Vandals face long-time rival Lindale in home opener on Friday the 13th
DAVID BARBER
Hoping that good luck will be on their side on Friday the 13th, the 1-1 Van Vandals will have their home opener at Van’s Memorial Stadium as they will take on their long-time rival, the 2-0 Lindale Eagles, in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
Coach Jared Moffatt’s Vandals are coming off a heartbreaking 36-30 defeat on the road against the Pine Tree Pirates while the Eagles held off Mount Pleasant in the rain, 12-3, as both games were played Sept. 6.
Van senior starting quarterback Jaxon Moffatt, who had to leave the game due to a head injury during the Vandals’ final offensive possession Sept. 6, is scheduled to start the game against Lindale Sept. 13, according to Jared Moffatt.
“This is my 15th time to play against Lindale,” pointed out Jared Moffatt. “Coach Cochran has been the head coach at Lindale for the past eight years. He and his staff have done a tremendous job with their program. They put out good teams every year. They have been consistently good for a long period of time. They are well-coached. Their kids play hard, and they believe in what they do there.
“Offensively, their offensive line is not as big as they were, but they are still really good,” continued Jared Moffatt. “Their core beliefs are still the same. They also have a really good defensive lineman that is being recruited strongly by colleges already as a junior. Lindale beat Hallsville and Mount Pleasant. I am not surprised that they are 2-0. They are playing with a lot of confidence. Their sophomore quarterback is going to be a really good player.
“In the last four years, we have split and all four of those games were decided by one score on the final possession,” pointed out Jared Moffatt. “Both of these teams play hard, and they will get after each other. The players are familiar with each other. They have competed against each other since Pee-Wee days. It will once again be a playoff-like atmosphere Friday night. It will be a battle and both teams know that. It should be a really good high school football game.”
In the past few seasons, the visiting team has had more success than the home team in the Van/Lindale series.
“I don’t know why that is,” summarized Jared Moffatt. “I just don’t think it matters in this rivalry game where the game is played. It will be a back-and-forth game regardless of where it is played.”
According to the Vandal head coach, the Eagles are an impressive team running the football this season.
“I have been real impressed with their running game offensively,” said Jared Moffatt. “Their quarterback has a lot of ability. They are going to get better throwing and catching. I just hope it doesn’t happen in our stadium Friday night. Defensively, they have made slight changes with their fronts. They are not afraid to blitz. Their kicker can kick the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs.”
After road trips to Dallas and Longview to open the season, Jared Moffatt and his team are glad to finally play a home game Friday night. “It will be nice to play at home and not travel this week,” said Jared Moffatt.
The Vandals’ junior high teams will be in action at home against Lindale Thursday, Sept. 12 starting at 4:30 p.m. while Van’s freshmen and junior varsity teams will visit Lindale with action starting at 5:15 p.m.
For results of the Friday the 13th varsity matchup between the Vandals and the Eagles and a preview of Van’s Homecoming game against Sunnyvale Sept. 20, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.