The Mount Pleasant Tigers have been focused on getting one percent better every day under Head Coach Joe Cluley.
This is the week the improvement begins to count the most.
The Tigers open district play this week at Sam Parker Field when they take on district favorite and fourth-ranked Texas High.
Mount Pleasant went 1-3 in their non-district slate, defeating Pittsburg, but falling in tight matchups with Sulphur Springs, Liberty-Eylau and Frisco Emerson. The three teams to whom the Tigers have lost have two losses between them, after Sulphur Springs beat L-E this past Friday.
Around District 8-5A Division II last week, Texas High defeated Hallsville, 5631. Nacogdoches handed Whitehouse its first loss, 34-23, while Marshall won over Pine Tree, 36-7.
In the Hallsville game, Tiger quarterback David Potter went 7-15 for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Brandon Hall had two catches for 62 yards and rushed for a score. Xavier Dangerfield caught a touchdown pass and TJ Gray finished with 83 yards and two touchdown receptions. KJ Reader ran an onside kick attempt back for another touchdown. Javari Johnson rushed for 84 yards and Tradarian Ball had 64 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Defensively for Texas High, Isaiah Dowden finished with 12 tackles while both Keith Lewis and Ean Crite had 10 stops. Lewis returned an interception for a score and Crite had two sacks. Kenneth Merriman added seven stops and a sack while Shitez Wilkerson finished with six tackles and an interception.
The orange and white Tigers bounced back after fumbling the opening kickoff and seeing Hallsville score first.
The black and gold Tigers have shown flashes, such as the first half in their last game at Frisco Emerson, but penalties marred what was a solid first half. Mount Pleasant outgained Emerson by 114 yards and held Emerson to 147 yards on the ground and 108 through the air.
“I told them we have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Coach Cluley said following the Emerson game. “We have to do the little things right. We play hard. That’s not the issue. The issue is that, when we get down, we get down on ourselves. We have a young football team and they struggle picking back up when we’re down. That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting them ready, and I will.”
Kickoff is at 7:30 Friday at Sam Parker Field.