CLASS 3A DIVISION II
State Semifinal

East Bernard Brahmas (13-1)

vs.

No. 1 Newton Eagles (13-0)

7 p.m. Friday
Texan Drive Stadium, Porter

Coaches

  • East Bernard: Wade Bosse
  • Newton: W.T. Johnston

Last week

Next week

  • Winner vs. Canadian or Gunter, 3 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 20), AT&T Stadium, Arlington, 3A Division II state championship game

Players to watch

East Bernard

  • QB/LB Hunter Goudeau, Sr., 5-10, 185 (42-of-70, 909 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs; 74 carries, 260 yards, 6 TDs; 26 tackles, 1 fumble recovery)
  • RB/DB Kobe Brown, Soph., 5-7, 145 (93 carries, 993 yards, 13 TDs; 7 catches, 205 yards, 1 TD; 16 tackles, 1 INT)
  • RB Devin Chapman, Soph., 5-9, 167 (72 carries, 414 yards, 8 TDs)
  • LB Payton Peloquin, Sr., 6-1, 200 (181 tackles, 10 for loss, 2 INTs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
  • DL Mason Vasut, Jr., 6-4, 220 (88 tackles, 15 for loss, 8 sacks, 11 QB hurries, 3 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries)
  • RB/DB Carson Little, Jr., 6-0, 160 (28 carries, 166 yards, 3 TDs; 3 catches, 77 yards; 97 tackles, 3 for loss, 4 INTs, 5 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles)
  • WR/DB Reagan Whitley, Jr., 5-11 (53 carries, 239 yards, 2 TDs; 4 catches, 95 yards, 1 TD; 111 tackles, 3 INTs, 5 PBUs, 1 forced fumble)

Newton

  • RB Darwin Barlow, Sr., 5-11, 200 (160 carries, 2,147 yards, 39 TDs; 15 catches, 324 yards, 3 TDs; committed to TCU)
  • DE James Sylvester, Jr., 6-5, 240 (87 tackles, 25 for loss, 7 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble, 3 recoveries, 1 blocked punt)
  • QB Josh Foster, Sr., 6-2, 190 (74-of-125, 1,483 yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs; 68 carries, 642 yards, 14 TDs; committed to TCU)
  • WR/DB Tamauzia Brown, Sr., 6-3, 185 (30 catches, 595 yards, 5 TDs; 18 carries, 180 yards, 5 TDs; 20 tackles, 2 INTs; committed to TCU)
  • OL Caiden Walker, Sr., 6-4, 300
  • LB Jadrian McGraw, Sr., 6-0, 210 (163 tackles, 4 for loss, 2 fumble recoveries)
  • DE Christian Kellum, Sr., 5-10, 160 (69 tackles, 17 for loss, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble)
  • DT Kristian Paulette, Sr., 5-10, 190 (102 tackles, 11 for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 4 recoveries, 4 blocked punts)

Just the facts

  • Since at least 2004, as far back as MaxPreps' game history goes, Newton and East Bernard have never played each other.
  • Newton is averaging 505 yards per game (142.8 passing and 362.2 rushing).
  • Eagles running back Darwin Barlow is averaging 13.4 yards per carry.
  • Newton is outscoring its opponents by an average of 51.1 points per game.
  • East Bernard is averaging 338.9 yards per game (75.1 passing and 263.8 rushing).
  • Brahmas running back Kobe Brown is averaging 10.7 yards per game.
  • East Bernard is giving up only 8.6 points per game.

Key matchup: Newton rushing attack against the East Bernard defense. Newton has been one of the best teams running the ball all season long. Darwin Barlow finished with more than 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground in only two and a half quarters. But the Brahmas don't just have to worry about him on the ground. He also had more than 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Val Fowler and Kevin Watson, as well as quarterback Josh Foster and receiver Tamauzia Brown, also see their fair share of carries and East Bernard has to watch out for them, too. The Eagles are averaging more than 350 yards per game on the ground.

Photo by Heather Foster
Photo by Heather Foster
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Mason Vasut (8 sacks) and Payton Peloquin (181 tackles) will lead the defense in its effort. If Vasut isn't able to catch the backs up front, Peloquin will try to ensure they don't get too far. It's a tall task, but if East Bernard can slow down the rushing game a little bit, it might have a shot to make the game close.

Don't be surprised if: Newton runs away with this one. No one has challenged the Eagles all playoffs. Newton has defeated its opponents by a combined score of 276-31 in the playoffs. One both defense and offense, the Eagles have proved to be the superior team thus far. It doesn't seem that anyone will be able to challenge the Eagles, who have five Division I prospect on their teams, unheard of for a 3A school. Expect yet another blowout in this one.

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