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Clash of the Titans: Wildcats' first test against nation's best
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@acnpapers.com
It's a rare circumstance to play not only the state's top football team, but the nation's top squad as well.
That's what Plano Senior will be tasked with at 7:30 p.m. Friday from Clark Stadium as the Wildcats start another run through the District 8-5A gauntlet with rival Allen.
"Everybody's been asking me if I'm nervous," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. "As coaches, we don't have time to be nervous because we're spending so much time preparing. We've worked all weekend and we've had great practices and I think more than anything our kids know and respect the fact that Allen is a very good football team."
Allen's ledger is a hefty one though, including resounding wins over Cedar Hill and Longview. Onlookers have taken notice as well, with Rivals.com tabbing the Eagles as the No. 1 team in the nation this past week.
The Wildcats will now look to embrace the chance to topple their highly-touted district bunkmate for the first time since 2005.
"It is a very competitive rivalry," said Tom Westerberg, Allen head coach. "It is usually a game that determines a playoff spot or the district championship, so the atmosphere is always great and it is almost always a good game."
The Eagles have accounted for Plano's first loss of the season three of the past four years, but team chemistry and togetherness has McCullough hopeful of dodging that mental hurdle.
"This group is so team-oriented," he said. "When you're team-oriented and you're close, you rely on each other. For me, it's a lot like a blanket in that they encourage and protect each other. More than anything, I think they fear losing because they respect Allen and the fact that they're very good."
The Eagles' degree of dominance has a familiar ring to the Plano head coach.
"What makes Allen so unique is that they're a lot like [Plano] was back in the 1980s," McCullough said. "Their scheme is sound, but not real tricky; it's just that they execute it at such a high level that it's very difficult to stop."
No one has come close in 2011 even without the services of Missouri commit Jonathan Williams. The running back has been sidelined with back spasms since the season opener. McCullough believes Williams will be in the backfield Friday, forcing the Wildcats to contain one Division I commit in Williams or another in Alabama recruit Alec Morris at quarterback. Morris has thrown for 935 yards and 13 touchdowns this season; helming an Eagles offense that is yet to commit a turnover.
"[Morris] is a much better runner than people give him credit for," McCullough said. "We watched him against Cedar Hill and he runs the ball several times."
The battle up front could provide the most intriguing subplot to Friday's contest as Allen's towering offensive line of Jacob Trotter, Mark Massei and Brad North will drive head-first into the tandem of Plano senior linemen Dwayne Hicks and Xavier Harbert.
"I hope [the defensive line] has [its] best game and I hope they match [Allen's] intensity," McCullough said. "I think they will, but they've got to go out and do it. I talked to them [Monday] and said it'd be real nice to see them put some pressure on that quarterback."
The Wildcats, who lost to the Eagles last season, 30-13, were able to flex their depth during non-district play, but that is a facet Allen thrives on as well. With more than enough players set to see reps on defense, Allen will be tasked with containing junior Richard Lagow and senior Kevin Merrill. Aiding in that process will be Baylor commit Thaddeus LaGrone at linebacker, complemented by a deep defensive line and a secondary McCullough said boasts more athleticism than last year.
"Defensively, [LaGrone] is outstanding," he said. "That nose guard, (Stone Drulman), is relentless. Their other end, (Deandre Hill), isn't as big, but he's got a great motor."
For Plano, the annual Allen matchup has blossomed into an occasion every bit as momentous as its scraps with Plano East and Plano West. It's the kind of stage McCullough said his kids play for and, fully aware of the task at hand, the underdog Wildcats feel they have nothing to lose and everything to gain Friday night.
"I feel like we've got a tremendous game plan on both offense and defense, but we still have to go out and execute it," McCullough said. "It's going to be hard because that's a very good football team over there."
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