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Thursday Night Showdown: Wylie vs. Naaman Forest on CW33
With only a handful of games left in the regular season, we have seen some great games across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. This week in the Thursday Night Showdown we are looking ahead to a strong game between Wylie and Naaman Forest. VYPE DFW breaks down the two teams and their seasons so far as well as what fans are going to want to watch out for:
Wylie Pirates
The Wylie Pirates enter the game 2-4 overall on the season with a 2-1 district record. Sitting at the No. 3 spot in their district, the Pirates have posted back-to-back wins over South Garland (63-0) and Rowlett (31-13). Coming in with a two-game win streak gives Wylie enough fight and fire to play hard on Thursday night against a team like Namaan Forest.
Players to watch for the pirates include senior quarterback Isaac Phe who has thrown for 1,155 passing yards this season. Phe has recorded 12 passing touchdowns and a 63% passing completion so far this season. On the ground, Phe has one rushing touchdown to his name on 19 carries. Leading on the ground for the Pirates is senior running back Blake Fuller. Fuller has recorded eight touchdowns on 688 rushing yards and 123 carries.
Naaman Forest Rangers
The Naaman Forest Rangers enter the game with a 2-1 overall record after their first two games of the season (against Frisco and Flower Mound) were canceled. The Rangers posted a big 40-14 district opening win over North Garland before falling 56-29 against Garland. Last week, Naaman Forest defeated South Garland with a convincing 61-27 victory. To say that the Rangers are looking for a win on Thursday would be an understatement.
Junior quarterback Tray Walton has done well in the pocket for the Rangers so far this season. Walton has thrown 10 touchdowns and completed 65% of his passes in only three games played. Senior running back Kingsley Bennett leads the team in rushing with seven touchdowns on 432 rushing yards and 43 carries. Naaman Forest has a strong offense and will be looking to score as often as possible against Wylie.
What To Expect
Naaman Forest might have a strong offense, but they have an even stronger defense. The Rangers' defense has held their opponents to a combined 97 points this season. Wylie has a good offense, the team has proven to be strong in district play. Fans will see a strong game out of both teams, but the catalyst will be whether or not Naaman Forest's defense can hold strong and keep Wylie out of scoring position.
Where to watch:
If you can't make it out to Garland, be sure to watch the game on CW33!
GCCISD Magazine Feature: Baytown Sterling Football
FOR ROBERT TOOMER, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ROUX.
So, what is a roux? It's the ultimate base of a seafood gumbo and since Toomer went to LSU, he knows a quality roux when he tastes one. "I'm a big Cajun seafood guy," he said. "and anyone who knows about gumbo is that the roux is the foundation … the base. If you don't get it right, you have to start over. It takes time to make, but when it's right you can add anything else to it."
Toomer's roux has been cooking for two years and the flavor is starting to emerge. "I ask our guys all the time, what are you putting in the roux? Is it leadership, discipline, physicality or work-ethic? You have to bring something." Sterling has some ingredients who are coming together that want to leave their own legacy. "We don't have a successful tradition to really draw from over the past decade, so we are building this thing from the ground up," he said. "The process is coming along, but two years ago we were at Ground Zero. We had some success last season, maybe not in the win-column, but there were definitely some bright spots. I can see it coming."
Ryan De Luna
Sterling's strength this year is on the defensive side of the ball, just like Toomer likes it. "It has to start up front and being able to stop your opponent," he said. "It all starts with Omar Huntington – he's the leader. Gerald Hays and Noah Lister have also played well up front. Reece Sylvester, Camden Schoor and Jayden Khoury have continued to step up." Offensively, the Rangers have struggled mostly at the quarterback position. "We have three quarterbacks who don't have much experience," Toomer said. "Going live, when you are in a fire storm, you have to relax and trust your training. We have to apply what we've learned in the film room to the field. We just have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot."
Moving from Class 6A to Class 5A will help in years to come as Toomer gets his roux like he likes it. "Once the roux or the foundation is right, that's when you are able to add things to it to make it perfect," he said. "We aren't there yet, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel."
To see the entire Goose Creek CISD publication, CLICK HERE