Indians take preseason to Loboland tonight
Evading the defense– Senior wide reciever James Hurston side steps a Mustang defender as he returns a punt during preseason play again Denver City on Sept. 28. Hurston scored 12 points for the Indians on two touchdown passes from senior quarterback Jordan Matthews.
The 2-2 Indians will travel to Levelland for a non-district game with the Lobos at 7 p.m.
“We want to work to control what we can,” Coach Kent Jackson said. “Play hard and play smart. The rest will take care of itself.”
The Indians took a 33-7 win over the Mustangs in Denver City on Sept. 28, scoring three rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns.
Perhaps the most dramatic score came on a busted field goal attempt when junior kicker Dago Esquivel scooped up the ball, running for a touchdown ended in a gasp-provoking finish on his head in the endzone.
“I felt anger toward Denver City for the hit,” junior running back Devin Doerksen said. “I felt for Dago, but the overall game didn’t feel like much of a rivalry because it wasn’t much of a game.”
The Indians struggled early in the season as they grappled with the loss of a slew of graduates.
“It’s tough losing two Division I studs who basically helped form the team,” junior quarterback Jarrett Bagwell said. “They helped us see what the tradition is about and how to play Seminole football.”
Penalties are a recurring problem for the Indians. Senior wide reciever James Hurston had two touchdown runs called back due to penalties in the first two games.
“We condition for every penalty,” Hurston said. “Not everyone likes that, so it motivates us to limit that.”
The player are working to minimize the penalties and control emotions on the field.
“We are cutting it down each week,” senior quarterback Jordon Matthews said. “We had 13 penalties for 83 yards, and we managed to bring it down to 7 penalties for 60 yards, so we are slowly getting there.”
Junior offensive lineman Jaxon Washington sees winning as his motivation.
“I like to win a lot,” Washington said. “I really don’t like to lose. We have to treat the game like it’s a business and do what we have to do.”
District begins in the four-team district against Lake View on Oct. 26 in San Angelo followed by the Steers in Big Spring on Nov. 2, and the last regular season game at home versus Andrews on Nov. 9.
“Andrews will be tough,” senior running back Noah Mata said. “It’ll be a good game. We just have to stay focused in practice and make sure to execute when game time rolls around.”
