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Long familar with Brahmas 2A regional playoff opponent
Long was an assistant coach at Refugio from 1995-2000. The Bobcats beat the Brahmas 28-0 in 1996 in a regional quarterfinal game at Victoria. George Harris was the head coach. Long also grew up five miles down the road from Woodsboro. The two teams will play at 7:30 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcus. "A Lot of these kids I know," said Long. "I either coached or played with their parents," said Long. "It's a unique situation for me to go into this game. Some were little rug rats when I was there."
"Getting the opportunity to play the Bobcats is a bid deal and exciting," said Long. "As far as our kids are concerned its just another team. They know that they are good. There's not a mystique there like it is to other places down there. Our kids are high as a kite right now and that's a good thing." EB beat Troy 41-10 in Saturday's area playoff game in Bryan and Refugio beat Dilley 28-7 on Friday in Victoria. "The last two weeks the kids have just played with an amazing effort," said Long. "They had a lot of drive and a lot of want to." The 12-0 Bobcats, who have been to the playoffs 39 times, are the real deal, according to the EB coach. "It's just the expectations that they have," said Long. "It's not what the team expects, it's what the community expects. They are thinking state championship and that's a great thing to have." "They've been dominant for a long time and been through several coaches," said Long. "Their numbers are good and tradition is a big thing."
"In Refugio, there's always expectations to make the playoffs," said Herring. "Our kids enjoy the competition." He agreed Friday's game should be a good one "We both have a great football teams," said Herring. "It's going to be a shoot out and a war. It will come down to who plays the best; who doesn't turn the ball over and who executes." Long agreed the Bobcats are the real deal. "They are one of the best team's we've played," said Long. "But as far as the tradition and the level of confidence they'll have, they are going to be right there at the top." Refugio also has the entire package. "The have the size, speed and coaching," said Long. He compares the Bobcats to Hitchcock, which lost to Salado in an area Brahma Scores Houston Christian..............W-20-14 Edna...................................L-27-10 Shiner...............................W-35-20 Stockdale ..........................L-28-23 Danbury #.........................W-48-21 Van Vleck #......................W-34-33 Hitchcock #........................L-46-40 Brazos #...........................W-21-14 Pope John XXIII.................W-51-0 Boling #.............................W-62-30 Hallettsville ##...................W-38-27 Troy ###............................W-41-10 # Denotes District 27-2A Games ## Bi-District Playoff Game ### Area Playoff Game Bobcats Scores Van Vleck...........................W-41-0 Hallettsville........................W-35-34 Poth.................................W-35-19 Mathis .............................W-42-27 Taft .....................................W-49-6 Three Rivers #.................W-48-27 George West #.................W-42-21 Odem #.............................W-49-7 S-Tynan............................W-57-14 Bloomington #...................W-49-0 Banquette ##.....................W-42-21 Dilley ###...........................W-28-7 # Denotes District 31-2A Games ## Bi-District Playoff Game ### Area Playoff Game playoff game last Saturda. "They have that kind of speed at the skilled positions," said Long. "They have a very good scheme and their quarterback is a very good thrower." The Bobcats are averaging 422 yards per game and the defense is yielding 239 yards per game. Running back Carl Swain has scored 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,417 yards. Collin Avery has scored 12 touchdowns and rushed for 674 yards. Quarterback Malcom Whitmire has scored 11 touchdowns and rushed for 196 yards. He has completed 124 of 198 passes for 2,218 yards. He has 22 TD passes. Avery has caught 32 passes for 693 yards and Ricky Lewis has caught 31 passes for 524 yards. East Bernard is ranked 34th in Class 2A with a power rating of 139 and Refugio is ranked 6th with a power rating of 152. The Bobcats are a 12-point favorite. Long believes the Brahmas must play mistake free to win. "We've got to move the football, make first downs and keep their offense on the sidelines," said Long. "We're to the point know that we have to prepare in what they do. We have to be good mentally when we go into the game." Last Friday's area playoff win was East Bernard's first since 1996. "Our kids have accomplished so much and anything from here is icing on the cake," said Long. "They've already proven so many people wrong. We just keep playing that underdog roll; lay low and go out and play hard." Long believes a key to winning the game is sustaining drives. "We'll try and do a ball control type of game like we always do," said Long. "We have to go out and tackle hard on defense." The Refugio coach expects a tough test from the Brahmas. "They're the best team we've played so far," said Herring. "Their offensive scheme is really, really good and they have two great running backs. He was referring to Bramhas Mike Hayes and Lance Crump, who combined for six touchdowns last Saturday. "Defensively they fly to the football and play extremely hard," said Herring. Herring believes the game will come down to special teams. "When you have two teams that are this even, it can come down to the kicking game," said Herring. "It looks like a dead even match." The Brahmas have played lights out football since their 46-40 loss to Hitchcock in October, winning five in a row. "We struggled early in the year with an identity and personnel," said Long. "We're getting to that point of peaking at the right time of the season." The Brahmas will practice this afternoon at Guy K. Traylor Stadium in Rosenberg today which has an artificial surface, a similar surface to that at Bobcat Stadium. "We'll do that to keep the kids excited and motivated throughout the week," said Long. The Brahmas have gathered fans throughout the county who have jumped on the bandwagon and Long said that's a good thing. "We'll pick up some people from the county and from my hometown," said Long. "It helps when you get those phone calls and good job comments. "When you're one of the last teams that are playing in the area, that's usually the case. People are real supportive and we appreciate that ." The winner plays either Rice Consolidated or Stockdale. Those teams will play Friday night in Victoria. Long hopes to add another layer of icing to the football playoff cake on Friday night. "If you win you move on if you lose you put yours stuff up," said Long. |
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