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Poteet not looking to slow down in regional final against Bastrop
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@acnpapers.com
Who: Poteet vs. Bastrop
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Waco ISD Stadium
Poteet has spent the entire season defying expectations.
When others doubted, the Pirates refused to listen and that is why they are still playing in December.
After exorcizing a number of demons with last week’s dominant 45-21 victory over Highland Park, Poteet is now four rounds deep in the playoffs for the first time in school history.
The Pirates will try to continue their magical ride when they take on Bastrop in a Class 4A Division II Region II championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Waco ISD Stadium.
“I keep saying it, this is been like a movie that nobody would make because it is too hard to believe,” Poteet head coach Randy Jackson said. “At this point, every team is a good team that has earned their way here. We know we are going to play a very good team, but you know what, we are a very good team, too.”
The Pirates have made incredible progress under Jackson and the coaching staff, especially defensive coordinator Pete Gee.
Poteet put together perhaps its most complete performance to date last week against longtime nemesis Highland Park. The Pirates kept the Scots off balance on both sides of the ball.
Beau Nowell made good decisions with the ball, throwing for 256 yards, including a back-breaking 45-yard touchdown pass to Justin Velasquez in the final minute of the first half that made it 24-14.
The Pirate defense continuously harassed Highland Park’s two quarterbacks, getting three sacks and coming up with five turnovers.
Poteet is now a remarkable plus-35 in turnover ratio for the season, having taken the ball away 44 times compared with just nine giveaways.
And with Highland Park tiring late, the Pirates finished the job. Poteet ran 17 consecutive plays, repeatedly giving the ball to Steven Hicks (18 carries, 181 yards) and Jamarcus Robins (14-49), to chew up the final 10:11 off the clock, downing the ball at the 1-yard line as time expired.
”The longer we play, the better we get,” Jackson said. “We knew it was going to take some time on both sides of the ball for the guys to get really comfortable with the new systems, so we feel like our room to grow late in the season gives us a big advantage.”
The Pirates now turn their attention to Bastrop who features one of the top performers of this year’s playoffs in quarterback Josiah Monroe, who has been a one-man wrecking crew at times.
Monroe threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 111 yards and two more scores in the Bears’ 38-24 win over previously-unbeaten Frisco Liberty last week.
For the season, Monroe has thrown for 3,325 yards and 32 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,320 yards and 15 scores.
While Monroe is perhaps most dangerous with his legs, Bastrop can move the ball through the air, as well. Mason Foytik had 10 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown last week, while Robert Nunn has a team-high 57 catches for 1,073 yards and nine scores for the season. Josh Taylor and Trae Bunton also have 20 catches for the season.
The Bears have caught fire since losing their season finale in a 36-7 rout against Hutto. That is the same Hutto team that Poteet defeated 21-20 the following week in the opening round of the playoffs.
Every week is a new experience for the Pirates, who did not have a single player with postseason experience prior to last month. But Poteet is having the time of its life and is not ready for it to end just yet.
“We need to just focus on Poteet football,” Jackson said. “We told them that beating Highland Park at Cowboys Stadium can’t be the final chapter, that there are bigger things out there for us every week and they are doable. We know we’ll be the underdogs again this week, but we know we can find a way to win again.”
Poteet’s Road to the Regional Finals
Def. Hutto, 21-20
Def. Whitehouse, 24-19
Def. Highland Park, 45-21
Bastrop’s Road to the Regional Finals
Def. Corsicana, 55-34
Def. Sulphur Springs, 58-44
Def. Frisco Liberty, 38-24
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