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Playoff Paws: Cats, Panthers know what’s at stake
BY Matt Welch mwelch@acnpapers.com
Generally, it doesn’t take much to add hype and intrigue to the annual in-town gridiron clash between Plano Senior and Plano East.
But factor in a late-season matchup between two evenly-matched squads with possible playoff ramifications and you might say there’s a bit more at stake Friday at 7:30 p.m. from Clark Stadium than mere bragging rights.
“It’s always a big game,” said Johnny Ringo, East head coach. “In my time here, we’ve been 3-3 (against Plano). Overall, we’re up 14-13. It’s been a huge game for years and a game that the Plano community looks at with a lot of fanfare and interest.”
And on paper, there isn’t much separating them.
Both East and Plano are 2-3 in District 8-5A, with identical losses in Allen, Flower Mound and Flower Mound Marcus. Both hold a win over third-place Hebron, who leads both Plano and East by just one game, which is where Friday’s contest gets interesting. With the Hawks dealt a gauntlet of Allen and Marcus to round out its season and with the Wildcats and Panthers each owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over Hebron, it’s conceivable that the winner of Friday’s contest could slither into the fourth and final playoff spot.
It’s just the latest wrinkle in a rivalry that spans 29 years with East holding a 14-13-1 advantage in a deep-seeded matchup for all involved.
“This has always been a big deal to me,” said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. “My brother (Joey) played at East and I played at Plano. Just naturally, that rivalry has always been there … The rivalry has gone on a long time in our family and my brother coached at East for a little while, so I’m pretty well-acclimated to this rivalry stuff.”
All things considered, neither coach should have trouble getting his players fired up for Friday.
Despite enduring a heartbreaking 52-50 loss to Flower Mound last Friday, Ringo has faith his team will right the ship. On McCullough’s end, Plano snapped a two-game skid in besting Lewisville, 43-21, and securing a measure of confidence entering Friday.
“It really comes down to people making plays,” McCullough said. “It’s not about the hype, it’s not about who can give the best speech or who can yell or scream the loudest. It’s about who can go out there and do their job.”
Making plays has become standard affair for the Wildcats and Panthers as of late, averaging 36.4 and 32.8 points per game, respectively. That’s been in part due to rapid-fire play at the quarterback position.
Entering his first year of varsity play, East junior Corey Wesley has adjusted amicably to the 8-5A tidal waves.
“The biggest difference in Wesley from earlier in the season to now is confidence,” McCullough said. “He’s playing at a real high level now because he has confidence. He can throw, run and extends.
“What East does schematically really fits him.”
Currently the area’s third-leading passer at 2,273 yards, Wesley has made the most of the hand he’s been dealt, which in his case is a well-rounded batch of skill position threats. Amid the backfield of juniors Dante Taylor and Nathan Meadors, both of whom are capable of 100-yard performances, Wesley has established a surging chemistry with senior receiver Gabe Dunlap.
Currently the area’s second-leading receiver at 999 yards, Dunlap’s presence can also be inserted in the running game as he tallied 107 yards on the ground to complement 237 yards receiving.
“You better know where Gabe Dunlap is at all times,” McCullough said. “He’s the gunpowder in their offense. He does it all: he can run and catch, plus they line him up all over the place.”
It’ll make for an ample test for a Wildcat defense led by seniors Ben Laures and Collin Brence; a unit that has excelled in forcing turnovers this season.
“[Protecting the ball] is something we emphasize every week,” Ringo said. “I think we’re plus-one and they’re plus-seven or eight on the year, so they do a great job at that.”
To counter, Plano’s offense achieved a smooth balance through the air and on the ground in Friday’s victory; a balance McCullough strives for in each game. That means an even dispersion between senior quarterback Connor Michelsen and rushers junior Kevin Merrill and senior Murat Kuzu. While the Wildcat offense may not boast the eye-popping lines of Wesley and Dunlap, the unit’s balance and widespread contributions have kept them afloat thus far.
“[Michelsen] is a tremendous thrower,” Ringo said. “He’s a great decision-maker and a great field general. He’s got a lot of skilled players around him who benefit from him being so smart with the football.
“He’s what makes them go.”
Merrill and Kuzu have each added respective 100-plus-yard outings in Plano’s last two games and although the former was absent from the team’s win against Lewisville, McCullough expects Merrill to be good to go for Friday.
On the outside, East’s secondary will be handed the task of corralling Wildcat senior deep threat Brandon Hamilton, a player whose speed jumped out at Ringo. Speed is a term also issued by McCullough for East’s secondary, headlined by seniors Kyle Foster and Lyndell Johnson. But for McCullough, that attribute manifests itself all over the unit.
“The thing I noticed about East is their team speed,” he said. “You look at how they play and they play fast. They play hard but for a game like this; you won’t have to worry about kids playing hard.”
With just one week in district play remaining after this, Friday’s game will likely see the curtains closed on one team’s season a bit earlier than anticipated. And given what’s at stake to add to an already emotionally-driven matchup, this really does fit the adage of being a playoff game both teams.
“This is (our season) as far as playoffs are concerned,” Ringo said. “Anything you start, you always finish, but there is a playoff spot at stake and this is a playoff game.”
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