For the second week in a row, the Collinsville football team will try to avoid the sting against the Hornets.
Last week, the Pirates exterminated the Hornets of Era, 51-22. This week, they look to do the same against the Boles Hornets.
Collinsville (8-0, 3-0 in District 9-2A-Division II) can wrap up a share of the district title and the top playoff seed from the league with a win at Boles (2-6, 2-1 in 9-2A-DI). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday in Quinlan.
Both teams go into Friday’s contests off victories. The Hornets defeated Celeste, 47-13, while the Pirates defeated Era, 51-22.
In Collinsville’s win, the Pirates gained more than 400 yards of total offense – 272 through the air and 136 on the ground. Collinsville coach Garrett Patterson believes his team is just as good at the pass as it is at the run.
“We are usually within 100 yards of rushing and passing, so I think we are pretty balanced,” Patterson said.
Quarterback Paxton Davidson led the charge by passing for 272 yards and two touchdowns with Caysen Schafer (9 catches, 91 yards, 2 TDs receiving) catching both scoring tosses from Davidson. Running back Chase Sheppard ran six times for 92 yards and four touchdowns and caught four passes for 103 yards.
Rider Patterson also returned an interception for a touchdown and Fernando Perez kicked a field goal as well as six extra points. Patterson also believes his offensive line is improving each week.
“Technique wise, we have gotten better,” Patterson said. “We still need to improve on some pass protection details.”
The Hornets run wing formations out of the gun offensively. Freshman Trystan Thomason (888 yards, 12 TDs passing; 171 yards, 2 TDs rushing); running backs Heath Anderton (562 yards, 10 TDs rushing) and Grayson Salisbury (550 yards, 4 TDs rushing); and wide receivers Jeremiah King (26 catches, 377 yards, 6 TDs) and Braylon Jordan (20 catches, 321 yards, 5 TDs) are the offensive leaders.
Defensively, Boles operates out of a split-6 alignment that is a hybrid 4-2-5/4-4 stack. King (67 tackles, 3 interceptions), Salisbury (49 tackles, 4 tackles for losses), Zayne Tull (45 tackles, 5 TFLs), Waylon Rose (44 tackles) and Ruben Ferrufino (43 tackles) are the defensive leaders.
