DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

After two straight losses on the road, the Van Vandals are more than happy to be back home as they continue preparations for their Homecoming contest against the Brownsboro Bears.

Kickoff for the Homecoming game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 at Van’s Memorial Stadium in the final non-district game for the Vandals.

Coach Jared Moffatt’s Vandals, 2-2 for the season, will be looking to continue their winning ways at home as they outlasted Dallas Carter and Pine Tree at Van’s Memorial Stadium before losing their road contests at Lindale and Sunnyvale.

Brownsboro is 1-3 this season after losing a tough 52-45 game to Caddo Mills last Friday night.

The Bears compete in District 8-4A, Division 2, that includes defending Class 4A, Division 2, State Champion Carthage, along with Athens, Center, Bullard, and Rusk.

While the injury list was long for the Vandals last week, there is optimism that the list could be shortened entering their Homecoming contest against Brownsboro, according to Moffatt.

“Our linebacker, Carter Admire, is back for sure this week after missing the last six quarters,” said Moffatt. “Q’ (running back/cornerback Da’Quavion Williams) is a ‘maybe’ with that MCL sprain. He has a better chance of playing this week than last week. He has been practicing every day. It is just a question of how effective he can be this week in the game. He is definitely ‘questionable’ and ‘uncertain’ at this point. Waylon King, our defensive lineman, injured his shoulder against Sunnyvale last week. He is ‘questionable’ for this week’s game. We have played four games and 16 quarters of very physical football so far this season. We are beat up but so is every other football team at this point. Our guys are tough-minded. After this game, we will have a bye week, and we will need that time off for sure.”

Moffatt, in his 16th season at Van, has never lost to Brownsboro as he has a 15-0 overall record against the Bears.

“They always have talented players every time we play them, and this year is no exception,” emphasized Moffatt. “Their running back is a talented kid. Last year, he played safety. This year, he has played every down at running back. He is about 6-2 or 6-3. If he gets loose, we will have a hard time catching him. They have a couple of receivers that are making plays for them. Their quarterback is completing passes down the field. They have not struggled to score points.

“Defensively, they have given up some points, but so have we,” continued the Vandal head coach. “Their kids are playing hard. They beat Jacksonville. They could have easily won against Caddo Mills. They played Sunnyvale close. We have had some interesting games over the years against Brownsboro. We have to be ready to go from the beginning.”

According to Moffatt, the Bears will show a shotgun and ‘spread’ look offensively and on defense, Brownsboro will show a combination of ‘even’ and ‘odd’ fronts in addition to showing man and zone coverages in their secondary.

The Vandals have enjoyed a lot of success over the years in their Homecoming matchups and Moffatt said their preparations for Brownsboro will not change as they deal with potential distractions.

“We have had minimal distractions over the years in our preparations for our Homecoming game,” pointed out Moffatt. “Homecoming has become a more normal week through the years. Our Homecoming Parade was moved a few years ago from Thursday night to Wednesday night and it has turned into a pretty good community event. When we were doing it on Thursday night after the junior high games, it made it a late night in the past but now, having it on Wednesday, we start earlier and finish earlier. I enjoy it. It is a good community event.”

The Vandal sub-varsity teams will be in action Thursday, Sept. 25 as the junior high teams will be hosting the Bears at Van’s Memorial Stadium starting at 4 p.m. while the freshmen and junior varsity teams will be visiting Brownsboro with the freshmen game starting at 5 p.m. followed by the J.V. contest.

For results of the Van/Brownsboro varsity Homecoming game Sept. 26, and the Vandals’ plans during their upcoming bye week, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.