Hornets back in the regional finals for the first time since 2018
Nov. 29—HUNTSVILLE — After a two-season stretch that saw eight wins for Huntsville football, the Hornets are ready for whatever is next as they continue their playoff run.
The Hornets will face Port Neches-Groves (12-1, 7-0 District 9, 5A-DII) for the third time in Huntsville head coach Rodney Southern's tenure with the Hornets with a chance to move on to the state semifinals for the first time under Southern.
Huntsville's previous two meetings panned out for the Hornets' as they secured a 31-14 and 27-10 win over the Indians in 2018 and 2019.
"It's a little easier each week that you win to get ready to prep. Number one you are still excited you are playing. Number two, you are playing in rounds that only eight teams are playing," Huntsville head coach Rodney Southern said. "The preparation has been good since Friday night. I think we are in a good place."
With the two previous meetings going in favor of the Hornets, both squads are new teams with a new roster built in. The Hornets no longer have the likes of T'Vondre Sweat on the defensive line but have improved elsewhere.
Like those teams, the Hornets have returned to their roots of being a strong defensive team being led by junior Shiloh Jones. The linebacker has been on the varsity squad since his freshman year and has continued to grow in his role.
Against PNG, his role will have to step up as well. The Indians bring in an offensive line that features several guys who are over 300 pounds lined up to protect and open up holes for the PNG offense.
Over the first three games of the playoffs, Huntsville (8-5, 4-2 District 10, 5A-DII) controlled the line of scrimmage on several aspects with the help of senior Kedarian Easley, junior Zack Moss and senior Hezekiah Johnson to get into the backfield and try and slow the Indian defense.
"A week ago we told them, we have to get the game to the fourth quarter. We expressed to them that they have to understand the power they are fixing to line up against," Southern said. "That is hard to express because I can't simulate. We have to get through the initial shock of it."
PNG is a run-first team with senior Isaiah Nguyen leading the charge from the backfield. The senior has rushed for 1,735 yards in his senior season and found the endzone 12 times for the Indians.
But he is not the only rusher for PNG that has gone over 1,000 yards. Junior Blair Chatagnier has 1,049 yards but has been the primary touchdown scorer. The junior has a team-high 15 touchdowns on the ground.
Pressure will be key though against sophomore quarterback Connor Bailey. He has sat in the pocket behind his offense line and can sit all day in most cases. Bailey has thrown for 1,110 yards and 14 scores. Unfortunately for the Hornets, he doesn't make very many mistakes and has thrown just two interceptions in 12 games played.
"PNG doesn't play from behind very often, so we have to figure out and have a plan to make them change a little bit. They are so good at running the football and eating the clock. Possessions are going to be limited and there are going to be fewer opportunities to have success if you don't take advantage of every possession you get," Southern said.
The Hornet defense has plenty of experience playing a lot of minutes though. On several occasions, Huntsville's defense was on the field late in games for a majority of games. The most memorable was the second half of the Lake Creek game.
But those reps have proved to be memorable as Huntsville is the lone remaining team from District 10, 5A-DII. It also works as conditioning for the squad too, as they endured a tough stretch in the regular season.
"The amount of time that these guys have played defensively has decreased as we go into the playoffs," Southern said. "The more opportunities you get, the better you should be. I think we got more confidence and confidence with high school kids is a big thing. If you feel good and feel like you have a chance to win, you're gonna have that."
Huntsville has also seen some players step up in ways they didn't think were possible after some injuries. Senior Isaiah Collins had to make the shift over to safety and the Hornets had to call upon two sophomores to anchor the perimeter.
That's not the only location either. Freshman running back Ja'Khavien Birks and sophomore David Brown have stepped up on offense to make this team better.
Huntsville's offense will be pivotal in how this game goes. The Hornets have won two of their three playoff games by a combined four points — Huntsville defeated Austin LBJ by 26 points in a blowout.
Sophomore Trae'Shawn Brown has led the running back for the majority of the season and has stepped up in the last two games.
Huntsville's run game will be key again though as they will like to take time off the clock against a PNG team that is capable of long drives that result in points.
"At this point, we are going to play good defense and run the ball. Now, you have to be able to do some other things, and we prepared other things," Southern said. "You have to protect, but if we can get mileage out of our backs, that means their offense is not on the field. I hope we are going to create some situations where they aren't controlling the line of scrimmage."
Junior quarterback Austin Taylor will be another piece of the puzzle. The Hornets have an opportunity to beat them over the top with wide receivers Melton Green III, Savion Conteh and Hunter Lorenz.
But in the games against Texas City and Richmond Randle, Taylor has 89 yards through the air and one touchdown. But the key will be to keep the mistakes minimal as they have done through three playoff games.
"I think when you get to this round, you have to make one more play or one less mistake than the other team," Southern said. "Fortunately, in two of the three games, we have not made a lot of mistakes. We have to limit the mistakes and when you have opportunities, make them count."
Huntsville and Port Neches-Groves will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday at NRG Stadium in Houston. Tickets can be found online and at the gate.
