Arlington Lamar vs. The Woodlands

[naranjaynegro]

Looks like two undefeated teams collide Saturday night at Round Rock ISD....the winner to take on the winner of North Shore (Bobby Reid's team) vs. Austin Westlake for the Division 1 Class 5A Texas State Championship.

Bleed...I know you are an Arlingtonite.....what do you know about the Lamar squad?
The Woodlands have squeaked by in all 3 of their playoff games.....winning by close margins in all the games. The Coach of The Woodlands (Weldon Willig) thinks it's his teams year and is looking to break thru to the finals and win it all....I'm not sure that anyone can get by North Shore though....this last week was the first time that a team had scored more than 7 points against North Shore. They talk alot about the Offense of NS but their Defense is probably better.

[bleedaggie]

Most of the kids in my church go to Lamar. 2 of their starting defense players are active members of my youth group. Billy Skinner is the stud defensive end that is getting looks by everyone in the Big 12 except Texas. He's not very big, but he is a good student of the game, and makes smart decisions on the field.

Lamar's 1st string QB is out for the season because of a torn ACL he suffered in the first game of the playoffs. Their second string Q is probably a better quarterback talent-wise, but without much experience.

They're also a pretty emotional team... they play completely on momentum.

I wish I could go to the game. I thought they were going to play in Waco, in which case I would have been there in a heartbeat. But Austin is a little too far for me to drive on a Saturday night.

Are you going to get to go NN?

[naranjaynegro]

Nope....I'll be watching the B12 Championship game.....3 hrs. to drive for a HS football game is too much for me if my kids aren't involved (band) in some way.

Come on Bleed....you need to get to the game and show some moral support for the kids! You can sleep Sunday morning during church:D

We used to have a Children's pastor that was a huge LSU fan....all of the children's events were in Purple & Gold...T-Shirts....theme for the ministry...the whole she-bang. If LSU was playing in Baton Rouge he would make the trip every Saturday night (almost all of LSU's home games are night games) about 5 hrs. from Houston ....and then make it back Sunday am for church......He was a real trooper but I think his wife curbed him of a lot that after he got married.

[bleedaggie]

I do the same with our kids and OSU. The senior pastor hates it - not much of a big sports fan, but I wear Orange every Friday, and every Sunday after a big win. The teenagers love it because if I walk in without an orange shirt on they give me a hard time. And, they're constantly impressed at how much orange is in my closet.

And it's working, I've converted 2 of them who will be going to OSU next year.

[naranjaynegro]

Highlanders hope close wins reflect poise
By NIKI HERBERT
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

When it would be easy to fret over postseason games that have been too close for comfort, The Woodlands coach Weldon Willig says no thank you. He'd rather look at the positives from the three games.

"I view it as something that will help us," Willig said. "I'm a very optimistic person. We reacted well under pressure. We played well under adversity. I think it helped our confidence and helped us achieve another level of playing."

The Highlanders have won by a combined 11 points in their three postseason games. They needed triple-overtime to defeat Tyler Lee in last week's Class 5A Division I Region II final.

When the state's top-ranked Highlanders (13-0) face Arlington Lamar (13-0) today at Round Rock ISD Stadium, Willig said there is one thing he expects out of his team.

"I want the kids to play to their ability," Willig said. "I've been telling this group they're very talented and they should play like they're capable of. I want to make sure they do the little things right. If we had done all the little things right last week, then we would not have been in that (triple-overtime) situation."

Defensive end Kevin Mims, who had six tackles, a sack and a pass deflection on a screen against a Tyler Lee team that ran away from him all game, should receive a bigger test today.

Arlington Lamar tries to overpower its opponent on the ground.

"They account for the ends, and their blocking schemes are good," Mims said. "We're going to try to knock them off the ball. One thing we've noticed in watching film is they own the line of scrimmage. These guys have great athletes. It's going to come down to us stopping their run."

Just like last week's opponent, Arlington Lamar has two formidable running backs who each rush for over 100 yards per game.

The Highlanders were able to put the clamps on one Tyler Lee running back, but not the other. But the difference between Tyler Lee and Arlington Lamar is finesse versus force.

"They have a power running game," Willig said of Arlington Lamar. "They like to come straight at you. They don't use finesse. They just run right at you. They have the confidence in their ability to do it very well. They do it first, and they do it best. They just run."

Just as The Woodlands' defense hopes to put out a better effort this week, the offense looks to do the same.

Twice in last week's game, the Highlanders were inside the Tyler Lee 20, but failed to score.

