FOOTBALL PREVIEW: BRENHAM VS. IOWA COLONY
For the second straight year, and the third time in four seasons, the Brenham Cub Football Team finds themselves in the Region Semifinal round of the UIL Texas High School Football Playoffs.
The Cubs will face the Iowa Colony Pioneers tonight (Friday) at 7:30pm at Legacy Stadium in Katy. The game can be heard live on the KWHI.com Sports Alternate Feed. (The game is being moved to the Alternate Feed because we are contractually obligated to carry the Aggie-Longhorn game on the radio).
Brenham comes into the game with an 11-1 overall record. They were the second-place team in District 10-5A Division II. Their only loss was to University on Halloween Night.
The Cubs are coming off of a 28-7 Bi-District win over Texas City, and a 27-24 Area Round victory over Liberty Hill.
Brenham averages scoring 37.3 points per game to giving up only 16.8 points per game.
QB Xyran Upshaw (Sr.) is having a big season. He has completed 113 out of 189 passes for 2,062 yards with 29 touchdown passes to only six interceptions. Upshaw is only 286 yards away from catching Rylan Wooten for the single season passing yards record. He is also second on the team in rushing with 111 carries for 412 yards and five touchdowns.
The team's leading rusher is RB C.J. Glover (So.), who has 169 carries for 1,081 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Cubs boast one of the best one-two punches at WR in the state in Seniors Chris Guidry and Cartelle Brown. Guidry leads the team with 61 catches for 1,223 yards and 20 touchdowns. Brown has 46 catches for 707 yards and eight touchdowns.
On defense, Brenham is led by LB Caleb Espinoza with 81 tackles, followed by LB Kristian Prosper (Sr.) with 72 tackles, DT Job Rodriguez (Jr.) with 68 tackles, and LB Brooks Roznovsky (Jr.) with 61 tackles.
Meanwhile, Iowa Colony is also 11-1 on the season. The Pioneers were second in District 9-5A Division II. They come into the game as the #4 ranked team in the state. Their only loss was to the defending State Champions, Richmond Randle, on September 25.
Iowa Colony is coming off of a 63-21 win over Belton in the Bi-District Round, and a 49-7 win over Pflugerville in the Area Round.
The Pioneers average scoring 48.8 points a game, and giving up 11.3 points per game.
QB Carson White (Jr.) has completed 101 out of 149 passes for 1,710 yards, for 29 touchdowns to just five interceptions. In addition to that, he is the team's second leading rusher with 69 carries for 462 yards and 13 touchdowns.
RB Aaron Tenner (Sr.) is the leading rusher for Iowa Colony with 130 carries for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns.
At WR, Jayden Warren is the top player with 51 receptions for 1,038 yards and 19 touchdowns.
LB Henry Kalu (Sr.) is the leader on defense with 74 tackles. He is followed by DB Kah'ni Watts (Sr.) with 65 tackles, LB Kingston Ephraim (Sr.) with 61 tackles, and DB Kalen Simmons (So.) with 59 tackles.
The winner of the Brenham-Iowa Colony game moves on to face the winner of the Richmond Randle-Bastrop game in the Region Championship next week.
Randle (12-0) and Bastrop (11-1) play Saturday at 1pm at Panther Stadium in Prairie View.