On Friday, September 15, 2023, the Manvel Mavericks hosted the Friendswood Mustangs at Freedom Field. This is the second time since we started supporting both teams that they have faced each other. Because we support both teams and have season tickets for both, we decided that we will sit on the home side and cheer for the home team anytime they face each other. Which means that this year, we were on the home side of Freedom Field cheering on the Mavericks.
Throughout the week, I had told multiple people that this week's game had the potential to be a very good game. The game did not disappoint.
Both teams are working under new head coaches. Friendswood's Jordan Johnson may be new to the HC position in Friendswood, but he is not knew the Henry Winston Stadium or FHS, being an FHS alumni who played under Coach Van Meter. Manvel's Kirk Martin is not new to Manvel, but I think he is new to Freedom Field. If memory serves, the first year for Manvel to play at Freedom Field was the year after Kirk Martin left.
Manvel has been trying to reinvent themselves since getting hit with multiple injuries during weeks 2 and 3. Friendswood began rebuilding last year after a disappointing finish to the season.
I think a big lightbulb finally went off for Manvel solving at least one big offensive problem. During the game, Dillon Boone was playing running back and was able to slip through and around the Mustangs offense. While the Mustangs' defense did not lay down and let the Mavericks run all over them, Dillon was able to find the gaps and spin out of tackles. He is an asset the Mavericks need to continue to reply upon.
Friendswood also put a good offense on the field, but like Manvel, their offense seems to be mostly one dimensional. The most effective pieces of the Mustang offense was the passing game between Foster and Buffington. Abebe did sneak around the Maverick's defense to get open for a pass and score, but other than that one play, he didn't cause as many problems for the Mavericks' defense as Buffington did.
As for defenses, the Mavericks' defense played just as solidly as they have all season and once they realized that they could sack Foster and cause him to make mistakes, they became relentless. The Mavericks' defense put pressure on the Mustangs' QB on every play. I don't keep stats, but I'm sure that the TFL numbers and sacks numbers for the Maverick's defense are both big numbers. And let's not forget Cooks' Superman sack. If you haven't seen that video, you need to check it out. I saw it on Dave Campbell's X (twitter) feed shortly after the game ended. That being said, the Mustangs' defense worked just as hard to capitalize on the Mavericks' offensive weaknesses - the passing game.
This game really could have gone either way. Last night in the last few minutes of the game, people around me who haven't seen as much Friendswood football as I have said that Manvel had the game if they could execute. Even with seconds left on the clock and the Manvel defense wreaking havoc on Friendswood's offense, I knew it wasn't' over. I have watched way too much Mustang football to count them out when they are within one score and have the ball. This game literally came down to the last play in the last seconds.
Like I said, it could have gone either way. Manvel had more talent on the field, but they also make more mistakes added to the fact that the passing game is just not good. One of my favorite sayings is "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard." I still believe that, but sometimes it's not just talent and hard work. When the game is won or lost as a team, the teams must have all the necessary pieces. If the pieces don't appear naturally, sometimes they can be trained or cultivated. If Manvel is going to make it as far as they want this year, they are going to have to develop the players that they have to create a good passing game. If that means moving people around to different positions, then so be it.
As for Friendswood's talent, they do have some, but similarly to previous years, they rely to heavily on a few people. Friendswood needs to develop the rest of the guys on the field if they are going to surprise everyone and be in the top 4 at the end of the season.
Because I cheer for both teams, this week's attaboys will go players in both white and red jerseys. Attaboys for Friendswood go to: Connor Stamper, Adam Buffington, Brock Foster, Mikey Butler, Kolton Postma, Jackson Slaughter, and Noah Abebe. Attaboys for Manvel this week go to: Avery Demery, Tyler Cooks, Kade Caton, Dillon Boone, and everyone who played defense in the second half.
Next week, Friendswood will travel to Traylor Stadium to take on the Foster Falcons in Rosenberg. Kickoff is set for Friday, September 22, 2023 at 7pm.
The Manvel Mavericks will also travel on Friday, September 2023. Their 7pm kickoff will be at Mustang Stadium in Magnolia against the Magnolia West Mustangs.
Disclaimer: My football education is from attending high school football games for 40+ years and sitting between my dad and my grandpa for the first 12 of those years. I continue to learn more about the game and strategies every week. My vocabulary may be lacking, but I know what I see and describe it as best I can.
No comments:
Post a Comment