Consol Tigers Hope Third Time is a Charm

STORY BY: BOB WRIGHT

 

Third time’s a charm, or so the saying goes.

The A&M Consolidated Tigers will be perfectly content if the Lone Star State’s third weekend of football proves to be the time for their propulsion into the win column.

The Tigers, who are getting some good performances on both sides of the ball, are still trying to nail down a victory as they face the Austin Westlake Chaparrals Friday night at 7:30 at Chaparral Stadium. With a 0-2 mark, the Tigers will have their hands full against a Westlake team which is 1-1, after starting the season with a 47-33 victory over Abilene Cooper before falling to state-ranked 4-A power Lake Travis, 35-7.

Westlake is the favorite to win District 15-5A this year, while Consol is a favorite to capture top honors in District 12-5A. Hopefully, the contest at Westlake will help along Consolidated to jell into a winning unit as Coach David Raffield attempts to get his new style attack of wide-open football installed at Tigerland. Once that offense jells into a unit taking up more points, the Tigers could become a lethal opponent for anyone on the schedule.

The Consolidated defense, which has turned in four great stands on fourth downs in its two outings, continues to make some great plays. That unit has been anchored with heroics from defensive linemen Jimmie Gilbert, Fredrick Goodman, tackle J.J. Bynum, linebacker Marshall Strain, and safeties Brett Mahnke and Josue Ordonez.

In their first two games, the Tigers have dropped 17-9 and 27-21 decisions to Klein Oak and Cypress Woods, respectively.

Jumping into the win column this week against the Chaps won’t be easy. Coach Darren Allman’s club has some prime talent, notably quarterback Lewis Guilbeau, running back Brice Dolezal and wide receiver Chris Irvin. The Chaparral defensive line stacks up well against Consol with key leadership coming from Brayven Hager and Anthony Patino.

Guilbeau could provide the most trouble for Consol’s defense. At QB, he is a fine leader and comes armed with some top stats from a year ago, including 1,917 yards passing (13 touchdowns), and 714 yards rushing.

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