Thursday Night Football — Similar records might not tell entire story for Titans’ next opponent

Published 12:28 am Wednesday, October 20, 2021

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The Memorial Titans are working on a short week as they take their undefeated district record on the road against Baytown Lee.

The game will be played at 7 p.m. Thursday at Stallworth Stadium.

The Titans (6-1, 4-0 in District 9-5A Division II) face their toughest test to date in the Ganders (6-1, 3-1).

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Baytown Lee is coming off its first loss of the season, 23-13 to Galveston Ball.

Memorial defeated Ball 44-7 two weeks ago.

Despite the shortened week, Memorial Head Coach Brian Morgan said his team is not altering its practice schedule, which is already relatively light.

“We have a regular Monday through Wednesday for us,” he said. “We already don’t practice on Wednesday. Instead of our fast Thursday practice, we are just going to try and have a fast Thursday game.”

The Ganders enter the game with an offense and defense second to only the Titans, but the stats can be a bit deceiving due to each team’s non-district schedule.

Memorial, for example, played Lancaster, Barbers Hill and Crosby for its three non-district games.

At the time, Lancaster was ranked No. 16 in the state when the Titans beat them 27-7. Lancaster has not lost a game since.

Barbers Hill, who might be the least impressive of the non-district opponents the Titans played, has the top-rated offense in its respective district.

Crosby, which played in the 5A Division I state championship game last season, is the Titans’ lone loss of the season. The Cougars have also swept through District 12-5A Division II.

The Ganders’ most impressive non-district win came against Galena Park, who is currently 5-2. They beat 4A Lumberton and 6A Chavez, who has a record of 1-5.

Quarterback Ja’Corey Boston, who has 952 yards through the air, leads the Ganders. His 17 passing touchdowns has him at the top of the district. He also is second on the team in rushing yards with 570 and five TDs.

The majority of Boston’s passing touchdowns have gone to receiver Devante Broussard, who leads the district in receptions with 33 and six touchdowns.

“Offensively, the quarterback is a really good athlete,” Morgan said of Lee. “He runs around well, and they have two good receivers. They are similar to last year. Defensively, they are sound at what they do. We have to go out and execute for sure. It is not going to be an easy game.”

The Titans are dominating both sides of the ball in district play, outscoring opponents 145-16. Memorial averages an outlandish 488 yards per game, while holding opposing teams to 171 yards per game.

Quarterback Jah’mar Sanders leads the district in passing yards (1,538) and rushing yards (1,043) and has 26 total touchdowns.

With three games left in the season, Morgan said his team has not talked about potential playoff opponents or seeding.

“We are just trying to win each week,” he said. “If you told us our playoff situation, you would know more than me. I have no clue. I know that if we don’t win these next three games, it is not looking great. We won’t talk about it and we haven’t heard the kids talk about it.”