High School Football: Can Wall Take District Title Against Kermit?

WALL, TX-- The undefeated Wall Hawks are staring down another district title. The only thing standing in the Hawk's way is the Kermit Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets head in to Friday's title-deciding game 5-3 overall and 3-0 in district play. The Hawks have a spotless 9-0 record and are gunning for their eighth-straight 10 win season.

The Hawks have been dominant throughout the year, plowing through opponents with a 42.3 point average margin of victory. Kermit, on the other hand, has been streaky. They've won three in a row and four of their last five. Much like their early games, they'll have to work if they want a chance to beat Wall.

Offense: Advantage Wall

Both the Hawks and Yellowjackets love to run the ball. Wall has run the ball for 3,584 yards this season while Kermit has run the ball 73 percent of the time in 2017.

Wall has the advantage with how difficult their triple-option offense has been to stop this season.

Seniors Casey Braden and Tymber Carr combined for 324 of the Hawk's 418 rushing yards last week against Tornillo. Overall, that duo has combined for 1,822 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in 2017.

But its not just Braden, Carr, and Brock Rosenquist that have made the Hawk's offense as dominant as they are this season. Its the scheme they have been running and will run at least as long as Coach Houston Guy is there. The Hawks have averaged a staggering 457 yards per game this season.

Kermit looks to be a one horse team with star running back Charles Stallings. As a junior, Stallings rushed for 1,350 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2016. As a senior, Stallings has blown those numbers out of the water rushing for 1,863 yards and 27 touchdowns this year.

Kermit will go only as far as Stallings takes them, which may not be too far against a stout Wall defense.

Defense: Advantage Wall...by a lot

There are three reasons why Wall's defense will dominate in this game:

1. The Hawks are allowing an average of 8.7 points per game.

2. Wall has been terrorizing opponent's backfields all season with 57 tackles for a loss and 23 sacks.

3. Wall is winning...the turnover battle. The Hawks have 25 takeaways this season.

Behind Wall's defensive dominance are Jacob Scherr, Gage Weishuhn, and Steven Watts.

Weishuhn is leading the team in tackles for a loss with 11 and the junior has tallied three sacks this season. Scherr and Watts lead the Hawks with four sacks a piece.

Kermit's defense has only forced one turnover this season and is allowing an average of 24.4 points per game.

Stellar defensive play is where Wall should pull away with this game, as has been the case all season for the Hawks.

The momentum Wall has right now is equal to a runaway freight train, there's no stopping it. Wall wins the district title on Friday.

Prediction: Wall 56, Kermit 14