SAN ANTONIO – After starting the season 1-4, the Steele Knights have won eight-straight. They will look to ride that momentum Friday night when it faces an undefeated Westlake Chaparrals.
Steele (9-4) is coming off a win over Weslaco East last week, in which sophomore running back De’Quavion Thomas exploded for 143 yards and two touchdowns. It’s been riding freshman quarterback Wyatt Begeal for nine games, who’s been more than impressive. The young gun slinger has thrown for 944 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Completing 74 percent of his passes, Begeal isn’t relied on heavily, but is reliable when needed.
What’s been really impressive, is the Steele defense. It has held each of its last eight opponents under 21 and allowing an average of 12.87 points a game. Led by senior linebacker Alex Allamby with 142 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and one sack.
He, along with Jailyn Reed, Noel Rodriguez and Juan Henry all have double-digit TFLs. For the Knights to be successful ,they’ll need to stop one of the best backs in the state.
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Wisconsin commit Nakia Watson, an explosive back. It’s almost unfair that it seems he’s gotten better each game. His size is what may cause a problem. The six-foot back weighs in at 223 pounds, but he maneuvers around defense with expertise. Watson takes the pressure off quarterback Taylor Anderson to be perfect, even though he’s been pretty close.
Anderson has thrown 31 touchdowns to seven interceptions, amassing 2,600 passing yards and 1,000 rushing. The Chaparrals have their own 100-tackle player in David Dickerson. But defensive linemen David Cassity and David Neal each have 15 TFLs, 21 of those are sacks.
The Chaparrals well-rounded offense is the toughest challenge yet for the Knights. With a freshman quarterback playing like a junior or senior, it has a chance for the upset. However, the Chaparrals are a team with so much talent, it’s going to take a near perfect game to win.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 Saturday night at the Alamodome.
Gerald Tracy is an assistant editor of Texas football for TexasHSFootball, covering prep football in the San Antonio region. Follow Gerald on Twitter, @GTracySports, and read more of his content here.
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