Nimitz Edges Off Elsik
Synopsis:
Head Coach David Suggs kicked off his fifth season with Aldine Nimitz High School at Crump Stadium in North Houston Saturday night, in front of a packed house against The Elsik Rams. Given the lack of depth and starters Elsik returned, Nimitz was the clear favorite, but Elsik struck first and jumped to a 7-0 lead. The game wasn’t exactly what a fan would call an offensive barn burner, but more of a defensive featured event. Both teams looked very mistake prone, but as the minutes passed they began to settle.
The Nimitz Cougars offense was lead by Junior running back Marion Grice, who carried the offense with two scores, one in each of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Quarterback Zerick Rollins also contributed through the air for 44 yards and a couple of drive saving runs. Elsik at one point was up 17-14, but the Cougars came back in the 4th quarter in a dramatic fashion with a score and interception to seal the deal to end it 21-17. All in all the Nimitz Cougars need some fine tuning but appear to be one of the better Aldine ISD teams behind Eisenhower. If progress can be made, they are in the running for one of the four playoff spots in District 19-5A.
Offensive Player of the Game: Marion Grice
Aldine ISD Struggles to Put Wins Together
A district known for their football talent began the 2008 football season with a rather sour taste in their mouths. The highly touted Eisenhower Eagles fell in a un-Ike like manner. Interceptions were thrown, and tackles were missed. It was a poor showing for a team with so many high expectations going into the season and such a talent stacked roster. Eisenhower played out of character; the same can not be said for Aldine ISD’s counterpart, MacArthur High School, who was shut out by a reloading Stratford team 31-0.
The MacArthur Generals struggled, and could not do much of anything. They lacked a consistent running game and tackling was almost nonexistent. It is to be noted, however, that MacArthur is in a rebuilding stage, having graduated most of last season’s starters.
Aldine High School put a big “L” in the loss column as well, losing to Clear Lake in a painful 31-10 defeat. The defense seemed to struggle against the rare “Triple Option” attack the Clear Lake Falcons put on the field Friday evening. The offense, however, showed glimmers of hope as Quarterback Jordan Moore connected decently with several of his wide receivers. If the Mustangs manage to execute better in next’s week dual against the experience heavy Deer Park, then a win is a good possibility. The defense will have to come together a little better against Deer Park’s returning running back, Travis Carter, who posted 180 yards against Jersey Village this week.
Finally, the shimmer of this past’s week football games was the Nimitz Cougars. They struggled early on against the Elsik Rams, digging a deficit of 14 points into the 2nd quarter. Though costly mistakes were made early, the Cougars settled and roared back with a dramatic 21-17 win sealed by an interception by Julius Wilkins. The Cougars were the only Aldine ISD team to win this week, and only one of three teams to win in district 19-5A.
The District as a whole didn’t perform as well as expected, but it is far too early to panic. First game jitters are common for such a young group of teams. They all have three non-district opponents left to warm up with, for what looks to be a challenging 19-5A.
______________________________
.......Spring Game Ike Coverage
Eisenhower Eagles Spring Breakdown:
When one thinks “BIG IKE”, they think big, fast, and aggressive.
Well, clearly nothing has changed. On May 20th, Eisenhower held their
spring game at the Aldine’s Auxiliary Smith Stadium in front of a
packed house. The spring game was a typical scrimmage as far as playbooks
would go, but one couldn't help but walk away with at least a thought
of “The Swoop is back”.
Offense: When a team has four skill players all
being hoarded by Division 1 schools, it is apparent that you have
something special going on. While the game didn't showcase the play
calling of the new regime under Ray Evans, it certainly highlighted
the physical ability of individuals. Star QB Kenneth Guiton, showed
improved field vision as he seemed to have a sixth sense for defenders
charging at him from which ever direction. Although he never threw
for a touchdown during the spring game, he was able to get off a
couple of nice passes to Greg
Timmons (Texas). It was apparent that even with a bland offensive
game plan this was a very dangerous QB. Craig
Loston also was featured as a Quarterback during the spring game,
so expect a situational package with speedster Loston and Running
Back McGregor in the backfield at the same time. The Wide Receiving
Corps is anchored by two of the state’s best receivers at the 5A
level, Greg Timmons and Jaz
Reynolds. Timmons is your physical receiver, while Reynolds
is your sure handed open field game breaker. Currently Reynolds is
being heavily looked at by Minnesota and Texas Tech. He told Rivals.com to
expect a commitment over the summer. Overall, this is an offense
that should and will be feared. The only problem we could find
was the offensive lines inconstancy, but we figure that the new guys
on the line will improve and be adequate at least at the start of
the 2008 season.
Defense: Can anyone overlook a defense when Ike
has the likes of FS Craig Loston, Clemson Commit,in your defensive
secondary. Not to mention four all-district starters returning,
marking a team total of 8 returning starters. This Defense, in our
honest opinion, is going to be much better then it was in 2007. The
Line is anchored by Junior DT Jay Guy, and the Linebacker core has
replaced Darius Willis with a couple of young guys. Robert Young is
expected to be one of the biggest contributes at the LB spot, who
accounted for several tackles at the spring scrimmage and an interception. The
biggest differential that can be spotted out rightly was this defense’s
ability to sniff out the ball. They were quicker, they were faster,
and they were by far more fluid then they were in 2007. Look for
Ike to have one of the Houston area’s top Defenses in 2008. Other
key influential players will be SS Terrance Fletcher, and CB Verlin
Martin.
In closing: We fully anticipate that IKE will be
in full contention for the new 19-5A crown, with the only competitor
being Humble who has beaten Ike in their last 3 meetings. Last year
they lost on what many eagle fans would call a “goal-line debacle”
giving Humble the win in an intense 28-26 victory. With an attitude
of “Team”, there is no limit to this team’s potential success.