Bay City Tribune

Bay City closes its season against a team that they didn't play last year because of Hurricane Ike.

The 1-8 Blackcats will make the two-hour trip to Crosby to battle the District 19-4A champion Cougars in a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday night.

"We both wanted to play this game even though there is a lot of mileage between us," said Bay City coach Robert Blackmon. "We wanted to play 10 games."

Bay City and Crosby just happened to draw open dates on the district schedules for Week 10.

The Black Cats lost to rival El Campo 40-13 last week to finish at 0-4 in the District 23-4A standings. El Campo clinched the district championship and hosts 2-2 Lamar Consolidated on Friday. Second place Terry is 2-1 and plays rival Foster who has the same record.

The 7-2 Cougars are coming off a 41-34 win over Galena Park.

"We're going to approach this game believing we can win," said Blackmon. "We need to try and eliminate our mistakes and improve."

Turnovers and penalties once again prove costly against the Ricebirds last week.

It's especially a big game for the seniors that include Tyler Treybig, Le'Tevin Wilcox, Godwin Wyche, Jarvis Griggs, Ja'Len Sidney, D.J. Dominguez, Robert Taylor, Tavoris Southall -Mack, Taylor Brown, L.D. Stone, Joan Fernandez, D.J. Petter, Jamell Woods, Eloy Figuerora, John Paul DeLarosa and Ray Lopez.

"Knowing the position that we are in, the only thing they have to play for is their pride and how they want to be remembered," said Blackmon. "I'm going to tell them Friday before the game that they are as good as their last performance."

Bay City's lone win of the season came over Sweeny 14-7 way back on Sept. 25. The Bulldogs regrouped and have won the District 28-3A title, playing at Wharton this Friday.

"They are representing their family and their school," said Blackmon. "This is going to show what type of kids you have and what kind of character they have as individuals. You're not only representing yourselves but also the community."

"It's been a disappointing year as far as the win and lose column, but I thought our kids improved each week," said Blackmon.

"There's still some work I have to do as a coach to get this program better."

Crosby coach Kevin Flannigan believes the Blackcats are better than their 1-8 record.

"They are a team that has a lot of tradition and a lot of great players that come out of their school," said Flannigan.

After losing to Ennis and Port Neches Groves to start the season, Crosby bounced back to beat C.E. King, Humble Kingwood, Baytown Goose Creek Memorial, Dayton, Houston North Forest, Barbers Hill and Galena Park last week.

Bay City is ranked 132nd on huddleuptexas.com and Crosby is ranked 61st. The Cougars are a 24-point favorite.

Crosby has a balanced offensive attack, totaling up 2,618 yards, 1,593 rushing and 1,024 passing.

Jakacky Evans has scored 14 touchdowns and rushed or 683 yards. Quarterback Dominic Merka has scored six touchdowns and rushed for 662 yards. He has completed 75 of 133 passes for 1,003 yards. He has nine TD passes and three interceptions.

Forrest Taylor has caught nine passes for 250 yards and five have been for touchdowns. Kelvin Holmes has caught 16 passes for 219 yards. Paul Erwin has caught nine passes for 120 yards and M.J. Mathis has caught nine passes for 105 yards.

"They have a high profile offense and a good quarterback," said Blackmon. "They kind of remind me of the Dayton team that we played. It's going to be a tough contest for us but I believe the kids will perform and play to our ability."

Flannigan's biggest concern is Bay City's speed.

"We have to do a good job of wrapping up and tackling," said Flannigan. "We can't let them get loose or free."

He was referring to runningbacks Le'Tevin Wilcox, Courtney Finney, Tavoris Southall-Mack and Jermany Williams.

"They can really run and are really physical," said Flannigan. "They've had some turnover issues and just haven't been able to put it all together."

Editor's Note: Friday's game will be broadcast on Radio Station KKHA FM 92.5 in Bay City and over the internet at http://www.kkhafm.com/