Klein Collins and Stratford faced off Friday night at Klein Memorial Stadium for the top spot in district 15-6A. Both teams boasted a 6-1 record coming into the contest; with the winner set to take sole possession of 15-6A and maintain a perfect 5-0 record in district play so far.
Besides a shutout loss to Northbrook earlier in the season, Stratford was held to its lowest point total of the season with a measly three points in the game. The Spartans had a few explosive plays, but just couldn’t put it all together when it really counted. Stratford was able to get down into Collins’ territory after a long pass play, but ended up settling for their lone field goal after the offense sputtered. Minus the big plays that were few and far between, the Spartans were extremely quiet on the offensive side of the ball. An explosive offense is not what Stratford is known for this season, only averaging around 150 yards per game through the air and just over 160 yards on the ground, not terrible, but nothing to write home about either. Regardless of the numbers, it’s very difficult to win a football game when you turn the ball over four times. The Spartans were picked off three times and also lost a fumble, despite getting a couple turnovers themselves; Stratford just wasn’t able to overcome the deficit.
Klein Collins continued their dominance on the ground, with all five touchdowns coming from the running game. The Tigers average just over 320 rushing yards per game, and they have punched the ball in on the ground a total of 36 times so far in 2016, versus only six through the air. It’s safe to say that the Tigers rely heavily on the legs of their running back D’Anthony Doyle as well as their very elusive quarterback, Bryson Powers. What the Tigers lack in size, they make up for in execution and quickness, seamlessly turning the corner on sweeps and escaping the pocket whenever the Spartans brought pressure.
In a battle that was expected to be closely contested, Klein Collins was never under much duress and seemed to cruise to this victory, showing that the Tigers are poised to capture a district title and set themselves up for a deep playoff run. This now extends the Tiger’s winning streak to six games, with a lone loss coming from a double overtime loss to perennial power Katy. Stratford’s six game winning streak was brought to an end, but the season is not over for the Spartans. They too will be vying for a playoff spot to represent 15- 6A, with a deep run in mind as well. The Spartans still have to face off against both Klein and Klein Oak, the two teams that sit right behind them in the 15-6A standings.
Nothing is set in stone, but the Tigers appear to have a favorable final stretch to district play with matchups against Klein (5-2) and Northbrook (1-7) respectively. As long as the Tigers take care of business the next two games they should continue their march into the playoffs with an eight game winning streak and plenty of momentum. With the running game hitting on all cylinders and the defense making big plays, the Tigers will be a force to be reckoned with coming out of Region II 6A.
