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Oak relishes underdog role
By Michael Sudhalter
The Klein Oak High football team finds itself in a rare position – playing as an underdog.
The Panthers (10-1) shared the Class 5A-District 13 Championship with Klein Forest and advanced to the state quarterfinals for just the second time in school history.
They’ll face Copperas Cove (12-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Class 5A Division II State Quarterfinals at Tiger Stadium in Corsicana. The Bulldawgs have finished second in the last two Class 4A championships and are currently ranked 72nd nationally by rivals.com.
Klein Oak coach David Smith said the Panthers are using their newfound underdog role to their advantage, using it as motivation.
“They’ve been playing in state championship games before, and we haven’t,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to get a bone.”
The road doesn’t get any easier; if Klein Oak wins, they could face Cedar Hill (12-1), ranked 70th nationally by rivals.com or Wylie (11-2), which is ranked 18th in the rivals.com Heartland Region rankings. Cedar Hill and Copperas Cove are 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Heartland rankings.
If the Panthers beat Copperas Cove, they’ll face Cedar Hill or Wylie at 4 p.m. next Saturday in the state semifinals at Texas Stadium in Irving.
Klein Oak is nowhere to be found in any of the rivals.com national or regional rankings, but Bulldawgs coach Jack Welch expects a tough opponent.
“They are a quality, big, powerful, very strong team,” Welch said. “These guys are extremely well-coached in all phases of the game. Their kicking game is extremely solid.”
“They run the ball so well that you have to make sure that the run doesn’t get established on you. You can’t let them sustain drives and make sure you win the time of possession. I think that’s the whole key in this ballgame.”
The matchup will feature six athletes who have already given verbal commitments to Division I colleges – Copperas Cove linebacker Tanner Brock and wide receiver Josh Boyce (both TCU), Klein Oak offensive linemen Clint Naron (Texas A&M) and Kevin Forsch (Houston), Klein Oak tight end Jordan Navjar (Stanford) and Klein Oak defensive end Brian Corcoran (Air Force).
The Panthers (10-1) shared the Class 5A-District 13 Championship with Klein Forest and advanced to the state quarterfinals for just the second time in school history.
They’ll face Copperas Cove (12-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Class 5A Division II State Quarterfinals at Tiger Stadium in Corsicana. The Bulldawgs have finished second in the last two Class 4A championships and are currently ranked 72nd nationally by rivals.com.
Klein Oak coach David Smith said the Panthers are using their newfound underdog role to their advantage, using it as motivation.
“They’ve been playing in state championship games before, and we haven’t,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to get a bone.”
The road doesn’t get any easier; if Klein Oak wins, they could face Cedar Hill (12-1), ranked 70th nationally by rivals.com or Wylie (11-2), which is ranked 18th in the rivals.com Heartland Region rankings. Cedar Hill and Copperas Cove are 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Heartland rankings.
If the Panthers beat Copperas Cove, they’ll face Cedar Hill or Wylie at 4 p.m. next Saturday in the state semifinals at Texas Stadium in Irving.
Klein Oak is nowhere to be found in any of the rivals.com national or regional rankings, but Bulldawgs coach Jack Welch expects a tough opponent.
“They are a quality, big, powerful, very strong team,” Welch said. “These guys are extremely well-coached in all phases of the game. Their kicking game is extremely solid.”
“They run the ball so well that you have to make sure that the run doesn’t get established on you. You can’t let them sustain drives and make sure you win the time of possession. I think that’s the whole key in this ballgame.”
The matchup will feature six athletes who have already given verbal commitments to Division I colleges – Copperas Cove linebacker Tanner Brock and wide receiver Josh Boyce (both TCU), Klein Oak offensive linemen Clint Naron (Texas A&M) and Kevin Forsch (Houston), Klein Oak tight end Jordan Navjar (Stanford) and Klein Oak defensive end Brian Corcoran (Air Force).
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