The Grandview Zebras are in back in the area round of the Class 2A Division II playoffs.
Next up for the 9-1 Zebras is 9-2 Caddo Mills, a team which features a running back who has run for more than 4,000 yards in the past two years in Nathan Jeffery.
Jeffery represents a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the balls for the Foxes as one of Caddo Mills’ leading tacklers.
Grandview head coach Aubrey Sims said his team is ready for the challenge.
“It’s awesome,” Sims said. “Everyone is fired up and excited. We’ve had a pretty big rivalry with Caddo Mills the last couple of years.
“It’s going to be fun.”
Sims said the key to winning the game is simple; stop Jeffery and you stop the Caddo Mills offense.
“I don’t know if there’s a way to slow him down,” Sims said. “You just have to play hard and read your keys. You have to wrap him up and don’t arm tackle him.
“You can’t just hit him, either. You need to form tackle him.”
While the Foxes do have other offensive options, Sims said Jeffery is the bread and butter that Caddo Mills will turn to in a pressure situation.
“He also throws the ball,” Sims said. “They’ll spread him out and throw it to him.
“He does a lot of different things, but they don’t make any secret about it. They are going to get him the football.”
With a 35-14 victory over Crawford in the bidistrict round to build off of, Sims said the Zebras are going to need another big night from both of their lines.
“I thought we won against Crawford up front,” Sims said. “We’ve got to do the same thing this week and be physical.
“We need to maintain our blocks.”
Sims said a chance of rain may play a role in the game at Longhorn Stadium on Friday, but said Grandview will need to remain balanced offensively, rain or shine.
“We have to be ready for whatever,” Sims said. “We’ve got to get more balanced and we didn’t do that the other night.
“That’s my fault and we’ve got to be able to throw the ball a little bit more.”
Sports
Zebras need to stop Jeffery
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Walraven no stranger to Grandview
Casey Walraven is no stranger to Grandview football.
For the past seven seasons, he has served as the offensive coordinator for the Zebras under the tutelage of Aubrey Sims, helping guide stars such as Daniel Spencer and Reid Golson to collegiate careers.
Earlier this year, Sims departed for a new job in Snyder, leaving Grandview in search of someone to lead the program. -
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