By Gene Schallenberg
Ever since the Bulldogs opened fall camp in early August, they knew that Corrigan-Camden was going to be their biggest challenge of the season. The game has been circled on the calendar and now it’s finally here.
In a game that could ultimately decide the District 21-2A championship, Corrigan-Camden rolls into town looking to avenge last season’s 21-14 loss to New Waverly tonight at Bulldog Stadium.
“Just like it was last year, it’s going to be a dogfight,” New Waverly head coach Ken Craig said. “They’re a good football team in all aspects of the game. They’ve got great skill guys and they’re coached very well. They have a great coaching staff and the kids are prepared well. You can tell that by looking at them on video.”
When Corrigan-Camden (1-0 in district, 5-1 overall) and New Waverly squared off last season, both teams were undefeated and were ready to make a statement against one another. In the end, New Waverly came up with the big plays when they needed to and upset the then 10th-ranked Bulldogs.
“We showed everybody that we actually were something,” said senior cornerback Eli Amador of last season’s victory. “We just came out and did our thing.”
“It felt good because it was my first year on varsity,” junior fullback K.D. Scott said. “We had that big of a game right off the bat. It felt good that we won.”
The Bulldogs went on the road and came away with a huge victory and know that Corrigan-Camden will be aiming to achieve the same thing in New Waverly tonight.
Not only is pride on the line, but the upper hand in the district championship race is also at stake. New Waverly (1-0, 4-2) won last season’s tilt and ended up rolling over the rest of the competition toward the district title.
“(The district championship) is ours right now and they want it,” Craig said. “They have to come over here to our house to get it. You couldn’t ask for it to be better. You like a fight in your own backyard to keep what’s yours.”
With talented running back JoCourtney Johnson, who rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns against the Bulldogs last season, one of the key battles will be how New Waverly’s defensive line performs against Corrigan’s offensive front.
“Us front four have been practicing real good this week,” senior defensive lineman Justin Ward said. “We’ve been practicing staying low. Corrigan has two real good offensive linemen, a guard and a tackle. JoCourtney, him and Tyren (Watts) are the best backs in our district. We go against, what I think is, the best back in our district (in practice). We just work on shutting him down. If we can shut him down, then we can shut JoCourtney down.”
New Waverly knows that it will have to play its best game of the season in all phases to come out on top and stay unblemished in district play.
“However you want to look at it, this is the district championship ballgame,” Craig said. “If we don’t win this, we won’t get a district championship.
“We’ve got to have our minds right to play and we’ve got to be sharp in all aspects of the game. They’re a team that if you don’t get lined up correctly or execute what you’re supposed to do defensively, then they can score on any snap.
“That’s what makes it exciting. I like to think that they think the same about us, that if they don’t tackle well or don’t fit well on defense, then we have guys that can score on any play.
“It could be one of those classic games. I’m not going to say that it’s going to be high-scoring or low-scoring, you just don’t know going in. It’s going to be like a playoff game.”
Home sweet home? — After going undefeated in Bulldog Stadium last season in its inaugural year and winning this season’s regular-season opener against Teague, it’s been tough sledding for New Waverly at home lately.
The last two times the Bulldogs have played at home, they had to watch another team celebrate on their field. The first home defeat was against Hearne on Sept. 4, losing 34-20. New Waverly also lost to Franklin two weeks later 21-18.
That’s a trend the Bulldogs hope to end tonight against Corrigan-Camden.
“It’s very important for us to put a stop to that streak,” Ward said. “This game is going to play an important part in our outcome the rest of the way.”
