Bay City’s high school football program began in 1911 and has played 1,112 games. Iowa Colony has 18 games on the gridiron.
The programs on the opposite ends of the age range will meet Friday as two of the best teams in Class 4A, D-I, for the biggest game of the local high school football season.
The fifth-ranked Pioneers (4-0, 8-0) will visit Bay City to play the 10th-ranked Blackcats (3-1, 6-2) at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on the Blackcats’ Hall of Fame night.
“The dedication that our kids have had through the offseason and the summer … those things go a long way,” Pioneers coach Ray Garza said. “As far as our coaches, we have some good coaches here. They coach for the right reasons, which is to make kids better and build positive relationships with our kids and talk to them about more than just football to make them better people.”
The game has significant District 12-4A, D-I implications.
A Blackcat win over the Pioneers would clinch a playoff spot for Bay City and put it in the driver’s seat for the team’s first district championship since 2004. Meanwhile, a Pioneer victory puts the second-year program a win away from its first district title. Iowa Colony would need to beat Needville (4-1, 8-1), which is on a bye this week, in the regular-season finale at the friendly confines of Freedom Field in Iowa Colony.
Regardless of what happens Friday night, the Pioneers have undergone a major turnaround from a 2-8 team that struggled to win close games last season. After going 1-4 in games decided by seven points or fewer, they’re beating teams by a 30.1-point margin this year.
“We struggled as a new program and were close many times. We didn’t finish some of those times, but it is good for our kids to go out and execute,” Garza said. “We have had some ups and downs throughout the season, but I am proud of our kids’ resilience when they go into games and keep competing.”
Iowa Colony is coming off a 35-17 victory over another long-standing program in El Campo — district champions for three consecutive seasons. The Pioneers trailed 10-7 at the half but ripped off 28 straight points in the fourth quarter to clinch the program’s first playoff berth.
Quarterback Carson White was efficient, completing 10 of 13 passes for 168 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He added a rushing touchdown, making it the fourth consecutive multi-touchdown game for the freshman since taking over for an injured Camren Renfro.
“Carson did a great job coming in when Camren got hurt. Our biggest focus is to make sure Cam gets better, and right now, he is playing well,” Garza said. “They are out in practice, competing, and we are fortunate enough to have two guys that can play quarterback in our system.
“Right now, Carson will be the starter, but Cam still gets reps at quarterback.”
Receiver Jayden Warren has stepped up in his first varsity season. In three of his last four games, the sophomore has hauled in five passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns, including two catches for 52 yards and two scores last week against the Ricebirds.
“He’s a basketball and track kid. He has played football before but has worked hard playing receiver,” Garza said. “We have a good receiving corps, and on any night, if your number is called, then we have to make plays. Last week, Warren had a great game. He made some plays in traffic and ran some good routes, and that’s a good thing to see him come along because he’s got a lot of ability.
“He’ll be an intricate part of our receiving corps.”
Strong second halves have been customary throughout district play for the Pioneers.
In wins against Stafford, Navasota and El Campo, Iowa Colony was outscored 35-45 in the first half but ran away in the second half with a 75-24 advantage, including a lopsided 58-17 score in the fourth quarter.
“These teams in our district are good teams, they are well-coached and they have good players, so you are going to have your ups and downs at the beginning of the game,” Garza said. “We have done well coming out and playing in the second half.”
The Pioneers, who average 44.2 points per game, will face their stiffest test against a Bay City defense that limited then-ninth-ranked Needville to its lowest-scoring output in last week’s 50-17 victory over the Blue Jays.
Needville quarterback Kelian Sweeny was held to 5 yards rushing on five carries, and lead back Da’Shawn Burton had his worst game of the season with a 78-yard, one-touchdown performance on 19 rushes. Burton entered the Week 9 matchup averaging 204 yards a game.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but I wouldn’t want it any way for our kids and our program to grow. We have to play tough teams,” Garza said.
The Blackcats trailed 9-6 after one quarter against Needville but outscored the Blue Jays 26-8 in the second quarter to take a lead they never relinquished. Needville pulled within three, 20-17, but Bay City scored twice in the final 2:34 of the first half to turn a three-point game into a 15-point halftime advantage. Needville never scored again, leading to a 30-0 run for the Blackcats.
Running back Jada Andrews finished with 305 yards on 31 carries and four scores. The back averaged 9.8 yards a carry. Andrews led a Bay City offense that amassed 571 yards of offense in last week’s win.
Andrews is second in the district in rushing yards with 1,188 yards and 17 touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Estrada and Andrews create a 1-2 punch on offense, much like White and Aaron Tenner for the Pioneers.
Estrada is the district’s top passer with 1,643 yards on 114-of-208 passing (54.8 completion percentage) and is tied for the district lead with 14 touchdowns.
Iowa Colony enters Friday’s game having forced at least two turnovers in five straight games, totaling 15 during that stretch.
“They have big-play ability with the ball in their hands. Ultimately, our kids have to execute and do their job,” Garza said.
Jaden Malone leads the ’Cats in tackles with 32. University of Nebraska commit Carlon Jones is the defense’s headliner. He has 27 tackles, a team-high 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks. Linemate Cameron Spencer leads the Blackcats with 5.5 sacks, with 29 tackles and a forced fumble.
In the secondary, Jah’mari Johnson is the team’s ball hawk. He has a team-high three interceptions and two pa... Click here to read full article
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