COVER1 Pregame | Rivalry Week for the Wall Hawks

SAN ANGELO, TX — It's Friday, and Week 3 of the 2023 Texas High School Football Season is officially underway. This week on San Angelo LIVE!'s COVER1 Pregame Show, hosts Matt Trammell, James Bouligny, and Ryan Chadwick break down some of the biggest games around the Concho Valley.

The Central Bobcats host the Abilene Cooper Cougars at San Angelo Stadium on homecoming night. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Next up, the Brady Bulldogs seek their first win in 2023 against the Coleman Bluecats tonight in Brady. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
The Water Valley Wildcats host the Miles Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m.
Two rivals face off in our most anticipated game of the week when the Wall Hawks travel to Tuscola on Friday night to battle the Jim Ned Indians. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
The Sonora Broncos drive 20 miles to square off against the Eldorado Eagles. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
And finally, in Six-man football, the Veribest Falcons host the Bronte Longhorns at 7 p.m.

ABILENE COOPER AT CENTRAL

Ryan Chadwick - The Bobcats showed some grit last week in a shootout with El Paso Montwood in a game that went down to the wire. The ‘Cats had to convert on 4th down on multiple drives to secure that victory. While not ideal, Coach Crane says he’s proud of the grit his team showed last week. The Bobcats will need that again tonight against Abilene Cooper. While not as talented as Montwood was on offense, the Cougars still bring a litany of weapons to Friday’s matchup. Central’s young defense will once again have its hands full but needs to take advantage of the opportunities the Bobcats receive. On Offense, English continues to improve as a starter week to week. He had zero turnovers against Montwood, and that trend needs to continue if Central wants to win on Homecoming night. Cooper has a talented defense with more than one player who will play at the next level in the coming seasons. It’s a tough ask, but Central needs points no matter how skilled the defense in front of them. The Bobcats need to lean more on the passing game on Friday. PICK: CENTRAL 28 - ABILENE COOPER 24

Matt Trammell - The Central Bobcats are gearing up for homecoming. From where I'm from Coaches hate the distraction all week but for some magical things can happen on HOCO. However I don't think that magic will be enough. PICK: COOPER 49 - CENTRAL 35

James Bouligny - While the Bobcats are coming off a win last week, the Cougars are coming into this one hungry for a win. They’ve played two really good football teams in Keller and Abilene High. It’s hard to get a good read on Cooper since they’ve played two good programs. Homecoming for the Cats won’t be a huge distraction, but this could be a buzzsaw for Central. PICK: COOPER 35 – CENTRAL 24

COLEMAN AT BRADY

James Bouligny - Brady is coming off their second game of an absolute gauntlet of a schedule. First was Comanche, then Mason, and now Coleman. All three teams were deep playoff teams last season who returned quite a bit of talent. Brady could be without their linebacker, and All-COVER1 star Johnny Menefield. This game will be closer than the other two the Bulldogs have played so far. Expect what was seen from the first Brady drive against Mason last week a lot more. COLEMAN 35 – BRADY 28

Ryan Chadwick - The Bulldogs’ brutal non-district schedule continues in Week 3 against the Coleman Bluecats in Brady tonight. After two lopsided defeats, the Bulldogs are rearing for a win. Unfortunately for Brady, these Bluecats almost beat the Mason Punchers in Week 1. While Brady will struggle in this one, Coach Roberts continues to get these guys to improve. It’s now Week 3, and that’s all I want to see for Brady this week. The Bulldogs play in a tough district and need to be ready to play when that time rolls around. Matchups like the ones against Coleman, Mason, and Comanche help build a football team. PICK: COLEMAN 28 BRADY 14

Matt Trammell - The Brady Bulldogs are looking to secure their first win of the season against a strong Coleman team. Coleman lost to Mason and so did Brady. I think this will be a better matchup than most will admit. PICK BRADY 29-COLEMAN 28

MILES AT WATER VALLEY

Ryan Chadwick - Miles had another disappointing loss to Sterling City in what has become an Achilles’s heel for these Bulldogs. Despite the loss, it was a hard-fought and close game. The Bulldogs will enter Friday’s matchup against the Wildcats, angry and hungry to prove themselves. With that being said, Water Valley had a similar situation a week ago in which they dropped a close game to Hamlin in Week 2. Both teams are hungry to get back on track, but I have Miles in this one. PICK: MILES 35 WATER VALLEY 21

