Bay City Tribune

Tidehaven won't be in a must win situation Friday night when they visit Boling in the second District 29-2A football game at Bulldog Stadium.

The Tigers are coming off a 22-6 loss to Industrial in last week's district opener and the Bulldogs beat Danbury 32-12. Hitchcock beat Van Vleck 28-18 in the other game.

"I wouldn't put it as a must win, but it's a priority for us," said Tidehaven coach Jim Sides. "I don't feel panic yet."

Tidehaven also has Hitchcock, Danbury and Matagorda County rival Van Vleck on its schedule.

"It's a game that I feel we can go out and win if we execute," said Sides.

Tidehaven won last year's game in El Maton 45-21.

"This is a huge game for both of us," said first-year Boling coach Shannon Permenter. "They need to win to keep from going down 0-2, and if we win we're in great shape and need to win one of three basically. We're just taking one at a time."

Boling, 3-3 on the season, is ranked 81st on huddleuptexas.com. Tidehaven is ranked 85th and the Bulldogs are 5-point favorites.

"The have some good players on both sides of the football," said Sides. "They are real sound in what they are doing. They played some good teams and played well. They have a lot of speed."

Sides believes the game will come down to two things.

"We're going to have to execute well and make sure that we eliminate the big plays by them," said Sides.

Permenter believes the Bulldogs can win the game.

"We think we have a good chance to win but we're going to have to play well," said Permenter.

"They have a good team, play hard and have a good running back."

Permenter was referring to Tidehaven junior Marcus Lara who has scored nine touchdowns and rushed for 598 yards.

"He's a good player and we're going to have to wrap up in order to keep him from breaking any long runs," said Permenter.

Josh Galvez took over quarterbacking duties last week in favor of Sean Dannels. Galvez completed 10 of 16 passes for 76 yards and had a TD pass.

"Right now Galvez will go as quarterback for us," said Sides

"It's a decision that we made. He does a good job and is a good leader. He also ran the ball well for us."

Receiver Ian Wade missed last week's game after suffering a concussion in a automobile accident two weeks ago. He has caught 25 passes for 205 yards and his return is questionable. Junior Colt Clontz is another receiver and has caught 22 passes for 274 yards.

Tidehaven is allowing only 243 yards per game, giving up 125 points.

"You have to be disciplined in covering your routes," said Permenter.

"Defensively they really get after it and get a lot of people up close and try to shut you down running the ball," said Permenter.

Permenter said it could be a low scoring game. "Most of their games have been," said Permenter.

The Bulldog defense will be looking at a spread offense, which is a little bit different.

Boling has been outscored 170-155 and is averaging 305 yards per game. The defense is yielding 250 yards per game.

Junior running back DuPree Taylor has scored six touchdowns and rushed for 504 yards on 48 carries for a 10.56 average.

"He's a good athlete," said Sides of Taylor. "We can't allow him to get loose."

Junior Dennis Hemphill has scored five touchdowns and rushed for 469 yards. Junior Jarayl Spears has scored five touchdowns and rushed for 331yards.

Junior quarterback Brent Stidevent has completed 19 of 51 passes for 339 yards. He has five TD passes and four interceptions.

"He does a good job for them," said Sides.

Hemphill has caught eight passes for 178 yards.