TIOGA BULLDOGS
The 3-2 Tioga Bulldogs varsity football team returns from its bye week, looking to keep its winning streak alive in a home showdown with the No. 8-ranked Muenster Hornets on Friday.
The reigning 2A Division II State Champion Hornets at 4-1 through their first five contests, bouncing back from a 50-47 loss to the Collinsville Pirates in Week 4 with a 38-21 win over Fort Worth Christian High School in Week 5.
“They’re back-to-back state champs for a reason,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “You can tell there is a standard there, and their kids meet it. They play hard, they’re sound, and they’re well coached. … They’re one of the elite programs in the state of Texas.”
Muenster’s run-centered offense features multiple ballcarriers headlined by running back Maverick Bayer and quarterback Carter Heller.
The duo has helped the Hornets average over 300 yards rushing per game and 33 total touchdowns this season.
“First and foremost, our emphasis is on stopping the run,” Birdwell said. “That’s what they cut their teeth on and what they’re really good at. … They have a style of football they like to play, but we have a style we like to play, too. If we match their physicality and speed, read our keys well and fly to the football, good things are going to happen.”
The Bulldogs offense, which has scored 44 points a game over Tioga’s last three contests, will look to maintain their momentum against the Hornet’s defense, which has surrendered 23 to their opponents.
Birdwell emphasized that protecting the football and moving the ball efficiently will be crucial for his team’s offense if the Bulldogs hope to send the Hornets home with their second loss of the season.
“We have to take care of the football,” he said. “It’s been a big point of emphasis for us, and we’ve had backto- back games with one turnover, but we’ve yet to have a game without one. … It’s also another week where our guys need to win their one-on-one opportunities. We’re facing a team that plays a style of defense where you have to beat the guys that are lined up across from you, and at the end of the day, that's what the game really comes down to.”
Birdwell said his team fully understands the importance of this matchup and the implications it could have for the district standings.
“We shouldn’t need a whole lot of extra motivation this week; we have a district championship on the line,” he said. “I know that sounds crazy to say in Week 1 of district when everybody is 0-0, but if anyone said the [that] championship doesn’t run through Muenster, they’d be lying.”
The Bulldogs and Hornets will kick off their contest at 7 p.m. Friday at Bulldog Stadium in Tioga.