Matt Trammell - The Miles Bulldogs are heading into a week where expectations are for the Bulldogs to blow out the Wildcats. It's not every day where the Bulldogs lose, but last week was a tough one for Miles. With that, the Bulldogs are fired up and ready to bounce back. Expect senior QB Hayven Book to have a big game. The key to success for Water Valley will be running the football and controlling the clock. Even if they do that, it’ll be an uphill battle from the start. PICK: MILES 56 - WATER VALLEY 13

James Bouligny - Last week was a rough week for Bulldogs in the Concho Valley, and the Miles Bulldogs are not an exception. The Sterling City Eagles beat them 36-32 even though Hayven Book threw for 324 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Devin Medina had 110 yards and a score on the ground. Miles is coming into this one with a vengeance. The Wildcats do have a good running back in David Valeriano, who is a dangerous one-two punch with Anthony Quintana. While the Wildcats are a good team, the Bulldogs will get back on track. PICK: MILES 35 – WATER VALLEY 21

WALL AT JIM NED

Matt Trammell - My for sure pick of the week will be the Wall Hawks. The Hawks are in full form on both sides of the football plus they've even added a passing game that seems to be working. Jim Ned's defense may give the Hawks some trouble but they should win easily. PICK WALL 28 - JIM NED 14

James Bouligny - Like another game COVER1 is going to be at, this isn’t a district game but a really good rivalry game. Last year, I, personally believe the Hawks were ripped off a touchdown that would’ve made the final score 10-0. But last year, Jim Ned was beaten up early in the season. That’s not the case this season and proved it against 2A state champion Hawley in Week One with a 34-12 win. Then the Indians turned around and beat Holliday 40-22. This will be a great game and a good benchmark to see where the Hawks are at. Jim Ned gets the edge since they’re at home. PICK: JIM NED 21 – WALL 17

Ryan Chadwick - It’s rivalry week in Jim Ned, and the Wall Hawks looked ready to play out at practice this week. Both teams earned a spot in the Top 10 in the State Rankings this season, and so far, both teams have lived up to the hype. Last season, Wall won this game 3-0 at home. This year, Coach Guy says he envisions a lot more points being scored between the two teams. Jim Ned revamped its offense during the offseason and should present new wrinkles to the Hawks’ defense that’s only allowed 20 points across the first two games. This game will come down to which team can control the line of scrimmage. PICK: WALL 14 JIM NED 12

SONORA AT ELDORADO

Matt Trammell - When I picked Christoval in the battle of HWY 277 it taught me that this Eldorado defense is for real. Expect a lot of big plays from them against one of the best offenses the Concho Valley has to offer. PICK: Eldorado 14 - Sonora 6.

James Bouligny - This is the other non-district rivalry game COVER1 will be at. Sonora is coming off a huge win against a very good opponent Coahoma, who lost by two touchdowns. Quarterback Juan Castillo will get more on his plate this game, and running back Edgar DeLuna will be a force. Eldorado has the defenders to keep this one close in Tony Kmeic and Aizik Soto but containing DeLuna has been a problem for teams since last season. This will be a battle on the ground as both teams have good lines and running backs. PICK: SONORA 42 – ELDORADO 36

Ryan Chadwick - The Broncos proved that even without star quarterback Jaimie Buitron, this Sonora team is dangerous. In a Week 2 shootout against a talented Coahoma school, our Carpet Tech Player of the Week candidate and runningback Edgar Deluna put up some monstrous stats in the Broncos win. With everything that Sonora is doing on offense, coupled with a talented defense, these Broncos will be too much for Eldorado on Friday. PICK: SONORA 48 ELDORADO 28

BRONTE AT VERIBEST

James Bouligny - The Veribest Falcons sit in a tough district with Menard, Irion County, and Robert Lee, all of whom could be representing the 1A school deep in the playoffs. Sophomore Falcon Bryce Martin has taken eight carries for four touchdowns so far this season. Bronte will follow Cole Knight, and the Longhorns won’t turn the ball over against the Falcons. PICK: VERIBEST 55 – BRONTE 32

Matt Trammell - The Bronte Longhorns are coming off of a huge 52 to nothing win against Rule. The top six-man team in Coke County will be taking on the top six-man team in Tom Green County. Keys for the Longhorns will be riding the back of stud running back Cole Knight. Veribest will also rely heavily on the run. Because of my ties to Bronte, I’m picking the Longhorns, but if you're a betting man, don’t ride with my pick. PICK: BRONTE 38 - VERIBEST 24

Ryan Chadwick - Veribest enters Week 3 after a strong start to the season with big wins over Santa Anna (50-0) and the team that beat Bronte in Week 1, Zephyr (42-22). Bronte managed to snag its first win of 2023 in Week 2, but the Falcons will be too much for Bronte this week. PICK: VERIBEST 55 BRONTE 20

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