<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=49Eruh_0w1Gauib00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=49Eruh_0w1Gauib00" width="1350" height="1282" ></figure>After a five-week set of non-district games and a welcomed bye week last week, Brenham’s run to a district championship finally can begin in earnest.The Cubs are set to begin District 10-5A Division II play at home this week when they welcome the Waco Lions on homecoming at Cub Stadium.Brenham’s bye week came off of a 51-37 loss against Gilmer two weeks ago in Huntsville. Defensive questions that appeared in the Cubs’ win over Killeen popped up again to wrap up non-district play, though Cub coach Danny Youngs said the two games were not comparable.“We played really good probably 75 percent of the time,” Youngs said of the Gilmer game. “The problem was the 25 percent that we misread our keys or did not do our job. They made us pay for it.”Brenham’s offense was a whole other story. Sophomore running back Jakoby Dixon secured yet another career day with 320 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. His efforts marked the third-highest single-game rushing output in Brenham history, putting him right below two standout efforts from Earnest Patterson’s record-breaking 2013 season.He has 1,164 rushing yards on the season and received scholarship offers from Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma during Brenham’s bye week.Senior quarterback Jordan Harvey reached a single-game high in passing yards for the season with 191 yards on a 9-of-20 day to push his season total to 727 yards with a completion rate just above 60 percent.Junior wide receiver Chris Guidry played a big role in that with three receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown, pushing his season totals to 273 receiving yards and four touchdowns.Youngs said last week’s bye week was useful for the Cubs, especially in conditioning.“One thing we took into the bye week was we had to get in better shape because when you get those one play touchdowns, the defense is back on the field fast,” he said. “In general, most defensive guys are on kickoff. So, we learned a little bit from that week that we probably need to push ourselves a little bit better in conditioning.”Youngs is still really high on his team heading into district play, saying that the Cubs are more of the team that defeated Bryan 43-22 in week three than the one which lost to Gilmer.However, the Cubs just have to prove that. This week provides the first meaningful chance to do so.Waco also is coming off of a bye week and enters district play at 2-3 with wins over Corsicana and Cleburne in weeks two and three. The Lions lost games against Navasota and San Angelo Central in the two weeks before their bye week.The Lions have a senior-heavy offense which is led by senior quarterback R.J. Young. He went 10-for-17 in Waco’s last game with 78 yards and has a 52.7 percent completion rate on the year.Young is a big and athletic quarterback that Brenham will look to challenge early and often.“We are going to make them put the ball in his hands and get as many shots on the quarterback as we can,” Youngs said.Senior running back Mason Smith leads Waco’s running game with a strong physical build. He struggled a bit against San Angelo Central with just under four yards per rush, but scored a touchdown in a 62-yard effort. He has five touchdowns and 440 rushing yards on the season.Looking to protect the quarterback and open up holes for Smith is an offensive line with big players and a look that Youngs compared to Bryan’s offensive line.“What they do on offense when they just want to mash you, they got the body weight for it,” he said. “We got to do a good job of throwing hands and winning leverage, staying in our gaps.”Waco’s receiving corps consists of mostly seniors, but is led by junior Bryant Whitaker. While he did not play against San Angelo Central, he secured 100-yard days against Cleburne and Navasota with touchdowns in each game.He makes up over half of Waco’s receiving production on the year with the next highest total coming from junior Chase Rhynes, who has seven catches for 65 yards on the year. Rhynes is also a significant contributor on defense, where he has 47 tackles this year at linebacker with at least 11 tackles in each of his last two games.Waco’s tackling production on defense is led by junior Jaylen Gude. The inside linebacker is averaging over 13 tackles per game this season with at least 11 tackles in every game this year.Senior defensive back Oshawn Neal came in second on the Waco tackling list with 59 tackles this season, including a 10-tackle output in Waco’s last game and 20 tackles in the Lions’ loss to Navasota.Both players are physical players who run to the football well, Youngs said.His big goal for the Cubs this week is not just to get off to a fast start, but to sustain it over the course of the game.“It seems like we can get up two touchdowns and then we let them score right back instead of putting our foot on their neck and stopping them,” Youngs said.Friday’s game, scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Cub Stadium, will provide the climax to a homecoming week that comes with plenty of potential distractions along the way. However, Youngs is confident his players will handle the week well with a clear purpose toward how they want the year to go.“Those guys have goals and they are focused on achieving those goals,” he said. “They want to be district champs and they want to make a run in the playoffs, and so they know you got to put your team and even your individual goals and what you want to do before doing things that could turn into bad choices.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Brenham to begin district play on Homecoming

After a five-week set of non-district games and a welcomed bye week last week, Brenham’s run to a district championship finally can begin in earnest. The Cubs are set to begin District 10-5A Division II play at home this week when they welcome the Waco Lions on homecoming at Cub Stadium.

Brenham to begin district play on Homecoming

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