SAN ANTONIO – O’Connor has never been here before but anyone of the Panthers will tell you, to be the best, you’ve got to play the best.
That’s what they Panthers (13-0) will get Saturday, when it plays Lake Travis, who’s one of the favorites to win state this year.
The Cavaliers (11-2) have a strong offense, who’s led by senior quarterback Matt Baldwin. The first-year starter has thrown for 3,397 yards and slung 31 touchdown passes. O’Connor coach David Malesky said he’s impressed with the senior. Baldwin has an uncanny ability to hit small windows on the field.
However, O’Connor has faced good quarterbacks. That is giving Malesky the hesitation to name Baldwin the best he’s seen this year.
“He’s dangerous in his own right,” Malesky said. “I’m not going to crown anyone at any point this year as being the best we’ve played. But right now he is the best because he’s their starting quarterback. We’re not going to stop him, don’t get me wrong.
“We’re just going to try to have to limit him, cause a little confusion and hopefully get some bad balls. Maybe we’ll get some turnovers too.”
Ozzy Jaime/TexasHSFootball
That will be hard with junior receiver Garrett Wilson. Just a few weeks ago, Judson coach Sean McAuliffe said he wishes the pass-catcher would forgo his senior year of high school.
Malesky said he felt the same way about a few of the guys from Judson these past few years.
“That kid is an incredible player, there’s no question, I didn’t realize he was just a junior,” Malesky said. “Doesn’t matter, he’s an extremely talented player who is extremely dangerous. That’ll scare you going into a ball game, but he ain’t the only one they [have].”
The Panthers aren’t the only ones who will have their defense on its heels the entire game. O’Connor has a quarterback in Roel Sanchez who can make throws out of the pocket and extend plays with his feet.
“I don’t know if you can stop him,” Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said. “He’s a great runner and does a great job of throwing the football as well. Obviously we need to limit him to what he does, to the best that we can but that’s obviously easier said than done.”
The Panther 3-3 stack defense will be one tough one to get by. The defensive back unit on this team has multiple players with the ability to play at the next level. It should give Baldwin and the Cavaliers a lot to think about come game time.
“It’s probably the best collection of secondary we’ve seen and we’ve seen some good ones, they’re a tough team,” Carter said.
O’Connor senior Treyshaen Patterson dashes to the end zone. Ozzy Jaime/TexasHSFootball.com
Carter and the Cavaliers know this is a tough game and are thankful for the opportunity to play this far into the playoffs, as are the Panthers.
Both are also glad to be playing so close to home. O’Connor, being from San Antonio, is looking forward to its fans and support. While Carter and the rest of Lake Travis are glad to not have to drive all the way down to the valley, as it did last week to see Los Fresnos.
The trip obviously worked out in the favor of Lake Travis. They didn’t mind the trip, and say it really doesn’t matter where they play. Just who, and the rest will figure itself out.
“To be honest, it really wouldn’t matter, if we get to play in December, in the fourth round, we’d play anywhere,” Carter said. “Playing in the Alamodome is a pretty neat experience. We had a game there last year and it worked out well so we’re hoping to have a similar outcome.”
Game Time
Kickoff Saturday afternoon at 4:00 in 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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