"If we had taken advantage of our opportunities, then we would have won by two touchdowns and there wouldn't have been any overtime," The Woodlands quarterback Jordan Dodson said. "I think we can do better. I think as long as we come out ready to play we'll be just fine."

Playing in these close games might be just what gives The Woodlands the edge over the other three remaining teams fighting for the Class 5A Division I title.

Arlington Lamar outscored its opponents 103-44 in the postseason. North Shore has a 129-26 scoring advantage in the playoffs. The Mustangs' opponent, Austin Westlake, outscored its playoff opponents 102-57.

The winner of the latter two faces the winner of The Woodlands and Arlington Lamar.

"Playing in close games and tight situations has helped," Dodson said. "We're more ready to be able to win at the end if we need to."


The Woodlands (13-0) vs. Arlington Lamar (13-0) 6 p.m. today, Round Rock ISD

Offense
The Woodlands A.Lamar

Total points 456 470
per game 35.1 36.2
Total Offense 4,797 5282
per game 369 406.3
Rushing yards 2,660 3612
per game 204.6 277.9
Passing yards 2,137 1,158
per game 164.4 89.1
Passing 146-210 72-121
Completion pct. 69.5 59.5
Interceptions 5 13
Fumbles lost 7 8
Turnovers 12 21


Defense
The Woodlands A.Lamar

Total points 194 141
per game 14.9 10.8
Total Offense 2902 2240
per game 223.2 172.3
Rushing yards 1,597 1,010
per game 122.9 77.7
Passing yards 1305 1,230
per game 100.4 94.6
Passing 74-162 90-200
Completion pct. 45.7 40.0
Interceptions 10 18
Fumbles lost 14 16
Turnovers 24 34
Punts-avg. 18-37.6 20-34.5



Individual leaders RUSHING -- The Woodlands: Samson Taylor 284-1,587, 24 TD; Chris Burns 51-357, 5 TD; Cameron Montgomery 36-293, 3 TD; Jordan Dodson 62-201, 5 TD. Arlington Lamar: Derrick Bowman 245-1,596 24 TD; LaMark Carter 167-1,138 8 TD; Kendall Magana 41-323 1 TD; Matt Lawrence 71-313 8 TD.

PASSING -- The Woodlands: Jordan Dodson 137-188-3, 1,985 yards, 16 TD; Luke Seng 8-18-2, 108 yards, 1 TD; David Macias 1-3-0, 44 yards, 0 TD. Arlington Lamar: Matt Lawrence 61-96-4 965 yards, 11 TD; Kendall Magana 11-25-0, 93 yards, 2 TD.

RECEIVING -- The Woodlands: Danny Amendola 55-902, 7 TD; Mike Campbell 33-429, 4 TD; Jay Steider 19-278 2 TD; Samson Taylor 11-176 2 TD. Arlington Lamar: Keith McConnell 22-509 10 TD; Elias Bahar 21-298 3 TD; Michael Williamson 10-104.

INTERCEPTIONS -- The Woodlands: Daniel Charbonnet 4; Drew Sturrock 2; Brooks Dorsett 1; Kevin Mims 1; Wayne Hrozek 1; Casey Nichols 1. Arlington Lamar: Billy Skinner 8, James Houser 5; Jordan Thoms 1; Quintan Willis 1; Ermson Settle 1; K.J. Ellis 1; Justin Hudson 1.




The Woodlands game-by-game

Regular Season The Woodlands 35 ... Bryan 20

The Woodlands 40 ... Kingwood 14

The Woodlands 28 ... Humble 14

The Woodlands 54 ... Klein Collins 7

The Woodlands 24 ... Spring 15

The Woodlands 49 ... Klein Oak 6

The Woodlands 45 ... Klein 7

The Woodlands 20 ... Westfield 9

The Woodlands 28 ... Klein Forest 21

The Woodlands 418 ... Conroe 0

Playoffs The Woodlands 14 ... Jersey Vlg. 13

The Woodlands 28 ... Temple 20

The Woodlands 50 ... Tyler Lee 48



Arlington Lamar game-by-game

Regular Season Arling. Lamar 38 ... Irving Nimitz 7

Arling. Lamar 35 ... Creekview 10

Arling. Lamar 31 ... Irving 14

Arling. Lamar 14 ... De Soto 11

Arling. Lamar 35 ... Temple 18

Arling. Lamar 31 ... Arling. Houston 0

Arling. Lamar 49 ... Arling. Bowie 14

Arling. Lamar 79 ... Paschal 7

Arling. Lamar 34 ... Arling. Martin 10

Arling. Lamar 21 ... Arlington 3

Playoffs Arling. Lamar 28 ... Euless Trinity 14

Arling. Lamar 35 ... Coppell 18

Arling. Lamar 40 ... San Angelo C. 12


Starting lineups


Woodlands

Offense
Pos. Player No.
QB Jordan Dodson 7
RB Samson Taylor 32
RB Troy Coleman 11
WR Danny Amendola 1
WR Mike Campbell 3
TE Kevin Mims 68
OL Mark Williams 57
OL Amos Dailey 65
OL Marshall Jordan 55
OL Austin Wilkinson 73
OL Austin Wilkinson 72
K Cory Fowler 9



