Grapevine has become high-scoring juggernaut
There was a year when a Grapevine football team struggled to score 60 points in a season. The 2008 team more than had its share of issues. It not only went 0-10, but those Mustangs could muster only 71 points.
Fast forward to 2016 and these Mustangs needed the first seven quarters of the season to do that. In the third year of the Randy Jackson era, the Mustangs have flipped the script.
As the Mustangs (4-0, 1-0 in District 8-5A) prepare to face Fort Worth Dunbar (0-4, 0-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mustang-Panther Stadium, they have evolved into an offensive machine that has yet to find its ceiling.
Through the previous three games against Abilene Cooper, Frisco Heritage and Fort Worth Polytechnic, Grapevine has scored 61, 63 and 64 points respectively (188 total). Couple that with the 29 scored in the opener against Azle and it’s 217 for an average of 54.3 per game. Chances are, the Mustangs could stay at that average against the Wildcats.
“Really, this is a case of the players being in Year 3 of the system,” Jackson said. “They understand things better.”
It certainly figured to be a better offense this fall. Grapevine returned the bulk of its offensive. Quarterback Alan Bowman is a junior and has been the start since the middle of his freshman year. Zach Wolfe returned as the starting running back.
The questions surrounded the wide receivers. Grapevine had to replace Madux Middaugh and RalphLauren McCauley. Newcomers Dylan Gonzalez, Colleyville Covenant transfer Zach Carnes and David Clayton brought promise, but not the results.
There’s no wondering anymore. That trio has become a key element of the offense. They have combined for 41 receptions for 677 yards and nine scores. Couple that with Jackson’s decision to go to a four wide receiver set, and everything has fallen into place at this point.
“We just felt that when we did this along with a Division I quarterback [in Bowman], we wanted to get them opportunities and we could use Alan more,” Jackson said. “The wide receivers have really come together. And we think we’re now deeper.”
Youth has played it part between the sophomore Clayton and recently added sophomore running back RoShawn Prear. Prear arrived the week of the Cooper game and blended better than expected with a rushing performance that exceeded 90 yards.
Therein lies why the Mustangs are balanced. They average 215 rushing yards and 265 through the air. The dilemma is which component the opponent deems more valuable.
Jackson said he hasn’t seen defense do anything different against his offense. The Mustangs have seen basic packages. The only subtle difference is that Heritage tried to use its defensive backs to apply a little more bump and run coverage.
To keep a 60-point pace for the duration of the season is probably unrealistic. But this offense has found many choices and taken that next step for Jackson to advance this program to championship caliber status.
“I really don’t think about the points that we’ve scored,” Jackson said. “We’re just executing well. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. All we’re trying to do is become a relevant program in the Metroplex. We don’t think about other people. We just think about the next play.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Grapevine has become high-scoring juggernaut."