Woodville presents new challenges for Cameron

Last Thursday night, the Cameron Yoemen secured their spot in the area round of the playoffs with a 35-19 win over the West Trojans.  At around that same time, Woodville had also punched their ticket to the next round with a 44-23 win over the Anahuac Panthers.  The two teams will now meet with a trip to the regional semifinals on the line. 

Woodville comes out of 11-3A, which is comprised of teams from the Southeast Texas region of the state.  The Eagles (11-1, 6-0) won their district and earned the number one seed in the playoffs by picking up wins over Warren (60-0), Kirbyville (38-6), Trinity (46-0), Buna (28-8), Kountze (66-28) and Coldspring (31-18).  11-3A completed the sweep of 12-3A in the opening round, with Woodville, Coldspring, Kirbyville and Buna all winning their bi-district games. 

“They have a very good team that is athletic and their kids play hard,” said Yoemen head coach Tommy Brashear.  “They are no pushover by any means.  We’ve got to have a good week of practice and be well-prepared for this game.”

Woodville’s lone loss on the season came at the hands of 4A Liberty, 20-14.  Liberty is 9-2 and will be playing Lorena in the second round of the 4A division II playoffs on Friday.  Other wins in non-district included Corrigan-Camden (51-0), Madisonville (28-14) and Orangefield (41-7).

Last season, Woodville finished with a 7-4 mark, falling to Teague in the bi-district round of the playoffs, 49-7. 

Offense

It was anticipated that Woodville would be improved offensively this season with eight starters returning.  The offensive scheme for the Eagles is the double wing.  That offense is not like the slot-t or wing-t, but is still a tight formation that will feature a heavy ground presence.  

“They don’t do a whole lot on offense or defense as they keep it very simple, but a lot of times that makes you a really good team,” said Brashear.  “They’re about 99 percent run as I think they have thrown it about seven times in the games we have on film.  We have to stop the run first and foremost and make them throw the ball.”

Running back Ivan Lockhart was a first team all-district selection as a junior.  Seth Cashat (1st team) and Cade Bass (2nd team) are two all-district members that will lead the offensive line.

“They are going to turn and pitch it to their running back and try to push your forward and get a few yards,” stated Brashear.  “They will put a wing in motion and pitch it to him.  It’s very simple what they do, but being easy to stop are two different things.”

Last season, Woodville average 28 points per contest.  That average has jumped up to 41 points per game in 2016.

Defense

Just like the offense, eight starters returned on the defense.  While the offense has bigger bodies, the defense will rely more on speed and agility. 

“They’re going to be in a 4-2 front with five secondary guys,” said Brashear.  “Against a spread offense we have seen them in cover four and a little man free.  I expect that is what they will do to us.  They have some athletes to man you up.  They are not as big on the defensive side, but they are very quick, fast and physical.”

The defense gave up 31.5 points per contest in 2015, and that average has shrunk to just 11.3 points per game this year. 

“Their defense is no slouch either,” said Brashear.  “They have two really good defensive ends and those kids play extremely well.”

A spread attack

Though the Yoemen have not seen the double wing offense, it remains to be seen how Woodville can handle a true dual-threat offensive attack that presents the run and pass option.

“I would say that they haven’t seen a team like us that can mix it up and do a little bit of both,” said Brashear.  “We are going to take what people give us.  That is our philosophy.  I would probably say the closest thing to us that they have seen was Madisonville.”

Keys to victory

For the Yoemen, forcing the Woodville offense into situations they have not been accustomed to all year will be important.  That includes getting stops defensively and getting the ball back into the offense's hands.

“We have to get our defense off the field,” said Brashear.  “We have to get some stops and make them punt.  They don’t have a whole lot of punts on film, so we have to get them off the field.  We have to win the battle up front on the d-line against their o-line, and the same thing on the other side of the ball.”

Offensively, it’s all about execution and making sure the mistakes from last week do not creep over into this game.

“We have to execute offensively,” stated Brashear.  “We had too many penalties last week on offense.  We also have to take care of the ball and have no turnovers.  We had one last week, but we also created four on defense.”

Kickoff

Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m.  The address to Buddy Moorhead Stadium is 3200 West Davis, Conroe, Texas 77304.