DAVID BARBER

davidb@vanzandtnews.com

After consecutive losses in their final two regular season games, the Van Vandals know that there is no longer any margin for error as they begin post-season play.

Coach Jared Moffatt’s Vandals, 7-3 overall and 4-2 in District 8-4A, Division 2, play enter the Class 4A, Division 2, state playoffs as the runner-up team in the district.

Van will take on the Spring Hill Panthers (4-6 overall), the third-place team in District 7-4A, Division 2, in the bi-district round of the state playoffs in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Nov. 10 at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler. Van is the designated ‘home’ team for the game.

Jared Moffatt expressed confidence that his team will bounce back against Spring Hill after two straight defeats including a disappointing 28-21 loss at the hands of the Bullard Panthers on ‘Senior Night’ Nov. 3 at Van’s Memorial Stadium.

“How we respond to situations like this is what defines you as a football team,” emphasized the Vandal head coach. “The response is always important. There is only one response and that is you focus hard and play better Friday night against Spring Hill and that is what I fully expect our players to do this week.”

Spring Hill is not an unfamiliar opponent to the Vandals as the two teams squared off in a pre-season scrimmage back in August at Spring Hill.

“I don’t know if there is really anything that we can take away from that scrimmage that we can apply toward getting ready for this game Friday night,” said Jared Moffatt. “One thing is for sure. We have seen them, but they have seen us as well. That scrimmage was three months and 10 games ago. They are a completely different football team now and I am impressed with what they have done this season at Spring Hill.

“Offensively, Spring Hill is running a lot of option,” continued Jared Moffatt. “The guy that is considered to be their fullback has run the ball really well. He runs hard and had success in every game that they have played. The guy they toss the ball to on the edge has also run the football well. The quarterback is getting better every week, and they can hurt you with the play-action pass. I am real impressed with their offense.

“Defensively, the Spring Hill kids play really hard,” said Jared Moffatt. “This is not the same team that we played in the scrimmage in August. They are much better now. They will be coming into our game with a lot of confidence. Spring Hill is mostly an ‘odd’ front team defensively. They are very well coached.”

The Panthers have been taking some chances so far as their special teams are concerned, according to the Vandal head coach.

“They have been willing to take a number of risks in their kicking game,” emphasized Jared Moffatt. “They have faked a number of punts. They will run reverses on kickoffs. They have onside kicked a number of times. We expect to see that in our game against them Friday night.”

While the injury update does include any players for Van, one of the Vandal assistant coaches could be limited in his duties against Spring Hill as defensive coordinator Jaron Rainey is still recovering from a recent emergency appendectomy that forced him to miss Van’s final regular season game at home against Bullard Nov. 3.

“Coach Rainey got out of the hospital Nov. 4,” emphasized Jared Moffatt. “He is feeling better. He has been at practice this week. We are sure glad to have him back.”

Jared Moffatt did not commit during an interview Nov. 7 if Rainey will be coaching from the sidelines or in the press box against Spring Hill.

“I think there is a great chance that he will be on the sidelines,” said Jared Moffatt. “We will have to wait and see. He coaches our linebackers and calls our defenses so when he is not there, it matters, and I think that him not being there last Friday night against Bullard was a factor to some degree so far as our defensive performance was concerned. The coaches we had stepping in the other night (Parish, Oliver, Shaw, and Haltom) did a great job. It was a shared responsibility. We did not lose the Bullard game because of our overall defensive performance. Our defense played well enough to win against Bullard.

“Coach Rainey talked to our trainer Oct. 30, and he was advised to go get checked out to make sure there was not an issue with his appendix,” recalled Jared Moffatt. “Sure enough, the problem was his appendix, and he had his appendix removed that night. The appendix had not ruptured. I thought there was still a chance he would be at the game last Friday night. During the surgery, they found that there was more to it than what they originally thought. The appendix had torn so it was a more complicated surgery. We knew Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 1) that there was a good chance that he would not be at the Bullard game.”

Other Class 4A, Division 2, bi-district playoff matchups featuring District 8 and District 7 include District 8-4A champion Carthage facing Liberty-Eylau, the fourth-place team in District 8, in a 7 p.m. kickoff Thursday, Nov. 9 at Longview Pine Tree.

Center, the third-place team in District 8, will meet Gilmer, the runner-up team in District 7, at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 in Hallsville.

Rusk, the fourth-place team in District 8, will travel to Texarkana Pleasant Grove, the District 8 champion, in a 6:30 p.m. kickoff Friday, Nov. 10.

“Carthage is going to win big,” said Jared Moffatt. “Rusk will have a real hard time playing at Texarkana Pleasant Grove. The Center/Gilmer game is an interesting matchup. Both teams score a lot of points. Gilmer’s defense has gotten better as the season has gone on.”

Jared Moffatt also commented on the success this season of his sub-varsity teams at Van in 2023.

“Our junior varsity team finished 10-0, undefeated this season, and I was real proud of their performance,” pointed out Jared Moffatt. “Our freshmen finished 9-1. Their only loss was to Carthage by three points. I am equally proud of those guys as well. Our junior high teams played well. The eighth graders improved tremendously over the year before. I am really proud of all of our coaches and players on our sub-varsity teams this season.”

The winner of the Van/Spring Hill matchup will take on the winner of the Quinlan Ford/Aubrey game in the Area round of the state playoff at a site and time yet to be determined.

The Quinlan Ford/Aubrey game is being played at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 in Princeton.

For results of the Van/Spring Hill bi-district playoff game, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.