Friday, September 18, 1998

What about the teams to the west in 4-5A?

By Jeff Walker

With the District 4-5A season within shouting distance, it is time to take a look west at the other schools Abilene High and Cooper will battle for one of the top three spots in the playoffs.

Our first stop takes us to Midland (next week we'll look at Odessa).

Midland Lee is off to a 2-0 start, and the Rebels have done it in rather easy fashion.

Lee has breezed past its first two opponents by scores of 42-12 and 41-0. Lee has been successful because of a balanced rushing attack. The Rebels have three running backs with at least 100 yards on the ground through the first two weeks.

Clint McNutt has led the Rebels with 179 yards on the ground in just 13 carries (13.8 average). Autry Pryor has also gained 179 yards on 35 carries (5.1 average). Cedric Benson has added 106 yards on 18 carries.

"We've had a handful of guys do well, that's why we're excited," Lee head coach John Parchman said. "I doubt we're going to have a 1,000-yard rusher on this team, but we're going to have a bunch of different guys and a more balanced running game."

McNutt has also added four touchdowns for the Rebels, who rank second in team scoring in the district with 83 points (Odessa Permian is first with 88).

The defense for Lee lost Stuart Ledgerwood before the season due to head-related injuries, but the losses have been minimum for Parchman and his staff.

"We lost one guy for the season, but the others with injuries will be back," he said. "We lost a defensive tackle and a safety for a few weeks and we've had our bumps and bruises, but overall we've been blessed."

While Parchman has been pleased with his team's performance through two weeks, Midland High head coach David Browning doesn't feel the same assurance.

"Week 1 we played well but last week we didn't," said Browning, whose team lost 18-15 last week to El Paso Andress. "I don't know if it was the six-hour road trip or what, but we made stupid mistakes, we had penalties. The second half we played a little better."

One bright spot for the Bulldogs has been the play of running back Shemond Davis, who has rushed for 436 yards on 35 carries. He is second in the district to Abilene High's Sneezy Beltran in rushing yardage.

"Davis has stepped up and averaged about 200 yards a game for us," Browning said. "He averages about 12 yards per carry and has played real well."

While the rushing attack of the Bulldogs has kept their total offense at No. 2 in the district, the defense is second to last. Browning said his team needs to build consistency before district play begins.

"We need to get executing on all cylinders all the time," he said. "Whether it's offense or defense, we've got to play every play like it's the last play."

4-5A picks

After going a perfect 5-0 the first week of the season, I decided to take last week off to bask in my glory. Seriously, here is a look at this week's District 4-5A action.

-- Abilene High 23, Euless Trinity 13 - The Eagles' defense has allowed just one offensive touchdown but will get a big test this week from running back Robert Lolohea.

-- North Mesquite 27, Cooper 21 - The Cougars face a carbon-copy of last week, except a much stronger defense. The Stallions may spoil homecoming for Cooper.

-- Midland Lee 30, Arlington Martin 14 - Lee enters this game outscoring opponents 83-12 in its first two contests. Look for the Rebels to notch victory number three.

-- Lubbock Monterey 13, Midland High 10 - The Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season last week to El Paso Andress and the Plainsmen hung pretty close with the Eagles a few weeks back.

-- Odessa High 30, El Paso Coronado 20 - After opening the season with two straight victories, OHS lost to Lubbock Coronado last week, 3-0. Look for the Bronchos to take revenge on the other Coronado.

-- Odessa Permian 35, Amarillo High 7 - Panthers roll to their third consecutive victory.

Jeff Walker can be reached at 676-6711 or sports@abinews.com.