District titles and bragging rights will be on the line Friday night in two of the biggest Class A football games in the state of Texas.
No. 9 Alto (8-1, 5-0) will host No. 6 Cayuga (6-1, 4-0) at 7:30 p.m. at Yellowjacket Stadium. Tenaha (9-0, 5-0) will host Mount Enterprise (7-1, 3-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Tiger Stadium.
In Alto, the two state-ranked powers will square off for the District 20-A championship.
"That says it all by itself," Alto head coach Keith Gardner said. "It's a big ball game. You have two 1A powerhouses meeting head-to-head on Friday night. Hopefully, our kids are up for the challenge. We are expecting a battle."
Also on showcase will be Cayuga running back Traylon Shead, a future Texas Longhorn. He recently moved to second on the state's all-time rushing list, when he rushed for 269 yards in a 66-0 win over Cushing. He currently has 8,885 yards for his career and is also in the Top 10 nationally.
"Every now and then, you see an athlete that good at this level," Gardner said. "The good thing is we have seen athletes of that caliber before. We have to take care of our responsibilities and get a hat on him."
The Yellowjackets will try to avenge a 35-24 loss to the Wildcats last season.
"It's a big ball game," Gardner said. "We want to send our seniors out with a win in their last district game. We also want to gain momentum before the playoffs."
Up in Tenaha, the game between the Tigers and Wildcats has become a rivalry.
Tenaha will try to complete an undefeated regular season, while Mount Enterprise would like to force a three-way tie for the first-place spot, with Joaquin being the other team involved.
"It's a big game," Mount Enterprise head coach Louie Johnson said. "It's always big when you are playing Tenaha. They have good athletes and good coaches, and they are just always good. You have to make sure you play good in order to have a chance."
"It is a big game, especially any time a chance to go 10-0 in anything," Tenaha head coach Terry Ward said "It's a big deal for the kids. We have locked up a playoff berth and a share of the district title. But right now, we would love to go 10-0, and Mount Enterprise wants to do everything it can do to make sure we don't do that."
Like the Alto-Cayuga game, there will be a future Division I running back involved. Kevin Pope, who will play at Southern Methodist University, rushed for 223 yards and four touchdowns in Mount Enterprise's last game.
"Of course, they run the ball well," Ward said. "They have one of the best running backs in the area. They are going to run and do things to get him the ball. They've got more than one weapon, though. But anytime you have a Division I running back, he is going to be the center of the offense. We have to focus to stop him, like many teams do, but not many have had success.
"Their quarterback (Larry Solomon) is also a good athlete. So we have to have our eyes open and know what's going on at all times."
Pope rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns in the Wildcats' 42-29 win over the Tigers last season.
Coaches from both games expect big crowds Friday night.
"I think the fans are going to see a knock-down drag-out," Gardner said. "It will be a packed house, so get there early and enjoy the game. Fans will get their money's worth."
"It's going to be an exciting game," Ward said. Mount Enterprise and Tenaha is always exciting and back-and-forth. There will be a lot of fun things to watch for everyone. If you are a fan of touchdowns, there is a good chance that could happen, as well as there could be a lot of good defense. It's going to get crowded, so get here early."
Brandon Ogden's e-mail address
is bogden@dailysentinel.com.
