Friday, Sep. 26, 2008

Marauders 'At a Crossroads’

MHS Football

By Kevin Lonnquist

Staff Writer

Usually, bulletin-board material comes from the opposing team. Not this week. The Marauders are getting it from their coach.

Bryan Erwin came away disappointed and frustrated with last week’s 17-14 loss to Katy in Waco. Using phrases such as "competing at a high level" and "match the intensity," Erwin also said this about this week’s final non-district game tonight at Tyler Lee:

"We’re at a crossroads this season. This is a very important game from a program standpoint and a mental standpoint. It can make or break our season. We believe in our kids, but you’ve got to be tough. We’ll find out this week."

There’s no doubt that when the Marauders (2-2) and Raiders (1-3) meet in Tyler’s Rose Stadium, the hunger to win will be extreme.

But playing good enough is not what Erwin envisioned when he took over this program in January 2007. He expected it to be among the state’s best.

"We’re asking the kids to rise to the top and not to accept mediocrity," Erwin said. "We must be confident in the way we compete and the way we match them."

Offensive Line Changes Coming?

While Chase Douglass and Ty Cloud are locks at the tackle positions, Erwin was looking at changes with the rest of his offensive line. That meant guards Josh LaPorte and Cameron Hickey and center Justin Rayome were going to have to fend off challenges for their starting positions.

Part of the problem was that the running game never got going Saturday against Katy. Junior running back Stephen Hopkins was held to his second-lowest rushing output of his career (19-48).

"The offensive line had a horrible game," Cloud said. "We had some bad footwork, and our technique wasn’t that great, either. I don’t think we were mentally there. We can definitely play better than this."

There It Is

Junior quarterback Brad L’Huillier delivered an element to the offense that has been missing since Erwin arrived — the deep ball

L’Huillier connected with senior Joel Free on touchdown passes of 42 and 20 yards. The multiple I-formation wants to soften teams up with the running game so the big pass play will be available. They were his second and third touchdown tosses of the year. They were also the first two touchdown grabs for Free, who missed most of the previous two games with an illness. Free is still not 100 percent healthy, Erwin said.

"I saw a great competitor," Erwin said of L’Huillier. "He took some shots, but he made some throws. That’s what I want to see. People can say what they want, but I see him growing each day."

For the season, L’Huillier is 37-65-0 (57 percent) for 365 yards and three touchdown passes.

Notable

Running back Degan Newsom (undisclosed injury) is not expected to play tonight against Tyler Lee. However, Erwin expects him to return for the District 6-5A opener against Lewisville.