WALL, TX — The Wall Hawks (11-1) travel to Lubbock Friday, Dec. 2, to play the Canadian Wildcats (11-2) in the Regional Final of the 2022 UIL Texas High School Football 3A Div II Playoffs at Pirate Stadium at 6 p.m. The Hawks defeated the Idalou Wildcats in Sweetwater on Nov. 25, 30-0. The winner will face either Holliday or Gunter in the State Semi-Finals and the winner of that game advances to AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the 3A State Championship Game.
Bottom line: Wall is two wins away from playing in the state championships and if faces its toughest opponent yet Friday night.
The Wall Hawks
The Hawks have two players to watch out for that can heavily impact the game. On offense, Junior running back Nathan Pepper, and on defense, Junior Middle linebacker Logan Thomas.
Nathan Pepper does most of his damage on the offensive side of the ball. He plays running back and can turn any routine play into one for the highlight reels. Pepper has breakaway speed in the open field but also can punish would-be tacklers in the box. He rushed for 1065 yards on 135 attempts and added 16 touchdowns. Pepper made several huge plays against Idalou and should do the same against Canadian.
Logan Thomas is a force on defense. He consistently gets into the backfield and stops ball carriers for losses. Thomas can close with speed in the open field and delivers punishing hits to the opposition. He leads the Hawks with 70 tackles and has five sacks. Wall will need him to make an impact against Canadian’s explosive offense.
Head Coach Houston Guy shared his thoughts on last week's game versus Idalou and his expectations from his team against Canadian this weekend. Details are in the video below.
The Canadian Wildcats
Canadian has stomped its way through the playoffs so far this season, defeating Early, 42-14, and Spearman, 63-14. They have two talented players that make their offense explosive: quarterback Camren Cavalier and wide receiver Preston Miller.
Cavalier is not necessarily an accurate passer, which is something the high-octane Hawks’ defense can exploit. Cavalier threw for 1257 yards on 85/136 passing for seven touchdowns and six interceptions this season. Last week, he had 164 yards through the air, and two touchdown passes.
Preston Miller is the Wildcats’ leading receiver. He has 38 receptions for 708 yards and four touchdowns. The Hawks need to keep him contained if they hope to win.
If the Hawks play a clean game, control the clock, and play sound defense, they can beat the Wildcats.
(Credit: twitter/@reasedickey)
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