By Matt Tasler/sports@trcle.com
Whereas football and basketball teams spend hours dissecting game tape and scouting their next playoff opponent, the Cleburne boys and girls soccer teams don’t know exactly what to expect when they take the field against Midlothian on Thursday night.
In preparation for playoff matches, the Cleburne soccer coaches must rely on word of mouth from other coaches in the area, in addition to their recollections from past matchups against Midloth-ian.
Because of the TAKS testing earlier this month, when Cleburne played its District 15-4A matches on off nights, the Yellow Jackets’ coaching staff was able to do a little advance scouting, but not on the level of football or basketball.
“During the week of TAKS, I had another coach scout them, and I scouted a Mansfield school,” Cleburne boys head coach Randy Allen said. “We played them two years in a row in district and we’ve played them prior to that, so we know to prepare for anything.”
The Jackets had clinched fourth place in 15-4A before the last week of the season, but the Lady Jackets went down to the wire against Alvarado to qualify for the postseason.
Cleburne girls head coach Floyd Rogers said needing to outlast Alvarado for the final playoff spot could be an advantage for the Lady Jackets.
Cleburne tied Alvarado, 2-2, on Saturday at Yellow Jacket Stadium to clinch fourth place.
The Lady Jackets needed a tie or a victory to advance, while Alvarado was eliminated from playoff contention.
“We’re hoping the emotion from that match will carry over,” Rogers said. “The thing about the playoffs is your win-loss record from the season doesn’t matter. Anything can happen in one game, and that’s what we’re telling the girls. It’s a new season.”
Rogers said the Lady Jackets are working on possessing the ball more efficiently, and hope to build off of last year’s playoff experience against the Lady Panthers.
“I feel like the pressure is not on us,” Rogers said. “In the playoffs, the pressure is on the higher-seeded teams. We’re going to go out there, try to have some fun and represent Cleburne High School to the best of our ability. We’re going to leave it on the field.”
Both coaches said countering Midlothian’s offensive prowess will be one of the keys to earning a victory.
Allen said the Jackets must have patience at both ends of the field, especially on defense. Late in the season, Cleburne allowed one goal or less in four straight matches, but Allen said the defense struggled down the stretch in allowing three goals against Joshua and four against Granbury.
“In a game like this, we’ve got to make sure we are doing everything we have been working on all year,” Allen said. “We have to run our offense and run our defense the way we’re supposed to. If we can do that, we should be okay.”
The Lady Jackets will take the field at 5:30 p.m. at Burleson’s Elk Stadium, with the Jackets following at 7:30 p.m.
