Wharton coming to town for county game
Ricebirds, Tigers prepare for 98th annual meeting in friendly rivalry
By KRIS BAGLEY sports@leader-news.com

L-N Photo by Chris Barbee Hit 'Em High, Hit 'Em Low After Victoria connected on a pass for five yards and a first down at the El Campo 30-yard line in the second quarter, the Viper receiver was ganged up on. Bryan Skow (33) and Anthony Cruz made a great effort on the play for a nice tackle. El Campo's defense was smothering against the Vipers and helped provide a 39-3 win.

The Ricebirds will host the Wharton Tigers Friday in a rivalry football match and a homecoming all in one.

Wharton Head Coach Gary Van Sant will lead the Tigers against the Ricebirds in the 98th annual meeting between the two teams.

Van Sant, a former El Campo assistant coach, was praised by Head Coach Bob Gillis for his work so far with Wharton.

"I think Gary Van Sant and his coaches are doing a great job," Gillis said. "Gary is a good coach and he did a wonderful job for us. Wharton is a scary team because they have so much quickness. They spread you out and throw the ball and you have to play great defense against them."

The Tigers are led by three players who are expected to split time at quarterback Friday. Robert Herrera, Jesmon Grand and Triston Washington will rotate in and out of the main offensive position throughout the game.

Of the three quarterbacks, Washington is the statistical leader. He has completed 12 of 30 passes for 114 yards and 1 touchdown while throwing 2 interceptions.

Along with his passing skills, Washington is also the Tigers' leading rusher. He has carried the ball 22 times for 96 yards and 1 touchdown.

Wharton is 0-2 on the season and coming off of a 31-0 loss to Brazosport.

El Campo will bring a 3-0 record to face the Tigers after a 39-3 win over Victoria last week.

Despite the difference in team records, Gillis knows that anything could happen in a rivalry game - even if the game has turned a little more friendly in recent years.

The Ricebirds and Tigers have been in different districts since 2000 because of the varying school sizes. Wharton's drop to 3-A may have taken some of the overall meaning of the game away, being a non-district match, but fans are expected to cover the stands with El Campo red and Wharton red and blue just the same.

"I think when Wharton and El Campo were in the same district, it may have been a little more stronger rivalry," Gillis said. "Now they're 3-A and we're 4-A. We'll play every year just because it's one of those things that we need to do."

Van Sant agreed with Gillis that the rivalry is probably over-played, but with this being the 98th annual match between the two teams, he admitted there is still some pride at stake.

"Just like any time people have played each other that much, it has some special aspects," said Van Sant. "It's one where everyone wants to look well against each other but there's no animosity."

The Ricebirds will bring a quick defensive attack to stop the Tigers while the rushing game should continue to anchor the offense, much like Friday's game in Victoria.

Ricebirds 39, Victoria 3

Victoria hosted El Campo Friday in what turned out to be a rout for the Ricebirds.

The Vipers scored first in the match, driving down the field for a field goal, but El Campo's defense held them silent for the remainder of the game.

The Ricebird defensive attack proved strong even in Victoria's opening drive. The Vipers threatened a touchdown and had one called back. Because of strong defensive play, Victoria had to settle for a field goal.

"(Victoria) came out very excited," Gillis said. "It was their first home game, they were real excited and got a great kick-off return. They did a good job their first series. They drove it down and luckily their touchdown got called back. Then the defense buckled down and held them to 3 points."

El Campo's stingy defense, led by brothers Bryce and Bryan Skow, prevented any further Viper scoring.

Gillis recognized the Skows for their great defensive play.

The Ricebirds' defensive line works to set up the linebackers for big plays. In this case, it's Bryce setting up his brother Bryan for success.

It worked the entire game - Bryan even grabbed the Viper quarterback for a safety in the third quarter.

"They're both playing very well," Gillis said. "Bryce plays tackle and Bryan plays linebacker. We always feel like if our tackles do their job, the linebackers make plays. All the tackles are doing their job, because our linebackers are playing pretty good."

Along with the Skow brothers, Gillis recognized several other defensive players for their great play.

"Thad Deiss continues to play really good at safety," he said. "I thought Blake Korenek played well. He had that great interception and the other kid just made a great play. Bobby Jack played well again. Chris Escobar, at defensive end, he's just a real, real solid football player. The whole defensive unit played pretty good as a team."

El Campo's rushing attack answered the defense's excellent play with some huge drives.

Throughout the night, the Ricebird offense capitalized on several turnovers by the defense.

Anthony Terrell, El Campo's fullback, had an explosive game. He ran for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns on 16 carries.

Terrell, one of the top rushers in the area, is averaging 11.43 yards per carry, but Gillis said his running ability is not the only thing great about him.

The fullback also caught a pass for 17 yards on the night and is one of the team's top blockers.

"I think Anthony is getting better every week," Gillis said. "He'll be the first to tell you that he's got great offensive line blocking. He made some moves Friday that were very good moves. He's had a great year thus far. His blocking is getting better and he's starting to catch the ball out of the backfield too."

Maverick Smith, El Campo's starting tailback, also got into the running game in a big way.

He ran for 65 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries.

El Campo will certainly look for more rushing and stifling defensive play Friday when the Ricebirds host Wharton.