Lindale quarterback Clint Thurman scores his fourth touchdown of the night in a 35-23 win over Chapel Hill last Friday in Eagle Stadium. Thurman rushed for more than 300 yards in the game. (Photo by Terry Cannon)
By Terry Cannon
Editor
Lindale Head Coach Chris Cochran addresses the team following the Eagles’ upset of No. 1 Chapel Hill this past Friday in Lindale. (Photo by Terry Cannon)
Following his team’s methodical, 35-23, domination of the top-ranked Chapel Hill Bulldogs on Friday night, Lindale Eagles’ Head Coach Chris Cochran told his players they had just won the most important game in Eagle Stadium history.
Epic?
No doubt.
District changing?
Quite possibly.
The Eagles dramatically altered their course in District 9-4A play with the victory and depending on what transpires between now and Nov. 3, could find themselves as the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
Lindale has the tiebreaker with Chapel Hill but could finish as the No. 3 seed if the Bulldogs beat Kilgore by 8 points. However, if Kilgore wins out, Lindale would be the second seed and Chapel Hill third.
Yet all this playoff speculation wouldn’t have come about if the Eagles didn’t take down their Smith County rival last Friday.
It became clear after Lindale’s first series that the plan was to keep the ball away from Chapel Hill’s swift-striking offense. Mission accomplished.
The Eagles ran 77 plays to just 29 for Chapel Hill and the time of possession was tilted severely in Lindale’s favor (39:25 to 8:27), and on their first scoring drive the Eagles held the ball more than 9 minutes.
“Our coaches did a great job planning this game,’’ said Cochran. “I’ve always said I work with the best in the business and they proved that last Friday.’’
Planning for Chapel Hill wasn’t the only problem, Cochran said. His players had to be insulated from the static of dealing with the top team in the state.
“(Players and coaches) fought through all that negativity and didn’t pay attention to the naysayers,’’ he said.
Quarterback Clint Thurman was a wrecking ball, rushing 46 times for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Aside two long scoring runs from Chapel Hill running back Rickey Stewart (65 and 90 yards) the Eagles’ defense controlled the high-octane Bulldogs, allowing just 311 yards. Offensively, the Bulldogs had averaged 53 points a game.
Quarterback Demetrius Brisbon Jr. was sacked twice – once on a key third down in the third quarter – and knocked down four times. It was a long night for the talented junior.
After losing to Kilgore the previous week (64-29) Cochran felt his club was a bit flat emotionally going into the early preparations for Chapel Hill. But after the Eagles’ first scoring drive, belief in the plan was solidified on the sidelines.
“(The players) saw what the coaches were telling them all week was taking place,’’ said Cochran. “It just grew from that point.’’
This week, the Eagles will face another stiff challenge in the Palestine Wildcats who are looking to secure a berth in the playoffs.
“This is one of the most talented teams they’ve had since I’ve been here,’’ Cochran said. “They are big and fast. We need to get off to a good start like we did last week.’’