Another week, another win. Another step closer to bringing home a state championship. The Broncos defeated the North Forney Falcons last week in a high-scoring shootout. It was the first time North Forney had been held under 40 points all season which is an impressive feat for the Legacy defense.
Now onto the quarter-final we face a one loss, well-rounded team, Frisco Lone Star. Led by Quarterback and Illinois Commit M.J. Rivers, the son of Former NFL Tight End, Marcellus Rivers. Not only do they have Rivers, but they have an athletic tailback in Kirby Bennett (Bishop Gorman transfer), UCLA commit. So there backfield obviously has some serious talent. Together, the pair have racked up 1,748 yards on the ground, while Rivers has accounted for 2,611 yards in the air. Also, the duo combined for 60 touchdowns, and I am expecting a balanced offensive attack from the Rangers. However, I do believe they don’t have a better offensive scheme than North Forney (meaning they’ll be easier to defend).
The Broncos two losses this season came at the hands of Aledo and Lake Ridge, both of which are still in the playoffs. The Broncos offense leads on the talent of Grant Johnson. Johnson has 1,635 yards on 223 carries with a nose for the endzone, scoring 19 times this season. However, Johnson went down in the North Forney game and it is still unclear on his status for this week. Another addition that helps the offense click is Jalen Catalon. Catalon has division one offers from about any college you can name, and Catalon accounted for 21 touchdowns so far this season with 855 yards passing and 890 rushing. These two in the backfield will cause panic for any defensive coordinator.
Lonestar has played two District 10-5A opponents this season: Timberview and Waxahachie. Lonestar beat them both 45-21 (Timberview) and 35-0 (Waxahachie). It could be argued that Lonestar has more impressive wins against teams Legacy played, but I disagree. Legacy scored more points on Waxahachie than Lonestar did, and the Bronco defense only held Timberview to seven points while Frisco gave up twenty-one.
As far as defense goes, Lonestar will be able to match the Broncos speed. It will truly be an even game, but expect some big plays from Middle-Linebacker, Nicholas Bolton (#32). Their all-around defense is solid, and this week should be an even matchup but here’s, what I believe, will push Legacy over the top and into the state semi-finals:
Legacys Keys to Success:
- Win the turnover battle
- Be physical and execute blocking scheme
- Don’t give up the home run play
- Control the line of scrimmage
I believe a lot of teams have tried to out-scheme Lone Star or out-coach them. But their team has yet to face an opponent that will try and play truly physical, smash mouth football, which Legacy will attempt with their ground-game. It will be interesting to see how this game turns out, hopefully with the Broncos holding up a trophy when it’s all said and done.
The Broncos will play at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University park, TX, on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 2 p.m.
