BVCHEA (Brazos Valley Christian Home Educators) HomeSchool went 3-7 in 2016 and while often times in the season they were non-competitive on the field, no one will accuse them of refusing to play the top competition.
Their three wins were against teams of similar quality to BVCHEA. In the second game of the regular season, the Mustangs had what turned out to be their most lopsided win of the season against Victoria Cobra HomeSchool. 26 points in the third quarter added to a 30-13 lead at halftime for the Mustangs and they won 68-19. The passing game clicked as the Mustangs threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns while Victoria passed for just 35 yards. The Mustangs did have five rushing touchdowns as well.
In their last two games of the season, the Mustangs also beat Summit Christian Academy and Capital Christian HomeSchool.
All of BVCHEA’s losses came against teams that made the playoffs from their respective leagues. They lost to FEAST HomeSchool, the Fort Bend Chargers HomeSchool, Emery/Weiner, Williamson County HomeSchool, Texas Christian and Bastrop Tribe Consolidated. They were outscored in those games 412-302 and allowed an average of 68 points.
The Mustangs were in the playoffs themselves as they appeared in the Division Two bracket of the TAIAO (Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organization). They faced the top team in the bracket Stephenville FAITH and lost 52-7.
Key Losses
Granger Harris, Caleb LaStrapes
Harris and LaStrapes were the Mustangs’ two primary offensive weapons. The team used three quarterbacks and two of them were Harris and LaStrapes. Harris had the most passing attempts and passing yards and LaStrapes was the third quarterback. Harris and LaStrapes were the team’s rushing and receiving leaders. Harris was the most effective as he had 13 rushing touchdowns and 12 touchdown catches but LaStrapes led the team in carries and receptions. Harris and LaStrapes were also the best defensive players. They led the team in total tackles and Harris had seven fumble recoveries. LaStrapes was valuable in the passing defense as he led the team in passes defended and tied for the most interceptions on the team. Harris was also a valuable special teams’ player as he led the team in kickoff return yards and had four touchdowns. Harris’ vintage game came against Summit Christian Academy as he threw for 121 yards while rushing for 194 yards and five touchdowns. He had 330 all purpose yards and six touchdowns.
Key Returners
Junior Garcia
With Harris and LaStrapes leaving, Garcia will likely be the main running back as he was third on the team in carries and rushing yards. He was also fourth in all purpose yards thanks to being second on the team in kickoff return yards and third in yards per game.
The Verdict
The Mustangs did make the playoffs last season, but they will be losing their two best players who were not given much support to begin with. It’s possible the players they have don’t emerge, or if they produce just slightly less than what Harris and LaStrapes provided, the Mustangs could find themselves outside of the playoff bracket in 2017.
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