Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Carroll must beat Moody to keep playoff hopes

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Friday, October 22, 1999

Carroll must beat Moody to keep playoff hopes
Distractions, upsets have Tigers teetering on postseason brink
By Stu Duncan, and George Vondracek
Caller-Times

If Carroll High School's football team wants to return to the playoffs this season, the Tigers (5-2 overall, 2-1 in district) must win today's 7:30 p.m. District 28-5A game against Moody (5-2, 2-1) at Buccaneer Stadium in order to stay in playoff contention.
   Just as important, however, the Tigers want to go back to happier times. Sidetracked by several off-field disruptions the past two seasons, Carroll is hoping to put some fun back into the football program once again.
   The Tigers suffered another setback last week when Carroll freshman assistant coach Mark Marsh was suspended for allegations of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female student.
   Morris said the Tigers wouldn't bring anyone in to temporarily replace Marsh, so the rest of the Tigers coaching staff will help out in Marsh's absence. Marsh is the second Carroll assistant football coach to be suspended this season.
   Then last Friday, Ray upended the Tigers, 13-7 putting Carroll in a must-win situation.
   "We've had to deal with so many distractions from a coaching standpoint and from a kids standpoint that I don't know if it's taking a toll on the kids or not," Morris said. "But it would be nice to put everything together and to have fun because that's what you're supposed to do. That would be why it's called a game."
   The Trojans would like nothing better than to stop the Tigers from fulfilling their playoff aspirations. Carroll has beaten Moody in each of the past two seasons, and a Trojans victory tonight would likely knock the Tigers out of the playoff picture for good.
   Moody football coach Jim Elam said there are more important things for the Trojans to focus on than avenging past losses to the Tigers.
   "It would be a big win for us, but it's more of a critical game as far as the playoffs are concerned," Elam said. "The winner of the game is going to be in a lot better shape than the other guy as far as postseason play is concerned. But there are still two games to play, so anything can happen.
   "It's an important ballgame at this point of the season and it is a rivalry," Morris said. "I think everybody takes an extra step or two when they play Carroll and I welcome that. That's the way it ought to be. We just need to play at our best and hopefully that's going to be good enough."
   In last year's meeting between the teams, Zach Young's 11-yard touchdown run on a reverse opened the scoring during a 28-point first half outburst by the Tigers. Carroll tailback Frankie Morales also added three touchdowns as the Tigers prevailed 35-9.
   "Last year they just exploded on us early," Elam said. "They got some long runs, we missed some tackles and we fell behind before their dominating defense took over. The year before, we lost 9-7 in the rain when they scored late (with 59 seconds remaining). It was one of those mud bowls."
   A DISTRICT 31-4A: The Carroll-Moody clash isn't the only big game tonight. Rockport-Fulton travels to Calallen in a game pitting teams that are 4-0 in district play. But with district supremacy at stake, Pirates coach Gary Autry is trying to keep his charges in a routine.
   "To us, it's not any different. It's one week at a time," Autry said. "We prepare for each team the same way and try to present it to the kids the same way. I think the next three weeks, being in the position we're in - in first place - it just gets more challenging. The prize at the end is real good."
   The Pirates, the third-place team a year ago, still have a home date against an explosive offensive team in Kingsville before closing the regular season on the road against 3-1 Alice, which whipped the Pirates in Rockport, 28-3 last year.
   Calallen, meanwhile, will have faced the teams with the top two district records after tonight, with only 2-2 Gregory-Portland and 2-2 Kingsville remaining on the schedule. A win for either team, while key, wouldn't necessarily punch a postseason pass.
   "Really, this game has no more importance than the three we've got left, even though they've got a great ballclub coming over here," said Calallen coach Phil Danaher, whose Wildcats slipped out of Rockport with a 13-9 win a year ago. "I can't see either coach saying that this is the game you have to win. I mean, yeah, we have to beat them to have a chance, but if we put too much on this game and lose and lose again, you wind up getting knocked out of the playoffs."
   DISTRICT 32-2A: There'll be only one unbeaten team in the Corpus Christi area after tonight's game between Banquete (7-0, 4-0) and Freer (7-0, 4-0). In five meetings, the Bulldogs haven't beaten the Buckaroos, although Freer's last two wins have been by a total of six points - Freer won last year, 20-16. "We were real young and we had to see how we'd come together," said Banquete coach Butch Porter, whose Bulldogs have held opponents to 71/2 points per game. "The young guys have done well. I said early in the year they were a bunch of young pups. Sometimes, they grab the wrong stick. I've gotten really gray. But we didn't expect to be in this position."
   Banquete is led on offense by senior running back Jason Busch, who has ran for 825 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Running backs Roger Cruz and Mario Vallejo have added 300 yards rushing apiece. Freer boasts a high-powered attack, averaging 40.2 points per game. The Bucks have several offensive weapons, including Mario Gonzalez (499 rushing yards, 11 TDs), Lee Salinas (491 rushing yards, 296 receiving yards, 11 TDs) and quarterback Bobby Radle (939 passing yards, 10 TDs).

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