No break, gladly: Titans capping Thanksgiving week in Webster

Published 4:56 pm Tuesday, November 21, 2017

The Jumbotron at Memorial Stadium lit up again Tuesday morning.

A picture of AT&T Stadium was displayed, along with a message: “We can. We will. Final destination.”

Four more victories, and Port Arthur Memorial will be there.

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But Challenger Columbia Stadium in Webster isn’t bad, either.

“I would love to play in that stadium,” junior cornerback and safety Javontae’ Hopkins said. “Our team is really excited about it.”

So, the Titans (9-1) gladly spent their Tuesday morning, rain and all, practicing for Friday’s 5A Division I area round game against Galveston Ball (6-4) at the $39-million Clear Creek ISD stadium, which opened in March 2016. The winner will take on Temple or Magnolia West in the Region III semifinals.

“It means a lot,” senior cornerback Greg Laday said. “Most teams would love to practice during Thanksgiving break, and we’re one of the teams that are practicing during Thanksgiving break.”

Laday and Hopkins play on a defensive unit that has been on a roll in recent weeks. Memorial gave up just 142 total yards to Kingwood Park in last Friday’s bi-district victory and benefited from four takeaways, including an interception and fumble recovery by Kam Nixon.

“And now, we’re getting some kids back,” Memorial coach Kenny Harrison said. “We went through a little spell there in district where we had several kids out due to injuries, and luckily we’re getting healthy at just the right time from a defensive standpoint. These two young men [Laday and Hopkins] are valuable parts to the defense.”

So is Nixon, who had just come back from an Oct. 7 shoulder injury against Lumberton.

“We’ve got all our starters back,” Hopkins said. “We had weaknesses, but now we’re all back in one.”

Memorial’s 181.6 yards allowed per game led District 22-5A during the regular season, meaning a big test for the offense of Ball.

“Those cats fly around the ball,” fifth-year Ball coach Kimber Anders said. “Obviously, they have team speed. They’re big. We hope we can match up with them speed-wise and strength-wise. They play at a high level.”

But trying to slow down junior quarterback Martavian Jackson will be just the game for the Titans’ defense.

Jackson has thrown for 1,250 yards and 10 passing touchdowns with just one interception, which he threw in last week’s 22-17 bi-district win over Houston Austin. He leads a balanced Tornado rushing attack with 451 yards.

“He’s a pretty bright kid academically and football-wise,” Anders said. “He grew as a sophomore. … He does a great job managing a game. Our offensive coordinators try not to put him in harm’s way and he’s been pretty consistent managing a game.”

Among Jackson’s targets is junior Donnavan Walker, the younger brother of Ball graduate and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans.

The Tornadoes carry a balanced attack with sophomore Clarence Dalton going for more than 1,100 yards and at least 14 touchdowns this season.

“They’re kind of balanced,” Harrison said. “They have a quarterback who does a tremendous job in both the run and pass game. Defensively, they’re athletic and they fly to the football.”

Laday will be ready for what Jackson throws — or rushes — at the Titans.

“Most definitely, playing the run and pass has helped my team,” he said.

Ball has played common opponents of Nederland and Port Neches-Groves this season. Ball edged Texas City 41-40 in overtime on Sept. 29. Manvel beat Ball 35-7 on Oct. 16.

Nederland will meet Manvel and PNG will fact Texas City in a doubleheader at NRG Stadium on Friday. But Hopkins is expecting a true tussle of the Titans’ own in Webster, meanwhile, with Ball.

“They’re going to come out there and compete with us, so we have to come out and work, really,” he said.

I.C. Murrell: 549-8541. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews

 

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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