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District 10-3A title on line Friday
By Van Hilburn
Published November 4, 2009
This is just the scenario that Paris High head coach Travis Smith wanted entering the final game of the regular season.
The Wildcats (6-3, 4-0) travel to Van Alstyne (9-0, 4-0) looking to hand the Panthers their first loss of the season while putting wraps on another District 10-3A title.
“I told the kids that this game starts the playoffs and that’s the way we’re going to approach it. Hopefully we’re getting into the playoff mode early. Last year we made the playoffs and were not very good when we got there,” said Smith. “We get a chance to play for another district championship and that’s what we wanted.”
Paris has yet to lose a district game since dropping down to Class 3A last year. The Wildcats are 9-0 in District 9-3A. Van Alstyne, meanwhile, has lost only one district game in that span, a 55-21 thumping to Paris in the 2008 regular season finale.
A game that is just as important as Friday’s Paris/Van Alstyne contest is the one between North Lamar and Commerce that could determine whether the Wildcats advance into the playoffs as a Division I or Division II team. If North Lamar (2-7, 2-2) wins at Commerce (1-8, 1-3), then the Panthers would also clinch the Division I playoff spot. If North Lamar loses by 17 or more points, then it doesn’t make the playoffs and Paris, the second largest school in the district, would be the Division I school.
The Wildcats enter Friday’s game on the heels of a 50-6 blowout of Bonham, while Van Alstyne slipped past North Lamar, 27-21, last week to remain perfect in league play. Paris has had only one close game in district and that came against North Lamar on Oct. 16 when it won, 27-14.
Van Alstyne, however, has had it tougher, as the Panthers escaped Bonham with a 15-7 win on Oct. 9, then needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Anna, 28-7 on Oct. 16, before scoring their easiest district win, a 48-24 thumping of Commerce.
To say that Paris has been hitting on all cylinders in district would be an understatement. The Wildcats are averaging 47.2 points a game in district play, while allowing only 8.5.
Against Bonham last week, seven different players scored a touchdown for Paris. Senior running backs Aaron Ethridge and Tyrell Smith both scored a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Corban Taylor scored his first varsity touchdown and passed for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior receiver Tevin Gray had a career-high three catches for 114 yards, including an 80-yard TD reception. Tavarius Williams caught a 16-yard TD pass, while Paris’ defense scored twice on interceptions by Equettis Jenkins and Cory Battle.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Brandon Ortega recorded 11 tackles, including seven solo tackles, sharing team-high honors with Jerred Guerra.
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