PHP Game Preview: Westwood travels to New Waverly as heavy underdogs

Juwan Lee, Palestine Herald-Press, Texas
·2 min read

Sep. 14—NEW WAVERLY — The Westwood Panthers (1-2) enter their final pre-district game against the New Waverly Bulldogs (2-1) as 28-point underdogs on the road.

A flaming start has since cooled down for the Panthers after dropping back-to-back games against the Buffalo Bison (18-14) and the Palmer Bulldogs (21-12). Possibly their hardest test thus far, according to Texas Football projections, lies this Friday against New Waverly.

New Waverly began their season against Westwood's new district foe Shepherd. The high-scoring affair ended in a 44-32 win for New Waverly thanks to 429 yards of total offense from the Bulldogs. Their senior quarterback Evan Erwin passed for 207 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Lead running back Will Larrison ran for 136 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries during the win.

They had 115 yards through the air and 132 yards on the ground in their 29-14 win over Teague in week two. The Bulldogs are coming off a 35-17 loss against Anahuac. The 17 points scored was their lowest regular-season output since week one of 2021 when they lost 27-14 to the Centerville Tigers.

New Waverly finished 9-3 in 2021 and return 16 starters from its area finalist team. At the top of their returnees are the aforementioned Erwin and Larrison, along with Jeremy Miles who caught seven passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in week one.

Since 2018, New Waverly has improved every year under head coach Dean Schaub who led them to their second straight playoff berth in 2021 and their highest win total since 2016 (9).

For Westwood, though currently riding a two-game losing streak, their defense is on track to allow the fewest points in program history since 1992. They're allowing around 17 points per game following their contests against Kemp, Buffalo and Palmer.

For the second straight week, they've had a player selected as Pizza Hut Performer of the Week after Josh Davis snagged six receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. In week two, it was Myron Melton with 15 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

Quarterback Lamarion Goodwyn has passed for at least two touchdowns in two of their three games, while also eclipsing 50 yards rushing twice.

Last week, Matthew Gomez led their team with 11 tackles, while Boston Anderson continues to find his way into the backfield with six tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium in New Waverly.