The
Miller Buccaneers and Veterans Memorial Eagles face off to represent Corpus
Christi in the Region IV-5A, Division I final.
The
teams clashed in District 15 play earlier in the season, and tickets sold out
on Monday as almost the whole city of Corpus Christi is talking about this
game.
The
locals are excited to have a team represent their city in the state quarterfinal.
The
first matchup between these two teams was one to remember.
The
Eagles had their best statistical game passing with 338 yards and four
touchdowns. On the ground, they rushed for only 120 total yards, which is one
of their lowest totals for a game.
They
had been down on the scoreboard, which forced them to start airing it out to
keep up with the Bucs’ high-powered offense.
Miller
only had 201 yards passing and two touchdowns, its second lowest statistical
game by only two yards but rushed for 184 yards and four touchdowns.
The
Bucs forced a pair of interceptions, and Miller didn’t turn the ball over once.
With
only a few minutes left in the game, Miller was up by two touchdowns. Many
Veterans fans began leaving the stadium, but the Eagles kept fighting. Miraculously,
Veterans tied the game and forced overtime, but the efforts fell a little short
and Miller won in double overtime 50-43.
Now,
the teams face off again for the chance to represent the city of Corpus Christi
in the state quarterfinals.
Miller
remains undefeated at 12-0 with a district title and is having its best season
in school history, averaging 54.5 points and 547 yards of total offense per
game. Junior quarterback Andrew Body leads the team. He has 3396 yards passing
on the season with a .663 completion percentage, 40 touchdowns and only 1 interception.
The Bucs also have three very skilled receivers in Ralph Rodriguez (59
receptions, 929 yards and 14 TDs), Adraen Lloyd (49 receptions, 1,036 yards and
10 TDs) and Cassius Clay (56 receptions, 899 yards and 8 TDs).
Their
defense has only forced 10 turnovers all season.
The
Eagles are a balanced team. Their offense is averaging 192 yards passing, 190
yards rushing and 40 points per game.
Junior
quarterback Carter Senterfitt leads the team with 1651 yards passing on the
season and 16 touchdowns. Receiving is done by committee with sophomore Cameron
Delapena, senior Joey Perez, junior Bradley Burda, and senior Matthew Krall all
contributing.
Where
the Eagles really separate themselves statistically is on defense. The defense
has 15 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries for 25 total turnovers compared
to Miller’s 10 total turnovers for the season. They also have 23 sacks this
season.
In
the first matchup, the Eagles did not force any turnovers and threw two
interceptions. Being minus 2 in the turnover battle made all the difference in
the game.
Miller
had one of its worst games in total yards against Veterans but has been rolling
offensively all season. The Eagles will need to win the turnover battle and
slow down Miller’s offense again if they want to win this rematch.
The
winner will face off against the winner between Wagner and Harlan.
Harlan
defeated Victoria West — a district rival of the Eagles and Bucs — last week
34-14. Wagner defeated Corpus Christi Flour Bluff last week 42-38.
