Hornets face Fort Bend Marshall in return to the playoffs
Nov. 10—HUNTSVILLE — After missing the postseason last season, Huntsville football is back in the UIL playoffs. While the Hornets grabbed the fourth spot in the playoffs, they will face a familiar foe.
Huntsville will go toe-to-toe with Fort Bend Marshall in the Class 5A, Division II bi-district round in what will be the first time these two teams have met since 2019, with those matchups coming later in the playoffs.
Now, the Hornets will have a tall, tall task to advance to the area round and continue their season for another week.
"We are on a short week because we didn't know until Friday what exactly our situation would be," Huntsville head coach Rodney Southern said. "I look back now and I am glad we moved our other games because that got us on a normal week. They are a typical Fort Bend Marshall team, they are very athletic and had a really good run through their season. It's going to be a challenge. I think we have had three really good days of practice and we have to go play."
The Buffalos (9-1, 7-0 district 9 5A, DII) have several key playmakers on their roster that all bring speed and athleticism. Senior quarterback Jordon Davis has been a key factor for Fort Bend Marshall.
Davis is a dual-threat guy that doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Through 10 games, he's only thrown two interceptions and has found seven separate receivers for a touchdown this season. Senior wide receiver Ja'koby Banks has been his favorite receiver and has hauled in 41 passes, nearly 20 more than the next receiver.
Banks also has five receiving touchdowns and 815 yards. While the Buffalos can hurt you in the air, their running game is complete as well. Davis has been capable of tucking the ball and running as well as handing it off.
Senior running back Jy'adrian Wortham has been their main threat on the ground. Wortham has missed one game this year but has led the Buffalos with 727 yards on the ground, he has also scored 10 times on the ground.
This Buffalo offense is going to be a handful for Huntsville's youthful defense and the Hornets' best defense could also be their offense.
"We have to limit their possessions, whether we score or just take time off the clock," Southern said. "The biggest thing defensively is if you get the guy you have to make another guy there. We have to have bodies there. Their quarterback is bigger than he looks on film and he is as smooth operating with the ball as we have seen. He makes everything happen. We have to get more than one guy at the point of attack."
Huntsville will have to rely heavily on its run game, as they have all season. With the addition of freshman running back Trae'Shawn Brown, the Hornets have opened things up.
The Hornets will rely on a committee to guide them. Sophomore running back Braylon Phelps is expecting to return this week after missing the last two with an injury, which allows for a three-headed monster in the backfield.
Senior Keiron Lee has been the Hornets' power back and can get those needed short yardage plays.
The main key for this offense will be the explosiveness of Brown in the open field and how much time the Hornets can take off the clock to limit the Buffalos' time of possession.
"We are going to have to slow the game down and limit their possessions because they are so explosive," Southern said. "We have lived and died by the run and we are going to do the same Thursday night. We will have three healthy backs. Jawann and Austin [Taylor] have had a good week of practice. Trae'Shawn got better from his first week to the second week on varsity, hopefully, he can have another good night. We will get to see what his speed is really like."
However, despite the outcome, there is a positive from this game. Huntsville will have several underclassmen gaining much-needed experience from this extra week of game preparation.
The Hornets have called up around 20 members from their junior varsity and freshman teams to help guide this team and most importantly, get them much-needed experience.
"The good thing for all of our underclassmen because we practiced everybody on Monday and Tuesday," Southern said. "We are going to take advantage of it and we are going to dress 68 players Thursday night. We are going to have some young guys. A lot of these guys are projecting where they may finish or end up. Any time you get to keep your program going for extra weeks, it benefits you. These are benefits you see in the spring and hopefully next fall."
GAME INFORMATION
Huntsville and Fort Bend Marshall are set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The game will be held at Crump Stadium in Houston.
