By Rob Tate
SportCast Media
Last week was the bye, so Magnolia head coach Craig Martin took to the road himself and see with his own two eyes some of the Bulldogs’ upcoming opponents.
That includes Klein Cain, a team Magnolia has never faced.
The Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0) and Hurricanes (4-1, 2-1) are two prime contenders for a District 15-6A title, so this will be a huge contest 7 p.m. at Bulldog Stadium.
Martin likes to give his coaching staff an optional breather from in-person scouting during the bye week. So off to Klein Memorial Stadium the sixth-year leader of the Bulldogs went to get a birds-eye view of the Hurricanes, who have established themselves as a yearly powerhouse since the doors opened and the program started competing at the varsity level in 2018.
“We went out and watched Cain and Tomball Memorial on Thursday and then we caught Magnolia West and Tomball on Friday,” Martin said. “It was good.”
Klein Cain played with some extra vigor in a 55-14 decision over Tomball Memorial that night. That came a week later after what some might consider a puzzling 33-32 loss to Klein Oak.
Magnolia has beaten both those teams. But that doesn’t instantly mean much against Klein Cain. It just shows the Bulldogs what’s possible.
The Hurricanes average 51 points per game in their four wins (Cy-Fair, College Park, Klein and Tomball Memorial). They are a program, under the direction of head coach James Clancy, that has only missed the playoffs their inaugural year. Last year, Klein Cain went 8-4 and lasted two rounds deep in the playoffs for the third straight year.
“After watching them, they are as advertised,” Martin said. “They’re super athletic, super fast and explosive on offense. It’s probably as fast as a tempo offense you’ll see all year long. When you do that with explosive athletes, it’s pretty dangerous. We feel like we’ll have our hands full there.”
Klein Cain features a 1,400-yard passer in Zach Johnson, a near 900-yard receiver in Maxwell Hendrick and a 700-yard rusher in Jaelon Dixon. The Hurricanes have 30 touchdowns on offense, even with 15 through the air and 15 on the ground.
Without the outlier of 32 points allowed against Klein Oak two weeks ago, Klein Cain is allowing just 16.5 points per game.
“Defensively, it’s going to be limiting our mental mistakes,” Martin said. “We’re going to have to get ourselves lined up to formations really quickly. They snap the ball about as fast you can see. I think making them earn every yard that they get (is a big key).”
When we last saw Magnolia during its 38-33 win at Tomball Memorial on Sept. 20, the Bulldogs employed a three-headed monster taking snaps as sophomore starting quarterback Chase Lowery missed the game due to injury.
Backup quarterback Teague Clements, a junior, made a couple clutch passes while senior running back Colin Leahey and sophomore athlete Cash Ferrell both ran for over 100 yards while frequently taking direct snaps from the center.
“It gives you a much better taste in your mouth than going into the bye week with a loss,” Martin said of pulling out that huge win to remain unbeaten in district play. “Winning in this district is hard enough as it is. When you pick up a road win, it’s even better. To fight through some adversity like we did, I’m certainly proud of the way we finished the game off and battled all the way through it.”
There’s also some good news that should lift the Magnolia offense this week.
“Chase is back and he’s all better,” Martin said. “He’s ready to rock.”
Magnolia will need to piece together quality drives and keep the ball secured.
“They don’t give up a ton of points,” Martin said. “They are statistical leaders in several categories defensively. It’s just going to be staying true to who we are, taking care of our responsibilities and being consistent.”
The bye coming five weeks into the season was an adjustment compared to the position Magnolia was in the last two seasons where it played its entire regular season before getting a rest.
“The last two years, we were a Week 11 bye,” Martin said. “Our 3-7 year (2022), we were getting ready for the offseason during the bye. Last year, it was great because we were able to take a deep breath, recharge the batteries and get ready for a playoff run.”
The last week of September was an opportune time to work on some things in practice without focusing on the next opponent while also healing up some.
“We were able to take a little bit of a breather and cut back on some physicality at practice,” Martin said. “We got some guys that were dinged up with a little rest and recovery. All-in-all, it was a good week.”
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