9-27-24 Tyler
The Scots open district on play Friday at 7:00 p.m. hosting the Tyler Lions at Highlander Stadium ... specifically on the Randy Allen Field.
The Lions, their fans, cheerleaders, drill team and band will be ready for action after a two-hour drive from Tyler to Big D. Once they hit town, it could be another two hours to get to the stadium if the freeways are backed up. Of course, the Lions will reciprocate next fall when the Scots travel to Tyler to open district play there. And trust me, Tyler has traffic jams also.
There are two interesting facts about the opening night of district 7-5A. The first is that out of seven teams in our district, only one – Cleburne – has a losing record after four games. That seems to translate into 7-5A being highly competitive even before district play kicks off. The other interesting fact, which could be important as we roll through the next six games, is that the team which was picked by Texas Football magazine to finish dead last in the district – Joshua – is currently alone at the top of the standings and is the only undefeated team.
Before that sinks in and makes us dizzy, let’s take a look at the Tyler Lions.
Tyler is 2-2. They have beaten Seagoville, 48-7, and Tyler Legacy, 43-38. They have lost to Marshall, 41-14, and Lufkin, 39-27. For anyone who has forgotten who Lufkin is, that is the team who originally was in our district this season. When Lufkin leaders let it sink in that with the exception of Tyler, they would be traveling three to four hours for every away game, then arriving back in Lufkin in the early morning hours for every game every week in every sport. And Highland Park (a three-hour drive) was Lufkin’s closest opponent besides Tyler.
They petitioned the UIL to let them move to a closer district and found a southeast Texas district that would take them. That’s why Highland Park wound up with a hole in its schedule that Cherry Creek filled.
There are two words that can fully describe the Lions. Speed and athleticism. I would compare them to Lancaster. This season they are a young team. Of their 22 starters, seven are juniors and five are sophomores. On their roster there are 16 juniors, nine sophomores and two freshmen.
Quarterback Caden Granberry, a junior, is 5’6”, 140 lbs. He’s fast, shifty and can throw a good pass if he can see over the linemen. Sophomore running back Cadarius McMiller is 6’1”, 194 lbs. and is a hard runner. The top two receivers are junior Davion Sirles, 5’5”, 140 lbs., and sophomore LaTreyson Haralson, who is 6’0”, 188 lbs. The only Lion who I would not call fast is Mr. Trusten Mallard-Foreman, who is your standard 380 lb. right tackle.
This week the Scots will be without cornerback Bryce Laczkowski, who is replaced by Jonathan Boyanovsky, and receiver Cannon Bozman, who is replaced by Charlie Olmstead.
At halftime, former HP quarterback Lance McIhenny will be honored. Maybe the best veer quarterback ever, McIhenny was a star at SMU and is the winningest quarterback in the history of the Southwest Conference.
Going into the Friday’s game, Dallas area 5A teams have a new passing leader. Highland Park sophomore Buck Randall, who had a big game against Cherry Creek, has completed 75 of 117 passes for 1,005 yards and nine touchdowns. After a blistering start, Bozman is still ranked in the top 20 in receiving even though he is out for the season with a knee injury. He still has hopes for playing baseball this spring and the football team looks forward to having him back in the lineup and back on top of the receiving charts next fall.
And in case I haven’t mentioned it, the Tyler Lions are very fast. Where’s John Rutledge when you need him?