Defense
Pos. Player No.
DB Wayne Hrozek 21
DB Casey Nichols 10
DB Daniel Charbonnet 31
DB John Hopkins 25
DL Kevin Mims 68
DL Brooks Dorsett 99
DL Robert McDougal 52
DL Hunter Smith 76
LB Craig Hendrix 42
LB Bobby Galindo 37
LB A.J. Montalvo 48
P Cory Fowler 9



Arlington Lamar

Offense
Pos. Player No.
QB Matt Lawrence 5
RB LaMark Carter 24
RB Derrick Bowman 22
WR Keith McConnell 23
WR Elias Bahar 19
TE Julian Velasquez 76
OL Kevin Nelson 50
OL Aaron Clevengor 72
OL Roger Gulmont 79
OL Brian Lovers 53
OL Lee Haney 68
K Kyle Daley 10



Defense
Pos. Player No.
DB Billy Skinner 8
DB James Houser 21
DB Justin Hudson 6
DB K.J. Ellis 17
LB Jordan Thomas 43
LB Chase Kennemer 30
LB Victor Paul 13
DL Quintan Willis 75
DL Dario Mar 43
DL Michael Newhouse 78
DL Dre Young 60
P Kyle Daley 10

[bleedaggie]

Guess I'll be doing some crisis counseling this morning! I'm sure glad I didn't drive down there.

Slow start finishes Lamar
01:09 AM CST on Sunday, December 7, 2003

By DAMON L. SAYLES / The Dallas Morning News


AUSTIN – After a dismal first half, Arlington Lamar lived by one of its acronyms in the second half – VFND: A Viking Fighter Never Dies.

Its only problem in the end was a speedy running back and a big-play receiver on the other side of the ball.

The Woodlands used a three-touchdown halftime advantage and held off a second-half Lamar rally to earn a 35-20 Class 5A Division I semifinal victory at the Round Rock ISD Athletic Complex. The Woodlands (14-0) advances to its first state-title game and will play Galena Park North Shore (14-0) next week.

Lamar finished 13-1, its best record in 13 years.

After a subpar first half, Lamar dominated the second half offensively, using a bruising ground game to score its points. But for the game, every time Lamar accomplished something, The Woodlands running back Samson Taylor trumped it.

Taylor rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Dodson in the second quarter.

And when Taylor wasn't the go-to guy for The Woodlands, receiver Danny Armendola was. Armendola, who has orally committed to Texas Tech, caught six passes for 100 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

"We knew that Samson was getting better each week. We call on him more and more, and he's responded by making the big plays," The Woodlands coach Weldon Willig said. "Armendola wants the ball on the last play. He'll tell you to throw it to him, and you've got to believe in him."

For the game, Lamar outgained The Woodlands, 395-344. Of Lamar's 395 yards, 287 came in the second half. Lamar trailed, 21-0, after a first half in which it had three punts, a turnover on downs, a lost fumble and an interception.

"Not to take anything away from The Woodlands, because they've got a great football team, but we just had a bad half of football," Lamar coach Eddy Peach said. "We played 13 games, and we hadn't played like that all year. It came at the wrong time.

"At halftime, we told our kids we could make it a football game if we just played like we were capable of playing."

Trailing by 16 in the fourth quarter, Lamar executed one of its best drives of the season, a 98-yard march in two minutes capped by a LaMark Carter 7-yard touchdown run.

After recovering the onside kick, The Woodlands clinched the victory on fourth down, when Armendola won a jump ball in the end zone.

"I would have liked to win, but even in a loss, it was a fun game," Lamar receiver Michael Williamson said. "We didn't come to play in the first half, and they outplayed us. But we never gave up."

E-mail dsayles@dallasnews.com

[naranjaynegro]

I'll be camping out at Rice Stadium next Saturday to watch undefeated North Shore and The Woodlands play for the 5A Div. 1 Title.....should be another great match-up....but on paper NS should win.....but we all know what that paper's worth after watching the game last night in KC :D