Mustangs equal last year’s win total

For the first time in a long time, Grapevine Mustangs football players feel like they are 10 feet tall and bulletproof.

And for a few days, that’s OK. It’s been a while since the Mustangs have experienced this kind of success. Thanks to a missed extra point, Grapevine held off Fort Worth Arlington Heights, 21-20, last Friday. They moved to 3-1 as they prepare for the District 6-5A opener against Lake Dallas at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

Here’s what the win meant:

▪  Grapevine matched its win total from 2014.

▪  Grapevine hasn’t been two games over .500 since the 2011 team was 6-4 going into the playoffs.

▪  This was arguably the biggest win during the Randy Jackson era, given that Arlington Heights is considered one of the top Class 5A programs in Tarrant County.

“This is such a process for us,” Jackson said. “But our guys have got to understand that we’re 0-0 when we get district started. This is a good program that we’re playing. They won district. We have to play well.”

Best hire

When Jackson searched for a new defensive coordinator, he found Mike Alexander. Alexander served as the head coach at Mount Vernon in 2014 and spent time in Abilene in the early 2000s working in the secondary.

Jackson has been a staunch supporter of the 3-4 formation. Alexander’s arrival didn’t change anything from a philosophy standpoint. But some tweaks may have drastically improved the way things are done.

“Mike’s the biggest hire I’ve ever made,” Jackson said. “With our front, he’s done some things to improve our technique and turned guys loose. The kids love to play for him because he’s a guy who can get them going. It’s hard to run the football on us.”

Lake Dallas will present a great challenge with three backs over 100 yards for the year. The leading rusher is Courtenay Holder at 229.

Notable

The complexion of Lake Dallas’ team changed in the spring when starting quarterback Dagan Haehn went down to injury. He hasn’t played yet, so the offense has been turned over to Spencer Frederickson. He’s thrown 10 touchdown passes but also seven interceptions …. Mustangs senior linebacker Kareem Mohamed (knee) has been cleared to play, but Jackson said the staff will be cautious on how it uses him. Mohamed suffered the injury in the season opener against North Crowley.

Colleyville Heritage update

For the Panthers (2-2), Friday’s 42-27 loss to Arlington Bowie was about the five turnovers they committed along several big plays the defense allowed.

“We had three fumbles in critical situations and had two touchdowns taken off the board because of penalties,” head coach Joe Willis said. “You combine those with 500 yards of total offense and that’s how you don’t get a win. It’s a shame. This is a young team still trying to get better. But the main thing is that this group does understand how to play physical football.”

That style and short memories are in order since the Panthers open District 7-6A play against No. 4 Euless Trinity (4-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

As punishing a style as the Trojans play, the Panthers are going to have to find a way to match that. It’s likely that the Panthers are going to try and push the Trojans running game of tailback Ja’Ron Wilson and quarterback Tyler Natee to the outside.

If that happens, then that means that nose tackle Keandre Johnson is doing his job. In fact, Johnson may be the most important player Thursday.

“He’s going to mean a lot for us,” Willis said. “We’ve structured things to where he’s the anchor of the defense. He has to be a force for us in the interior gaps. If they pop you with the inside run, there’s no hope for you.”

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Mustangs equal last year’s win total."