The streak Livingston football is trying to break continues, up to five consecutive losses. The 2-0 start from early September has since been derailed by three losses with an average of eight points, and two others where the Lions were within reach in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously, there is some frustration, but they are going to show up and do what we ask them to do and roll,” Lion coach Tucker Carter said of the team. “We’ve got a chance to play three more (games) and the message was to cherish it going forward.”
Injuries, as they do for most teams around this point in the season, have made an impact. The good news for Livingston is that depth has developed, and young student athletes have been given a chance to shine. Both sub-varsity teams also have winning records this year.
Four different quarterbacks have lined up behind center, each having some measure of success. Friday, freshman Jax Ruiz received more snaps after Roper Wood was hobbled.
“He is a tough kid, and he’s got a little moxie about him,” Carter said of Ruiz. “He is a competitor, so naturally, there is no letdown when he went in the game. They kind of rallied around him and he is just the type of kid that goes in there and is going to do what he is coached to do. He doesn’t get too emotional, whether it’s good or bad. He’s got a pretty good command of the offense and has gotten a lot of reps on the freshman team, so it was good to get him in there and see what he can do and have a little success.”
The coach said he has played more quarterbacks and had more ball carriers than in any other year of his career. He likes the stable of running backs, saying that all have brought positives to the position.
Despite the losses, Livingston has shown an ability to move the football, and last week, a big bounce back performance by the defense gave reason for hope.
“That was the most frustrating thing doing stats on Saturday. We outgained them in total yards and lost by 20,” Carter said of the Bridge City game. “That just tells you that we’ve got to get out of our own way a little bit with some penalties and blatant errors of turning the ball over or getting a punt blocked. We went from a first-and-10 on the 30, to third-and-30, when we were going in to score before the half. If you want to be a great team, you cannot do that. That’s the kind of thing we’re trying to stomp out. There are some growing pains, obviously, but I am optimistic just by how many bodies we’ve played.”
That Lion defense held the Cardinals, a team that is perfect on the season through seven contests, to 343 yards. Defense and special teams accounted for many of the Bridge City points. An interception was returned for a touchdown, and a turnover on downs and blocked punt both set up good field position on scoring drives.
“I thought we did a really good job of getting lined up and seeing formations. We had a plan to try to take their best kid away and for the most part we did that. We let him get loose late, but I thought they played really well. We rotated a few more bodies in there, so it helped us keep some bodies fresh, which was good.”
Hargrave is tied for third place in the district at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in 10-4A. Their losses were to La Marque in the opening week and Lumberton to begin October. In district, they have beaten Liberty, Vidor and Hardin-Jefferson by an average of more than 30 points. They lead the district with 329 points scored, 82 more than Bridge City, which is second.
“Obviously, Huffman is dynamic on offense and their quarterback is probably a top three player in the district. He is a super fast kid, so we’ve got to bend but don’t break and get the kid on the ground and live to play another down. He keeps a lot of plays alive with his feet, trying to remain a passer until he can’t. You have to stay locked on the receivers in coverage or he’ll find someone down the field. The running back is a very twitchy kid, and they’ve got a couple of receivers that have caught quite a few balls. They are a problem offensively, especially if you show one sign of weakness, because they will attack it.”
The Falcons have been in a few high-scoring contests, and can gamble on the defensive side of the ball. At times, that is effective, like when they shut out Liberty in a 42-0 walloping.
“They score a lot of points, so it frees their defense up to bring a lot of pressure and be aggressive, knowing they can give up a few plays and still be in an advantageous situation. The kids play hard and they are a playoff program that have been in some dogfights. We will have our work cut out for us.
“When your offense scores a ton, you are defending a lot of possessions, so sometimes those stats can be skewed just because they are out there a lot. They’ve given up a few big plays, but for the most part, they create negative plays as well. They are not afraid to run some ‘backers through the line at the last second and do some things that are pretty aggressive. Overall, it is just a good, complementary football team.
“It is kind of like the theme of Bridge City. They play hard and will bring a bunch of different looks. Week to week, they change, because they’ve got smart kids and they try to take away your best options. They’re definitely not scared to be aggressive, but at the same time, they will drop eight in coverage or bring six or seven. We’ve got to be prepared for everything.”
Time of possession could be important to not only keep the high-flying birds off the field, but give the Lions their best chance at success.
“Week to week, you change no matter what, but I think we’ve kind of played slower than I am accustomed to anyway. When we’ve stayed on the field offensively and driven the football, we’ve done some really good things. Those three-and-outs and those quick drives or turnovers have killed us, but against a team like that, you’d better stay on the field offensively. If you give them seven possessions in the first half, you are playing with fire, because your defense is only going to hold up for so long when they are that explosive on offense. We want to possess the ball for sure.
“We’re deeper at running back and tight end than we are in other areas, and we’ve gotten better at running the football and getting in some different formations and really changing up the look. With motions, shifts, formations and personnel groupings, it forces you to slow down a little bit. We’ve been able to attack some people in some unconventional ways with our formations and running game.”
