It's already week 7 of high school football and both teams in our Marquee Matchup only have one loss to their record. It's a UIL 5A-DI District 16 duel between the Tuloso-Midway Warriors (5-1, 2-0) and Alice Coyotes (4-1, 1-0).
Tuloso-Midway's enthusiasm is a revival after the Warriors finished last season with a 1-9 record, but it starts with the run game led by Landon Jasso and Joseph Tamez who together have totaled nearly 800 yards on the ground.
"Honestly the line is starting to do their job better and starting to execute," said Joseph Tamez, Tuloso-Midway junior running back. "Get their blocks and everyone is just doing their job on the field."
"The running game has been our staple," said Kris O'Neal, Tuloso-Midway football head coach. "I think we've been productive with the passing game, so it's enough to get us some big plays, some explosives."
Alice senior quarterback Cutter Stewart leads the Coyotes' attack with 1,166 passing yards and 14 touchdowns between 6 different receivers.
"We do a lot of RPO's. You know, Cutter is really good at pulling and throwing some of those things really quick," said Kyle Atwood, Alice football head coach. "We're a little more pass heavy this year than normal, but we try to keep it really balanced 50-50 run to pass."
"You know we found a rhythm this last game. I mean we won 73-13," said Cutter Stewart, Alice senior quarterback. "Defense did their job and offense just followed suit. Started connecting on a lot of passes. Our running backs ran really hard. Offensive line blocked their butts off, I mean that's probably the best game they've had all year."
Stewart's confidence comes from his o-line that hasn't allowed a sack all season.
"They're pretty big up front where we are and they have a couple of explosive guys, but I think we have the more explosive people," said Cristian Trevino, Alice senior left tackle. "It should be a good matchup on Friday night."
Tuloso-Midway's Jeremiah Garza, who has 4 interceptions, is ready for the tough test in the UIL 4A-DI District 16 matchup.
"It's going to be a challenge," said Garza, T-M junior cornerback, strong safety and wide receiver. "Of course it is, but you know we've just got to trust our coach's gameplan and work hard every day and try to execute that."
Catch the Marquee Matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Alice Memorial Stadium. We'll have highlights, scores and more on the Friday Night Fever.
BEST HANDS IN THE COASTAL BEND...JK. The @AliceAthletics1 (4-1, 1-0) have not allowed a sack all season, and they'll look to keep it that way in our @KRIS6sports Marquee Matchup against @T_MAthletics. #KRIS6Sports @cutterstewart_ @Alexbotello_53 @Kyle__Atwood pic.twitter.com/6Lyzol6vH5
— Larissa Liska (@LarissaLiska) October 5, 2022
