When the Palestine football team opens up its historic 100th season Friday, the team on the other sideline at Wildcat Stadium will be no stranger.
The Wildcats will stare across the turf at the La Vega Pirates, the same team that eliminated Palestine from the playoffs less than 10 months ago.
La Vega comes into 2012 as the eighth-ranked team by the Associated Press in Class 3A, a team thinking about state titles.
Palestine has similar dreams, and the journey toward that starts Friday, when the two teams kick-off at 7:30 p.m.
“I just don’t like talking payback,” PHS coach Lance Angel said when asked about the element of revenge to this year’s game. “This year’s team is not last year’s team, for either group. I think it’s in the back of our kids’ minds, but I don’t know if I think payback is always a big motivator. For us, its about the 2012 team trying to beat the 2012 team from La Vega.”
The Wildcat team that takes the field Friday will look a lot like the 2011 team, returning 22 players — 15 starters — from that 7-4 squad.
It’s also all of the players’ third year under Angel, making them more and more familiar with the way things operate under his watch.
“Defensively its our third year and I think, defensively, we’re a lot better than we were the last two years,” Angel said. “Even though we made some changes in what we’re doing, offensively, I think our kids understand the base concepts, especially the running game.”
Defensively is where the Wildcats will have to step up the most.
In the 2011 playoff game, Palestine trailed 21-0 before the Wildcats ever thought about finding the end zone, making the rest of the game an uphill battle.
The Pirates’ leading running back Randy Gober (1,376 yards, 17 TDs) in 2012, along with quarterback Marcus Evans and running back Javon Arnett will be returning.
“We’ve got to make them punt. We just can’t let them get the ball and continuously drive down the field and make big plays,” Angel said. “We just can’t give up continuous big plays. Obviously, the big one is if we get them in third-and-long and fourth-and-medium, we’ve got to get a stop.”
Getting those stops will be pivotal for the Wildcats, in an area where the team struggled in 2011.
Offensively, Palestine returns plenty of its own firepower, including leading rusher Darrius Stephens (1,005 yards, 10 TDs in 2011) and power-back Jarrell Owens.
As a whole, the Wildcats rushed for more than 2,000 yards a season ago, and return four backs from their five-back attack. They also add transfer Ben Luckett into the mix.
The success of the rushing attack, however, will depend on how well the Wildcats’ young offensive line transitions to the Friday Night Lights.
“We feel good about the fact that, offensively, we’ve got most of our weapons back and the kids are comfortable in their roles,” Angel said. “And, we feel good about our O-line.”
What’s yet to be determined is who will get the ball to all of those weapons, at least consistently.
As of Tuesday, the PHS staff still hadn’t decided on a starting quarterback for Friday night’s game. Incumbent Brian Gummelt (52 percent completions, 1,017 yards, 14 TDs in 2011) and sophomore Fabian “Gee” Clark were still splitting snaps, and may do so on Friday.
“We’re still evaluating every day. Brian Gummelt and Fabian Clark are competing hard and both working to help each other get better...just helping coach each other,” Angel said. “We’re comfortable with Brian because we know what he can do and, at the same time, we’ve got Gee (Clark) stepping up and, really, playing very mature for a sophomore.”
100 YEAR CELEBRATION
During every home game in 2012, Palestine ISD will commemorate the team’s 100th year of play with a special event.
For the opener, every fan through the gate will receive a special hand fan, celebrating the team’s 100th year.
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Sports editor Justin Rains can be reached via email at jrains@palestineherald.com
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