Sachse sits at the top of the district standings. With their win over Garland, the Mustangs are in the driver seat for the chance to reach the playoffs as the top seed. Their next opponent could decide their fate, as they take on the Rowlett Eagles.

Rowlett is an interesting opponent because we don’t know a whole lot about them. They’ve only played one game due to COVID-19 which was their 45-14 win over North Garland. During preseason projections, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football projected the Eagles to finish just outside the playoff picture in fifth for the district standings. They bring back 11 starters in total. And in their opening win, they had two 100 yard rushers who combined for five touchdowns.

1. Take a few shots downfield

Rowlett is definitely still working out some of the kinks that they have on both sides of the football. While the defense has some talent at defensive line and linebacker, they certainly showed they can give up the big plays. North Garland clearly has less talent than Sachse and Rowlett, but both of their touchdowns on the game were big passing plays for 83 and 78 yards. Isaiah DeLeon was able to get a couple of big plays for North Garland and Sachse should use that as tape.

2. Silence the Eagles rushing attack

Rowlett had 308 rushing yards on 28 carries in their opening win. That’s good for 11 yards per carry which is a very efficient night. They only threw for 57 yards during the game, so it’s clear they plan to win on the ground. They’re led by Colton Yarborough, who had seven carries and 106 yards for three touchdowns. His running back mate, D’Wonyae Newton, had 118 yards and two touchdowns on just two carries. It obviously doesn’t get any better than that.

3. Convert drives into points

It was nearly a perfect example of complementary football. The offense did a good job of getting to midfield and establishing field position. Alex Orji delivered a perfect punt that pinned Garland inside the one-yard line. DeAndre Robb came up with a nice interception just a couple of plays later. While the offense stagnated, Sachse had an opportunity to convert the drive into three points and missed the kick attempt.

For the full story, see our Oct. 29 issue or subscribe online.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]