The Westwood football team is struggling, and no one knows it better than WHS coach Roger Mays.
After squeaking past Huntington, 20-18, with an injury-depleted lineup, the Panthers fell hard on homecoming to Brownsboro, 40-20.
Now, the Panthers hit the road to take on unbeaten Malakoff (3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Panther Stadium (St. Paul Dr. at FM 6062, Malakoff, Texas 75148).
Waiting for the Panthers on the other side of that game is a bye week, one that Mays would much rather go into 2-2 instead of 1-3.
“Record-wise, I know you’re always gauged by your record and that’s what the outside world is going to look at,” Mays said. “It’s much more respectable, to be at .500, to not be going into the bye week on a losing streak.
“But, we’ve got to think about the bigger picture. We’re just looking for improvement then we can go and work on ourselves during that bye week.”
The Panthers enter the game banged up, especially offensively.
The team’s top-two rushers — Aaryon Robinson and Keke Hicks — as well as quarterback Chris Thompson are all battling injuries, but all are also expected to play in the game.
Mays said that he doesn’t “want to make excuses” for his team, but admitted that the injuries have made it tough for the Panthers the last few weeks.
With the bye week coming next, he’s hoping his team can fight through against Malakoff.
“I hold firm to the belief that it’s going to serve us well in the future,” Mays said. “If we come through this...when those kids do come around and get healthy we’ll know that we fought hard with those kids down...and we’ll be alright heading into district.”
Malakoff comes in off of a win over Kerens, 44-36, a win the Tigers secured in the fourth quarter.
In the win, running back Marcus Dowell ran for 197 yards, including the game-winning touchdown. Malakoff quarterback Tate Taylor also ran for 118 yards.
“They do have good, hard, physical runners, but I feel like it’s people that we can match up with,” Mays said.
He said the defensive coaching staff — led by defensive coordinator Shane Jones — has simplified the defensive gameplan, allowing the Panthers to react quicker on the field.
“Against Brownsboro, we looked at it and maybe we’re putting too much on the kids’ plates,” Mays said. “We want to play fundamentals and concentrate on flying to the football.”
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Sports editor Justin Rains can be reached via email at jrains@palestineherald.com
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