Sulphur Springs Football Preview Part 5
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Well, we’re back to the 100+ degree days. Those two-or-three days of 99 or lower sure were nice huh? Anyway, despite the weather still being entirely too hot, we’re back to preview the Sulphur Springs Wildcats 2022 Football schedule. For anybody who missed parts 1, 2, 3 or 4, don’t worry we’ve got you covered.
Week 5 is a huge game for the Wildcats, after back-to-back weeks on the road, Sulphur Springs gets to come back home for this one. It is also their final game before entering district play, as well as their Homecoming game.
Week 5 vs Liberty-Eylau
Friday, Sept. 23 is a huge night for the Sulphur Springs Wildcats. Not only is it their final chance to get everything right before heading into district play, it’s Homecoming night at the Prim. In this one the Wildcats will be going head-to-head against the Leopards of Liberty-Eylau.
Liberty-Eylau has been the definition of consistent over the last two years, going 11-10-1 over the past two seasons. After an 0-10 season in 2019, the Leopards bounced back with a big 6-5 season in 2020 and even making a playoff appearance.
In 2020, Liberty-Eylau kept a similar pace, going 5-5-1 and finishing in fourth place in their district, squeaking in as the final playoff team, in what was a very tough district. Once they got to the playoffs, things didn’t go in the Leopards favor, as they were blown out 28-0 in the opening round by the Van Vandals.
Not only has Liberty-Eylau gone .500 or better and made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, they’ve been just as consistent in non-district play. In both 2020 and 2021 the Leopards went 3-2 in the non-district portion of their schedule, with losses to Van, both in the preseason and in the playoffs of each season, going 0-4 against them in that time frame.
Will Liberty-Eylau continue at the exact same pace they have had in each of the last two seasons? Or will this be a chance for the Leopards to take that next step and become a 7+ win team?
As for the Wildcats, this will be the first time since 2017 in which they get to play three or more non-district games. In that season, Sulphur Springs won each of their first two games, before falling to Paris and Whitehouse in their final non-district games.
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The added non-district games could prove as an opportunity for Sulphur Springs to work out the kinks and get on the right page before entering district play. The Wildcats will also be looking to pick up their first Week 5 victory since 2019, when they defeated Forney on the road by a final score of 32-13.
In this series we have began to look at key returning players for the Wildcats. In Part 4 we looked at quarterback Brady Driver. Today, we will be looking at the weapons he will have to throw to.
The Wildcats will be returning senior receiver CJ Williams, who led the team both in receptions (46) and receiving touchdowns (7) last season. Williams was kind of a do-it-all type of player in 2021, as he also was tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns (3) and took snaps both at running back and quarterback in certain Wildcat packages.
In the only game Driver took all of the snaps at quarterback, he and Williams had a great connection going, with Williams catching 5 passes for 64 yards, as well as a pair of touchdowns. They will certainly be looking to add to that chemistry this season, as they did during 7-on-7 this spring.
Williams is far from the only key returning option in the passing game, however. Both Landon Fields and Luke Caton played big roles in their junior seasons last year.
Fields and Caton each had at least one game in which they led the team in receiving yards. With Williams and Fields returning as receiving weapons and Caton returning at tight end, Driver should have a number of weapons around him, including running back Malachi Roland, who we mentioned in Part 2.
Both as their final non-district game of the year and as their Homecoming game, this could be the biggest game of the preseason for Sulphur Springs. A win in this one could give them the momentum they need heading into a tough district schedule.
The following week, right at the halfway point in the schedule, Sulphur Springs has their bye week. With a chance to catch their breath and a full extra week to prepare for their district opener, return tomorrow to see our preview of the district opener between Sulphur Springs and Community.
*All stats are provided by Maxpreps
Other articles in this series include:
Week 4 @ Van Alstyne
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