Two of the best teams in Class 4A Division II square off Friday night at Plains Capital Park at Lowrey Field in Lubbock as the Bushland Falcons (10-2) take on the Seminole Indians (11-1) in the regional semifinals.
The Falcons enter Friday’s game coming off a 58-20 win over Godley. Bushland has won 10 in a row and head coach Jimmy Thomas believes that they’re in the spot where they want to be.
“Last week, we came out ready to play and played great in every aspect of the game,” Thomas said, “We’re playing our best football right now and that’s what we did on Friday.”
Bushland QB Colton Moore (Photo: Courtesy of Jimmy Thomas)
The Falcons will rely on one of their most talented playmakers in quarterback Colton Moore. In last week’s win over McCamey, Moore compiled an impressive 469 total yards and six touchdowns. Thomas sees his signal-caller as the leader of the team and knows that he’ll have to be at his best on Friday night.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” Thomas said of his senior quarterback,” He’s got a fullback mentality but he does the little things right and he’s rushed for 1,500 yards and thrown for over 3,000 which is not something many in Texas have done this year.”
Bushland will also be facing a hot team in Seminole, who have won 11 in a row entering Friday’s game. Heading into that matchup with the Indians, head coach Jimmy Thomas knows he will have to face their biggest challenge to date.
“They’re very physical on both sides of the ball and we’re going to have to do a good job defensively getting them off the field,” Thomas said, “Simply put, we’re going to have to play our best football.”
EJ Holland/TexasHSFootball
For Seminole, they’re back in the same spot they were a year ago but the vibe around the team is different. After finishing fourth in their district, the Indians made a run to the regional finals in 2016 before bowing out to Sweetwater.
This time around, Seminole knows that the script has flipped a bit but has emphasized with his team to enjoy every moment.
“When you get to this position, you realize you’re blessed because there are a lot of teams that would trade places with us to have that same opportunity,” Jackson said, “We have to understand that every week the competition gets tougher and there is no exception this week.”
Photo: Courtesy of Elizabeth Jackson
The Indians are riding their own hot streak, winning 11 straight after a season-opening loss to Lubbock High. Led by linebacker and Army commit Cade Barnard and tight end and Texas commit Reese Moore, Jackson has been impressed by the leadership traits as part of “the most selfless group” he has ever coached.
“A good leader realizes that it’s about what you do for those around you and that’s what Cade and Reese have done,” Jackson said, “They do their best to play their best because it raises the level of everyone else around them.”
Both players will be essential if the Indians want to keep playing further into December and eventually end up at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. And as Jackson stated, their competiton gets tougher going up against Bushland.
“Coach Thomas and his staff have done an unbelievable job there at Bushland,” Jackson said of the Falcons, “They play with relentlessness, they’re very fast offensively and they fly around on defense just like fire ants. You step in it and they’re everywhere. They’re going to be ready to roll on Friday night just like we are in Lubbock.”
The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday night.
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