ACHS meets challenge of Dallas Academy

By TIM THORSEN / Staff Writer

STRAWN - Abilene Christian High School will be facing another big challenge when the Panthers take on Dallas Academy tonight in the semifinal round of the Texas Association of Private and Parchial Schools Six-Man playoffs.

"They are an enormous team," said ACHS coach Steve Woods. "They only have one guy under 150 pounds and they have four guys who weigh more than 200 pounds."

And while the Panthers knocked off a similarly large team last week in Seven Points Christian Life Academy, the challenge will be much greater this week, according to Woods.

"Seven Points just had big guys. Dallas Academy has big guys who are very athletic," he said. "They are also incredibly explosive, which is something you don't expect from such a large team."

In addition, the Golden Eagles feature a wealth of experience. Of the 16 players they will suit up tonight, there will be just one freshman and one sophomore on the field.

However, the younger Panthers may actually have the experience advantage. ACHS made it all the way to the TAPPS Six-Man state final last season, while this will be just the second playoff game for the Eagles' veteran squad.

Dallas Academy coach Phil Flatt doesn't see that as a problem, though.

"I'm not concerned about our lack of playoff experience because our team has plenty of game experience," he said.

The difference in the game, according to Woods, will be which team can wear down the other.

"We both attack defenses with the same objective, although we go about it in different ways," he said. "We both try to wear down the other team. They will try to pound us with the run and we want to wear them out with the pass."

Leading the offense for the top-ranked Panthers will be record-breaking quarterback John Estes IV, who has completed 58 percent of his passes for 3,727 yards and 66 touchdowns this season.

"We don't expect to stop Estes and their offense," said Flatt. "We just hope to contain them. We can't allow any cheap touchdowns and we have to pressure the quarterback."

Defensively, Woods expects to see an even mix of rushing and passing from the Dallas Academy offense, led by quarterback Chris Coker.

"I think they will try to pound us early before going to the air. Then I expect they will go back to the run when they think they have worn us down," he said. "We will have to be ready for that and we may also have to alter our substitution plans to remain fresh."

"We have a very balanced attack," said Flatt. "Our quarterback (Coker) is a two-year starter with a great arm, which is his main asset. He also plays better when we establish and make our opponents respect the run."

ACHS vs. Dallas Academy

-- What: TAPPS Six-Man semifinals

-- Where: Strawn

-- When: 7:30 p.m.

-- Records: ACHS 10-1, Dallas Academy 8-3