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Now that Maud has taken care of the daunting task of besting a District C-3 team in the first round of the postseason, the Tigers face the new challenge of tangling with one of Class C’s most successful programs — Shattuck.
The Tigers will host the Indians — possessors of seven state crowns — at 7:30 tonight in the second round of the playoffs. The Indians secured their first title as a Class A team in 1991, and their last six — all in Class C — were consecutive from 2003 to 2008.
“For many years, they were the ones everyone was chasing,” said Maud head coach Bruce Harrell.
Many high school programs across the state admire and try to emulate Shattuck’s approach, Harrell said.
Shattuck didn’t advance beyond the second round of the postseason in 2009, but that doesn’t mean the Indians lost their mettle.
“They’re only one year removed from that, so they’re still a good football team,” Harrell said.
Harrell said this will be the first time since 2001 that Shattuck has played a playoff game on someone else’s field. The Indians, who finished second in District C-1 and hosted Ryan in the first round, are accustomed to playing two games at home before heading to a neutral site.
Homefield advantage has its advantages. Maud has not lost a game at Derrel Pearcy Stadium since a 34-14 setback to C-3 representative Covington-Douglas in the first round of the 2009 playoffs.
The Tigers have never hoisted a gold ball, and have never advanced beyond the semifinals. The last time Maud made it that far was in 1993.
Harrell has met with Shattuck on the battlefield twice before, but not while coaching at Maud. While at Paoli in 2000, Harrell and the Pugs bested the Indians 59-18, and while at Grandfield, Harrell and crew were defeated 46-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
That’s enough exposure for Harrell to know a team that’s all business is coming to his little neck of the woods.
“They’re going to line up right, and they’re going to hit you in the mouth,” Harrell said. “The good thing about it is you know where they’re going to be and how they’re going to play. There’s no mystery.”
Adding a wrinkle or two to the mix and keeping the Tiger offense moving is a big part of Maud’s plan tonight, Harrell said.
“These guys (Shattuck) play very well on defense,” he said. “We’re going to have to play well up front. Our offensive line played well last week, and we need that again.”
Maud squeezed by Medford, 46-40, in last Friday’s first-round contest, thus snapping the skid opposite District C-3. The Tigers are 10-1 coming into tonight’s game, and Shattuck — with last week’s 38-30 win over Ryan — is 9-1.
“To get by that one last week was big,” Harrell said of the win over Medford. “The kids are upbeat. If we play hard, that’s all I can ask for.”
Leading Maud’s offensive charge, which stands at 4,479 total yards, is quarterback Shane Bailey. Bailey, a senior, has rushed for more than 1,600 yards on 129 carries this season, and he has 33 rushing scores. Bailey currently holds the single-player career rushing record for any Maud eight-man program with more than 3,300 yards, and he is only 35 yards away from tying the single-season record of 1,649 yards.
Through the air, Bailey has completed 26 of 53 passes (49.1 percent) for 1,039 yards and 17 TDs, and he has been intercepted only four times.
Senior Trey Hale leads Maud’s receiving corps with 15 touchdowns and 925 yards on 21 catches — an average of 44 yards per catch. On the ground, Hale has rushed for three scores and 124 yards on 11 attempts.
Senior Chaz Moody has 687 rushing yards and 15 scores on 108 carries, and defensively he and Bailey are tied with 137 tackles. Bailey has one sack and eight picks, and Moody has one sack.
Senior Cody Williams leads in sacks with eight, and he has 126 tackles on the season and two rushing scores on four carries.
Nick Simons, a freshman, has six rushing touchdowns and 496 yards on 67 totes, and he has 52 tackles.
Now that Maud has taken care of the daunting task of besting a District C-3 team in the first round of the postseason, the Tigers face the new challenge of tangling with one of Class C’s most successful programs — Shattuck.
The Tigers will host the Indians — possessors of seven state crowns — at 7:30 tonight in the second round of the playoffs. The Indians secured their first title as a Class A team in 1991, and their last six — all in Class C — were consecutive from 2003 to 2008.
“For many years, they were the ones everyone was chasing,” said Maud head coach Bruce Harrell.
Many high school programs across the state admire and try to emulate Shattuck’s approach, Harrell said.
Shattuck didn’t advance beyond the second round of the postseason in 2009, but that doesn’t mean the Indians lost their mettle.
“They’re only one year removed from that, so they’re still a good football team,” Harrell said.
Harrell said this will be the first time since 2001 that Shattuck has played a playoff game on someone else’s field. The Indians, who finished second in District C-1 and hosted Ryan in the first round, are accustomed to playing two games at home before heading to a neutral site.
Homefield advantage has its advantages. Maud has not lost a game at Derrel Pearcy Stadium since a 34-14 setback to C-3 representative Covington-Douglas in the first round of the 2009 playoffs.
The Tigers have never hoisted a gold ball, and have never advanced beyond the semifinals. The last time Maud made it that far was in 1993.
Harrell has met with Shattuck on the battlefield twice before, but not while coaching at Maud. While at Paoli in 2000, Harrell and the Pugs bested the Indians 59-18, and while at Grandfield, Harrell and crew were defeated 46-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
That’s enough exposure for Harrell to know a team that’s all business is coming to his little neck of the woods.
“They’re going to line up right, and they’re going to hit you in the mouth,” Harrell said. “The good thing about it is you know where they’re going to be and how they’re going to play. There’s no mystery.”
Adding a wrinkle or two to the mix and keeping the Tiger offense moving is a big part of Maud’s plan tonight, Harrell said.
“These guys (Shattuck) play very well on defense,” he said. “We’re going to have to play well up front. Our offensive line played well last week, and we need that again.”
Maud squeezed by Medford, 46-40, in last Friday’s first-round contest, thus snapping the skid opposite District C-3. The Tigers are 10-1 coming into tonight’s game, and Shattuck — with last week’s 38-30 win over Ryan — is 9-1.
“To get by that one last week was big,” Harrell said of the win over Medford. “The kids are upbeat. If we play hard, that’s all I can ask for.”
Leading Maud’s offensive charge, which stands at 4,479 total yards, is quarterback Shane Bailey. Bailey, a senior, has rushed for more than 1,600 yards on 129 carries this season, and he has 33 rushing scores. Bailey currently holds the single-player career rushing record for any Maud eight-man program with more than 3,300 yards, and he is only 35 yards away from tying the single-season record of 1,649 yards.
Through the air, Bailey has completed 26 of 53 passes (49.1 percent) for 1,039 yards and 17 TDs, and he has been intercepted only four times.
Senior Trey Hale leads Maud’s receiving corps with 15 touchdowns and 925 yards on 21 catches — an average of 44 yards per catch. On the ground, Hale has rushed for three scores and 124 yards on 11 attempts.
Senior Chaz Moody has 687 rushing yards and 15 scores on 108 carries, and defensively he and Bailey are tied with 137 tackles. Bailey has one sack and eight picks, and Moody has one sack.
Senior Cody Williams leads in sacks with eight, and he has 126 tackles on the season and two rushing scores on four carries.
Nick Simons, a freshman, has six rushing touchdowns and 496 yards on 67 totes, and he has 52 tackles.
