Heading into today’s regular-season finale, the New Waverly Bulldogs have accomplished nearly everything they had in mind before the season kicked off.
Clinch a second straight playoff berth.
Check.
Win a share of a second consecutive district championship.
Check.
Claim an outright title.
Not just yet. That’s something that will be decided tonight when the Bulldogs clash with Buffalo.
The Dogs are far from satisfied and have no plans of resting on their laurels. Instead, they are focused on the Bison and look to finish district play the right way, without a single blemish.
“We just have to take it one game at a time,” senior wide receiver Kyren Watts said following Thursday’s practice. “We can’t look past Buffalo.”
“We really do need to finish strong,” senior Kody Coleman said.
Like New Waverly, the Bison have been cruising through district play.
After getting blanked by Corrigan-Camden in the district opener, Buffalo (3-1 in District 21-2A) blasted Groveton and Trinity and edged Centerville 21-14.
With plenty of confidence on both sidelines, the Bulldogs know they’ll have to do all the little things right to win their sixth straight this season.
“We really need to come out and set the tone for the game defensively,” head coach Ken Craig said. “We need to make a statement on that side of the ball. We’ve been good at times. Other times, we’ve bent a lot and done well when it gets into crunch time, but we need to have a solid four-quarter defensive game. We’ve got to line up correctly and we need to take care of our assignments.
“We also need to make that statement on the offensive side of the ball. We’ve come out and big-played everybody. We want to come out and execute on that side of the ball as well. We need to keep getting the ball into the hands of those guys that make big plays.”
Win or lose, New Waverly (4-0, 7-2) will be district champions. But with a loss to the Bison, the Bulldogs will have to share the title with Buffalo and possibly Corrigan-Camden, a team that New Waverly defeated three weeks ago on a last-second field goal.
Just the mere thought of sharing the 21-2A championship is a bitter pill to swallow and the Bulldogs want to avoid that from happening.
“We’re selfish. We’re greedy,” Coleman said with a smirk. “We don’t want to share it with anybody. We worked too hard and accomplished so much to not have it all to ourselves.”
Even with the Class 2A playoffs on the horizon, New Waverly knows that it still has a lot to gain, especially against a team that will also be going to the playoffs, and a lot to improve on.
“We always want to win,” Coleman added. “It’s just always good to go out on a positive note and build on it. We can always get better and that’s what we hope to do.”
Besides putting another district championship trophy on the shelf, the Bulldogs hope that they’ll gain some momentum to carry into the playoffs, which begin next week.
“You definitely want to go in with a win,” Craig said. “It’s tough to come back from a loss and regain focus. Sometimes that’s hard thing to overcome.
“I expect us to come out Friday and play the best that we can play. If we can play the best that we can, then we’ll be undefeated district champions by the end of the night.”
Sports
Related Photos
-
David Magallanes
Discussion
One more goal to reach
Bulldogs looking to win district crown outright with win over Bison tonight
- Sports
-
- Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
-
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark. -
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark. -
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.
-
Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds
-
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.
-
BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.
-
SHSU MEN'S BASKETBALL — Kats sign ‘winner’ from Trinity Valley
Will Bond, a 6-3 guard from Trinity Valley Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play men’s basketball for head coach Jason Hooten.
- RUNNING SHORTS: New study confirms the benefits of running
-
BEARKATS BASEBALL — Sam Houston wasn't going to be denied regular-season title
With four conference games left to play, all that kept Sam Houston from a Southland Conference regular season championship was just one win. Whether it was at Central Arkansas later in the week or in the Kats’ conference home finale on Sunday, just one victory would hand Sam Houston it’s first regular season conference title in 23 years. Relaxed and ready to pounce, Sam Houston jumped all over Southeastern Louisiana’s pitching staff early and relied on a strong starting pitching performance from senior Michael Oros. The Kats cruised to an 8-3 victory over the second-place Lions and the celebration was on.
- More Sports Headlines
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
