Coming off their first win of the season the Aubrey Chaparrals football team heads back out on the road for their district opener against the Sulphur Springs Wildcats.
The Wildcats enter the matchup riding a fourgame winning streak after rolling through the non-district portion of their schedule, averaging a 37-point margin of victory.
“They’re an exceptional football team,” said Keith Ivy, Aubrey athletic director and head football coach. “They returned several starters on both sides of the ball from a year ago, and they’re extremely well coached. They have playmakers everywhere and don’t have any weaknesses in their starting positions, so it’s going to be quite the test for us.”
Aubrey’s defense had its best game of the season against Van Alstyne, holding the Panther’s offense under 200 yards of total offense, but may have its work cut out for it trying to contain a Sulphur Springs’ offense, averaging almost 400 yards per game.
The Wildcats are led by 4A-1 Region II District 7’s reigning Newcomer of the Year quarterback Deuce Timmons, who has compiled over 1,000 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns through four games.
“He throws the ball well, but I think his best attribute is running the ball,” Ivy said. “He can go the distance at any point, so we’re going to spy him some and hopefully limit his big runs whether that’s the designed runs, or when the pocket breaks down, and he scrambles.”
Ivy added that winning the time of possession may prove crucial for the Chaps.
“We have to continue being physical on offense, control the ball and keep their high-powered offense off the field,” Ivy said. “… They score quite a bit, so just to be able to stay with them we’re going to have to put some points up. That’s going to be a big key for the game.”
On the other side of the ball, Aubrey’s offense will look to maintain the momentum it gained during the win over Van Alstyne against a Sulphur Springs defense that has held each of its opponents to 12 points or less through the first four weeks of the season.
Linebacker Alex King, who has collected 25 tackles and 2 sacks, spearheads the unit along with safety Grayson Hardy, who has 21 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 3 pass deflections.
Despite the Chaps slow start, losing their first three games of the season, Ivy hammered home the point that the slate is wiped clean once district games start.
“Everybody is 0-0 right now, regardless of the non-district record,” he said. “We’re 1-3, and there are teams that are 4-0 going into it in our district right now, but nobody has a leg up yet, so it’s a huge game for us. We have six games left, so we certainly need to go on the road this week, get after it and give ourselves a chance in the second half of the season.”
Aubrey and Sulphur Springs will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Gerald Prim Stadium.
