Bulldogs look to bounce back at homecoming
Sep. 16—NEW WAVERLY — After a disappointing 35-17 loss to Anahuac last Friday, New Waverly football will look to get back in the win column in its homecoming game against Palestine Westwood.
The Bulldogs (2-1, 0-0 District 12 3A, DII) will have a tough opponent in Westwood as the Panthers are a team that has plenty of playmakers and will make things tough for the Bulldogs in all phases of the game.
However, New Waverly has to fix some of their mistakes as they had several turnovers mounting in the loss.
"We have to eliminate turnovers," New Waverly head coach Dean Schaub said. "When you have five turnovers it's hard to beat any team. Westwood is a solid, physical and big team, and we have our work cut out for us."
Westwood brings in a quarterback willing to stand in the pocket and take hits. During their game against Palmer, junior Lamarion Goodwyn passed for 153 yards in the Panther's loss but showed he isn't scared.
Goodwyn will have his top receiver in Josh Davis to throw to. In the game against Palmer, Davis had six receptions for 104 yards and a score. For New Waverly, they have an advantage as he's listed at 5-foot 8-inches and New Waverly's corners are both over 6 feet.
The Bulldogs need to add pressure from their defensive line to add more pressure overall.
"Our defensive line has to put pressure on the quarterback," Schaub said. "We have to force them to get rid of the ball quickly. As far as coverage, if our kids do what we have coached them to do we shouldn't get beat. It comes down to executing what we do Monday to Thursday."
New Waverly's offense will look to get things going after finding the endzone twice in their loss.
Senior running back Will Larrison will look to become the running back he is after a down week at Anahuac. The senior rushed for 30 yards on 13 attempts in the loss. Getting Larrison back to his element is key for the Bulldogs.
"We are changing up some minor things and spreading the ball around more," Schaub said. "We have to take what the defense gives us. That's going to open up our run game. We are gonna feed Will the ball. I thought last week we were able to spread the ball around but we have to be better at it this week."
Senior quarterback Evan Erwin has grown in his role. Erwin has thrown the ball for 780 yards through three games. While he has found multiple receivers, Jeremy Miles has been his favorite.
Miles has hauled in 22 catches this year and has been Erwin's favorite target but Joe Bryant has started to get an uptick. If the Dogs continue this, their offense will be extremely hard to stop.
"Evan is getting better and better," Schaub said. " I like that he trusts his four receivers and is spreading it around. If he continues doing that and handing it to Will, it's hard for a defense to stop five skill players."
Now the Dogs have to lock into the game after a week of homecoming events. The Bulldogs will have to shut out the outside noise and the distractions.
Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Bulldog stadium in New Waverly.
"Every coach has the same thing," Schaub said. "Kids are excited about the festivities but we try to keep them grounded. We remind them that all the fun things stop on Friday night."
