Dogs aim for first win over 3rd ranked Shiner
Thursday, September 11, 2003
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BOLING -- The Boling football team will look for its first win of the season when it hosts third-ranked Shiner Friday night.
The Bulldogs are a surprising 0-2, losing to Bellaire Episcopal 48-14 last Friday and to rival Needville 28-20 in their opener two weeks ago.
"It’s tough because it’s kind of unexpected for us," said Boling coach Rob Schoenfeld.
"We came into this deal with every right to expect to be better than we are right now. It falls on our shoulders right now to make a stand on Friday night and turn this thing around.
"We know the caliber of players that we have and to be 0-2 at this point in the season is unexpected. It’s unexpected for me, the staff, for the kids and the community."
"There’s an added sense of urgency right now and we have to get it done," said Schoenfeld. "We’re at a crossroads right now and that’s the situation we put ourselves in."
Schoenfeld admitted the loss was tough. "Devastating was an understatement," said Schoenfeld. "There isn’t a lot of bright sides to this thing but it’s over."
Six turnovers proved costly for Boling in last week week’s loss and most came in the first half as the Bulldogs fell behind 41-0 at halftime.
"It’s not that we didn’t play hard, we just didn’t take care of the football," said Schoenfeld.
"We gave them everything they got and it’s an easy formula to figure out. We had three turnovers in our first six snaps."
Shiner is 2-0 on the season, beating Poth in their first game and rival Schulenburg 41-27 last Friday.
"We got a lot of returners at skilled positions, so we were hoping to get off to a good start," said Shiner coach Steven Cerny.
"We’re hoping that we can be 3-0 after Friday night but we know that it’s going to be a tough battle."
Schoenfeld believes his team has the opportunity to win.
"If we do get that kind of effort for four quarters and take care of the football, we’ll probably be in position in the fourth quarter to win the football game," said Schoenfeld.
The Comanches went 11-2 last year, making it to the Class A quarterfinals. The Bulldogs upset Shiner 27-20 last year as both teams were 2-0.
"We’re sitting in the same situation," said Cerny. "We think we have our biggest test coming up with Boling because they have a lot more speed than we have."
But Schoenfeld believe Shiner will give the Bulldogs all they can handle. "They are much better than last year," said Schoenfeld. "If there’s a better Class A team better in the state than them, I’m glad we don’t have to face them."
"I think Shiner will be the toughest team we’ve faced so far," said Schoenfeld. "They are very consistent. They execute on offense and defense and know their package well."
"Those kids are winners and they do a tremendous job. You can tell by watching on film that they are never out of game." Cerny believes the Bulldogs are still good.
"They played two good teams and they are a tough 0-2. They are still sitting in good shape. It’s obvious on film that the teams they’ve played were really good."
Boling totaled up more yards then the Knights, 202-259. Carlton Waddy rushed for 128 yards on 21 carries and now has over 300 on the season. Blake Burton rushed for 85 yards on 13 carries.
Shiner is led by running back quarterback Garet Putska who missed last year’s game with an injury. He scored two touchdowns, passed for another and intercepted a pass and ran it back for a score last week.
"He’s a tremendous difference maker," said Schoenfeld. "He’s not a big kid but really fast and quick. He runs the option very well and you can tell that he’s just a field general out there."
He’ll throw the ball to Casey Coleman and give it to running backs Quentin Wright, Steven Evans or Chris Baer.
Cerny believes avoiding injuries will be a key in the game.
"Last week against Schulenburg we had some key people go down and when you do that you have to go to back up who just don’t have the experience. "That hurts and when you play a good team, it’s always physical and it can be a factor."
While it’s not a must win since it’s not a district game, Schoenfeld said it’s important to play good.
"If we don’t come out and have a good effort, you get to the point where it’s crucial for us because after this game, we only have two more left." Boling is open next Friday, hosts St. Joseph for homecoming on Sept. 26 and plays at Aransas Pass on Oct. 3.
"It’s not like they are against any Patsies either," said Schoenfeld. "You want to try to go into district with as much momentum as you can and sometimes playing the caliber of people that you play makes that extremely difficult."
They visit Wharton County rival East Bernard in the District 27-2A opener on Oct. 10.
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BaerCom - Shiner, Texas 2003