The Connally Cadets jumped into the top ten rankings this week after defeating Sunnyvale 46-25 in their season opener, and now they face the number one team in the state, the La Vega Pirates, who ended week one with a 20-7 win over Port Lavaca Calhoun.
“We are going to turn it all loose on Friday night. No matter what happens, whether we win or they win, its not going to effect either one of our implications as far as the playoffs go. I think it’s a really neat opportunity for our kids and our program to see where we stack-up against the number one team in the state,”said Connally Athletic Director and Head Football Coach, Shane Anderson.
“Coach Anderson has Connally right back up there with the best of them in this area, and I’m extremely proud of him,”said La Vega Head Football Coach, Don Hyde.
The Cadets are known for their deadly run game.
Just last week, Connally rushed for nearly 600 yards.
In his first varsity start, sophomore Tre Wisner stole the show with 14 carries, 266 yards, and 4 touchdowns, but Coach Anderson says this is all thanks to the strength and experience of their offensive line.
“You gotta give credit where credit is due, and that’s the offensive line up front. Four of those five guys upfront are seniors and three of those four seniors are three year letterman, so they have played a lot of football games, won a lot of football games. They know how to prepare,”said Coach Anderson.
“We get the credit when we see the stats. Its all about us at the end of night blocking. If we don’t block, they cant score. As of right now, we are more motivated and a more focused team than we were last year. The offensive line is working harder than they ever have,” said Connally Center, Cody Coffman.
La Vega brings experience to the table, with players who have played the last two seasons in state championship games.
The Pirates are strong on both sides of the ball, but along with Connally, La Vega’s run game packs pretty big punch.
“We don’t worry about the opponent. We worry about the La Vega Pirates. Our message is get better everyday. Get better every time the ball snaps. That’s all we concentrate on. That’s all we focus on,”said Coach Hyde.
“They run the ball a lot so our defense is really going to have to be ready to go, ready to stop them, because they’re offensive game is strong,” said Cody Coffman.
