DAVID BARBER
Sports Correspondent
When the 2024 regular season began, the Van Vandals were hoping to be in a position to compete for the District 7-4A, Division 2, championship at the end of the season.
They will have that chance to gain at least a share of the district title when they visit the state-ranked Texarkana Pleasant Grove Hawks in a 6 p.m. kickoff Friday, Nov. 8 in Texarkana.
The Hawks are currently ranked fifth in the state in Class 4A, Division 2, according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine.
The Vandals enter the district showdown game with a 7-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in district play while the district leading Hawks enter the district and regular season finale with a 7-2 overall mark and a 4-0 district record.
Regardless of the Nov. 8 outcome, both teams will be competing next week in the bi-district round of the Class 4A, Division 2, football playoffs.
A Texarkana Pleasant Grove victory over Van will give the Hawks the district championship while the Vandals will finish third in the district race.
The Vandals can claim a three-way tie for the district championship with the Hawks and the Gilmer Buckeyes (6-3, 3-1) with a victory over Texarkana Pleasant Grove which would move Van into the number two playoff seed in the district.
A Vandal victory by at least 13 points over Texarkana Pleasant Grove would give the Vandals the first-place playoff seed in the district.
“We are playing a really good football team Friday night in Texarkana Pleasant Grove,” emphasized Vandal Head Football Coach Jared Moffatt. “They are really good defensively, one of the best around in Class 4A. They have done a great job of coaching there. They have great players on both sides of the ball. Their kids play extremely hard, and they are well-coached. They are a physical football team. They have won a couple of state championships over there in recent years. I am impressed with their overall program.
“When you talk about this year’s team over there, you have to talk about their defense first,” continued Moffatt. “Their defensive front is special. They have a defensive end named Jackson that is one of the top college recruits in the country at defensive end. His brother starts at Arkansas and could be a first-round draft pick in the NFL. This guy that is playing for Texarkana Pleasant Grove now was a sophomore when we played against them in the playoffs two years ago. He was good then and he is even better now as a senior.  He is a game-wrecker. He presents so many problems. He is 6-6 or 6-7 and weighs 230-240 pounds. He is a huge, athletic, powerful kid. The rest of their defensive front is really good as well. They change fronts a lot. Their defense does a lot of blitzing. They have an athletic secondary. They have not given up a lot of points. Gilmer only scored 10 points against them. Against their defense, you are fighting for not only points, but yards as well.
“This will be a slugfest, a physical football game,” pointed out the Vandal head coach. “Offensively, they started the season running the ‘Wing-T’ formation but when we played them two years ago in the playoffs, they were a ‘spread’ team. This season, they lost to Paris early in the season, 7-0. After that game, they again switched from the ‘Wing-T’ to the ‘spread.’ It was a great decision for them. The quarterback throws a great deep ball. They have really good receivers, one of which is considered to be one of the better high school baseball players around this area. They have a fast, shifty running back. Their speed puts a lot of pressure on the defense. They have a tremendous football program.”
Texarkana Pleasant Grove’s only losses this season were to Paris, 7-0, and to Kilgore in double overtime.
“We have played some really good football teams this season, but Texarkana Pleasant Grove may be the best team we have played against so far,” emphasized Jared Moffatt. “I know they are at least as good as anyone we have played against. This will be a tremendous test for our football team. 
“We have taken care of our business in a lot of ways this season up to this point,” continued Moffatt. “We know that as big a game as this one is Friday night, it is not a must-win game. We know that regardless of what happens, we will be in the playoffs starting next week. We are playing for playoff seeding with a chance to at least tie for the district championship so this is a big week for us. We know this is going to be a war at their place. We just need to get to the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game at the end. It should be a lot of fun Friday night.”
Following the trip to Texarkana Pleasant Grove, the Vandals will be preparing for a bi-district playoff meeting against a representative from District 8-4A, Division 2, as the opponent could be Athens, Center, Rusk, Bullard, or Brownsboro depending on how regular season and district finale games end Friday night.
For results of the Van/Texarkana Pleasant Grove regular season and district finale Nov. 8 as well as a preview of the Vandals’ Class 4A, Division 2, bi-district playoff game next week, check out www.vanzandtnews.com.