles
* Eli Pallette
4 tackles
* Jaxson Stockman
3 tackles
* Jack Nowell
3 tackles
* Brayden Moya
2 tackles
* Riley Barton
1 tackle
* Ethan Moseley
1 tackle
###
TURNOVER MARGIN (+1)
* Early: 13 (3 fumbles, 10 interceptions)
* Opponents: 14 (10 fumbles, 4 interceptions)