Three games into the season, Andrews head coach Tom Harvey has liked what he’s seen from his new offense ever since making the switch to the slot-T.
Even if there’s still some work to do.
The Mustangs improved to 2-1 following their 41-28 win over Midland Greenwood last week at Purser Field.
Record-wise, it’s about where Harvey expected his team to be at this point, but the offense is a little better than he thought going into the season.
“Some of the execution still has a ways to go,” Harvey said. “We have athletes that can overcome a lot of that. We have good running backs. Overall, I think we’re a little ahead of where we would be. I was cautiously optimistic because of how athletic our kids are, but all in all, I expected us to be at 2-1. But on the offensive side of the ball, I think we’re a little ahead of where we thought we’d be.”
Putting points on the board hasn’t been a problem so far this season.
The Mustangs’ offense lowest point total was against Monahans in their 49-27 loss two weeks ago. Their other win was a 32-21 victory over Canyon Randall on Aug. 25.
“We have some room for improvement,” Harvey said. “But at the same time, we’re probably averaging close to 400 yards rushing a game. We’ve had a couple of kids that have had 100-200 yard rushing games. It’s something to be excited about. We’re trying to throw the ball more. We’re getting a little better at it, but we still have some work to do. The running game seems to be working. We’re trying to improve on it. Overall, I’m pleased with how it’s developed and how the kids have bought in.”
Defensively, Andrews has been able to overcome injuries with a young unit this season.
Harvey was proud of the Mustangs’ defensive effort against Greenwood.
“We had a few injuries,” Harvey said. “Our defense was pretty resilient. Our defensive coaches and leaders on that side of the ball have done a good job of keeping things together and not letting them come back and take it away from us. We’re a really young ball club. We need senior leadership and it came through. I can’t say enough about the defensive coaches and what they did.”
Andrews will next face undefeated and rivals Seminole in a 7 p.m. game this Friday at Mustang Bowl.
The Indians are coming off a 58-14 win over Mountain View last week at home.
They’ve also posted a 35-30 win over Shallowater on Sept. 1 and a 76-21 win over Lovington (N.M.) on Aug. 25 at Wigwam Stadium.
“They have some good athletes, that’s for sure,” Harvey said. “Our athletes have their work cut out for them. I think they’re very good on defense. Their coaches do a good job. They’re really explosive. I know we can play with them. I just hope we can control their explosiveness.”
While the two teams may not be in the same district for football, there are still plenty of bragging rights up for grabs as the two towns are just 38 miles away from each other.
Both schools may be in Class 4A, but Andrews is in Division II while Seminole is Division I.
“For a while we were in the same district and then they dropped to 4A division II and we continued playing them,” Harvey said. “It’s a pretty good rivalry because we’re in the same district in every other sport except football. We have a lot of people in Andrews that are Seminole grads and a lot of people in Seminole that are Andrews grads. I think there’s a lot of bragging rights because of how much interaction between the towns. They have great coaches, great schools and a great community. At the same time, I’m proud of what we have here, too.”
>> Finally, a win: It may not have been easy, or pretty, but the Compass Academy football team found a way to squeeze by Iraan, winning 7-0 last Friday on the road for the Cougars’ first victory of the season.
Compass Academy (1-2) scored on its first offensive drive, when wide receiver Caleb Strout scored off a jet sweep, taking the ball all the way towards the end zone.
It turned out to be the only offensive play the Cougars would need to get the win as the defense held on for the shutout.
“It’s fantastic to get the win,” Compass Academy head coach Floyd White said. “It’s great to see the process starting to pay off. We didn’t fire on all cylinders, offensively, but we fired well enough to get that one score. Defensively, we were able to string together a couple of great plays here and there and keep a good offense off the field.”
Iraan fell to 2-1.
There may not have been much fireworks from the offense, but White won’t complain about a low-scoring, defensive game either.
“It was tons of fun to play,” White said. “You can’t ask for a better situation than that. Defensively, you preach the kids that as long as you get one score, you can hold them off and win a game. There’s proof to it now.”
The Cougars will next face Water Valley (1-2) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Ratliff Stadium.
>> Surprises: Don’t look now, but Midland High remains undefeated.
Don’t look now, but Lubbock Monterey is 2-1.
It’s not something everyone quite expected going into this season but the Bulldogs have ridden a hot start and hope to continue it with this week’s 7 p.m. game against the Plainsmen at Astound Broadband Stadium.
Before this season, Monterey hadn’t won a game since 2021.
That all changed after defeating Odessa High 44-42 Aug. 25 at home.
The Plainsmen followed it up with a 34-21 victory over Abilene Wylie on the road Sept. 1.
While their undefeated start came to an end last week, it took four overtimes in a 54-52 loss to Wolfforth Frenship.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 32-27 win over Amarillo High last week at Dick Bivins Stadium in Amarillo.
Their other wins came against Lubbock Coronado, 48-13, and El Paso Montwood, 39-14.
