District 9-2A Division II co-leaders Collinsville and Era meet Friday night in a crucial matchup that could determine which team takes control of the district race.
The Pirates and Hornets kick off at 7 p.m. at Hornet Stadium in Era. Both teams enter the contest with identical 2-0 district records and are a combined 13-1 overall this season. Collinsville is 7-0, while Era is 6-1.
“We need to play well in all three phases of the game,” Collinsville head coach Garrett Patterson said.
Both teams are coming off shutout victories. The Pirates conquered Celeste, 70-0, while the Hornets stung Cumby, 46-0.
Era operates offensively out of the spread with 11 personnel — a quarterback, running back, tight end or H-back and three wide receivers. According to Patterson, the Hornets run a variety of zone-read plays in which the quarterback decides whether to hand off, keep the ball or throw it.
Era quarterback Cope Thomason leads the offense with 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns passing to go with 589 yards and nine scores rushing.
Jaxon Archer is the Hornets’ top receiver with 41 catches for 462 yards and six touchdowns. Zane Shivers has rushed for 531 yards and five scores, while Jake Stevens has 27 catches for 402 yards and three touchdowns. Jaxon Covington has added 14 receptions for 174 yards and two scores.
The Hornets operate out of a 3-4 defensive alignment. Linemen Levi Harris and Gage Hunter lead the way with 46 and 44 tackles, respectively. Harris has seven tackles for loss and three sacks, while Hunter has 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. Linebacker Reese Jones has added 49 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks.
In Collinsville’s rout of Celeste last week, Paxton Davidson threw for 318 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 18 yards and another score. Keaston Worthington completed all nine of his passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Eli Settles led the Pirates’ rushing attack with 44 yards and a touchdown on four carries, while Chase Sheppard added a 42-yard touchdown run.
Briar Whisenant led Collinsville’s receiving corps with five catches for 70 yards. Tucker Howard added six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Caysen Schafer caught three passes for 39 yards.
Ryland Brown had three catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns, while Gavin Molsbee added three receptions for 37 yards and a score. Nick Castorena caught four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Carter Larance added a 29-yard reception, while Ryder Patterson hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass.
