Home at last, Cats look to cradle unbeaten non-district run

As enjoyable as multi-touchdown blowout wins may feel, a little adversity along the way never hurts.

Fortunately for the Plano Senior football team, Irving MacArthur was there to curtail any laurels the Wildcats might have been resting on after shutting out Garland Lakeview Centennial in Week 0.

The Cardinals punched and the Wildcats punched back for a 35-14 win last week.

"I think it was good for us," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. "Not that I enjoyed going through it, but it was great to see how they would respond, who the leaders would be and just who was ready to step up and make plays."

Plano hopes to carry that momentum forward and cap a promising non-district run at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Mansfield Legacy from Clark Stadium.

The Wildcats have had to wade through two weeks of road games and, emerging from that rubble unscathed at 2-0, will finally enjoy a more familiar setting.

"[Playing at home] is really what we're looking forward to with this game," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. "Just to be in the friendly confines of John Clark Stadium. Kids dream about playing there and it's just a fun place to be.

"It's a very special venue and I know these players look forward to it."

Last season, the Wildcats welcomed the Broncos to Class 5A in the latter's home opener. Instead, Legacy came away on the lower end of a 23-7 loss. Like the two teams' last encounter, Legacy will also be seeking its first win of the season in 2011 after dropping home outings against L.D. Bell and Mansfield Summit.

"[Legacy is] struggling a bit, but they've played some good teams," McCullough said. "I think they're probably a lot better than what their record shows."

While the Broncos struggled through the bulk of their 2010 campaign at 1-9, the team took pause in the future after a change at quarterback that uncovered DeCarlos Humphrey, who previously spent time at running back. As his experience would indicate, Humphrey is more than comfortable on the ground and slowing the signal caller remains top of mind for the Wildcats defense entering Friday's game.

Humphrey is complemented in the backfield by Kijana Amous, a rusher who has gone 2-for-2 in breaking the 100-yard pleateau this season.

It was a similar task dealt Plano's way last week against MacArthur, with the Cardinals managing to establish a ground threat in defeat.

"We've done a lot of tackling drills and tweaked some personnel here and there," McCullough said. "You've just got to play that speed sometimes. There were some situations against MacArthur where our guys had to adjust to the speed of the game with angles they took.

"Fundamentally, there are still some things we need to get better at."

As Plano continues to make the necessary defensive adjustments to ready itself for District 8-5A, the offense will look to further its identity against a Legacy defense that has taken its measure of punishment two games in, allowing an average of 54 points and 438 yards thus far. A 3-4 scheme by nature, Legacy's attempt to slow down the Wildcats will rest largely on the shoulders of Montreal Jett, Marcell McDowell and Everett Williams in the front seven.

For Plano's inexperienced offense, senior Kevin Merrill has led the way.

But regardless of the strides made by any position or personnel group, McCullough's finished product is yet to be seen.

"We're still looking at personnel," he said. "We're still tweaking things here and there, and what personnel packages give our team the best chance to win."

Friday marks Plano's dress rehearsal with the Broncos as the final chance to iron out any wrinkles before district play commences against Allen. And beyond answering any remaining questions for the team, a seventh consecutive non-district win would also be a welcome result.

"The key to beating Legacy, in my opinion, is that we've got to stop the quarterback," McCullough said. "He's the life of that team, as well as their running back. If we can somehow slow them down, we have a chance to be successful."

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