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Pearland set for showdown with North Shore
Published November 22, 2007
With school out this week because of the holiday, the Pearland Oilers have done nothing but think of food and football since blanking Fort Bend Kempner 28-0 in the opening round of the playoffs last week.
“It’s been a real good week,” Pearland coach Tony Heath said. “We’re out of school and it’s given a chance for us to focus just on football. We have a big game to get ready for.”
Indeed they do.
Again standing in Pearland’s postseason way is undefeated Galena Park North Shore. The Oilers (10-1) and Mustangs (11-0) will battle in the Class 5A, Division I region quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday at Abshire Stadium in Deer Park.
The two schools have a tumultuous playoff history and will meet for the fourth time in four years.
In 2005 and 2006, the Mustangs and Oilers faced off in the first round of the Class 5A, Division I playoffs. North Shore won both contests, beating Pearland 35-30 and 52-21, respectively.
But last season the Oilers bounced the Mustangs from the playoffs with 21-14 win en route to their run to the state semifinals.
“Getting by North Shore was big last year,” Heath said. “We’re excited about playing them again. We’re confident in ourselves and we know we’re going to get their best game. Hopefully (beating North Shore last year) gives us a mental edge.”
District 22-5A champ North Shore went undefeated in the regular season this year for the seventh straight time and won the state title in 2003. But the Mustangs, ranked 4th in the Class 5A Associated Press High School Poll, have yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs since it’s championship run.
North Shore reached the second round after beating Kingwood, 21-7 in the first round.
The Mustangs roll into the playoffs with a vaunted offense that averaged 400.4 yards per game during the regular season. North Shore’s offense is balanced, gaining 2,276 yards rushing and 1,728 yards passing on the year.
Mustang quarterback Jeremiah McGinty is a dual threat and a scoring machine. The senior has thrown for 1,744 yards, completing 109 of 178 passes, and has run for 508 yards on 60 tries. McGinty has crossed the goal line 13 times on the ground and has tossed 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
“That quarterback is very good,” Heath said. “He can run or pass and has lots of tools he can play with. It’s a very explosive team that can score from any part of the field.”
Junior DeAundre Jones leads the North Shore running game with 865 yards on 114 carries and 10 touchdowns. Lawrence Furlow has scored six times on the ground this season, twice last week against Kingwood.
Senior Excelle Osborne tops the team with 28 catches 530 yards and six touchdowns.
The Mustangs will have to tangle with a stalwart Pearland defense that has limited opponents to just 182 yards of offense a game. The Oilers held Kempner to just 90 yards and three first downs last week.
“The biggest thing for our defense is not to allow North Shore the big 40- or 50-yard play,” Heath said. “We need to make North Shore earn their yards.”
Pearland will lineup its ever-improving offense, averaging 337 yards per contest, across from a Mustang defense not known for an overpowering opponents. North Shore has surrendered 252 yards a game.
“Their defense s very fast, very similar to Galveston.” Heath said of North Shore. “They move to the ball real well. Those defensive tackles have a lot of size and we need to get a push up front.
“First down is going to be a very big down fro us. We need to get to second down in a manageable position.”
Pearland junior running back Kasey Carrier comes into this week’s game with 221 carries for 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns. He scored three times in the playoff opener. Quarterback Sam Allen is 92-for-145 passing for 1,205 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
“The proof is in the pudding with how our offense has matured and improved,” Heath said. “They’re young, we have a lot of juniors and had to replace a lot of seniors, and have worked through a lot and they always play hard. It has taken some time to mature and learn and now that work is paying off.
“I really enjoy coaching the team. You can see how the whole offense has matured, how everybody has gotten better.”
Friday night’s winner will advance to the regional semifinals against the winner of Cy-Fair (7-4) and Lamar (10-1).
Jim Levesque is a sports writer for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0161.
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