The Kennedale Wildcats in consecutive road games are 0-2 this season following last week’s 33-7 loss to the Aubrey Chaparrals.
As the score against Aubrey shows, Kennedale is working to find its running game, the heart and soul of the Wildcat team. Head Coach Richard Barrett loves the run spiced with a touch of the pass. Records show it has worked well for the Wildcat program. Its simplicity is its strength. But it requires perfect execution or near so.
Experience and repetitive practice make it look easy. It is getting to that point that is the hitch. For Kennedale, that means healing the walking wounded and getting in the reps.
“the most important play is the next one” …
Early season losses don’t predict the ending. Barrett said in an interview in 2010 “The most important play is the next one.” He looks at games the same way.
The breakdown on Springtown …
The Porcupines are 1-1 this season with a loss against 5A Joshua 21-20 followed by a besting of 4A Graham 35-21 last week. Currently, Springtown is ranked #21 by MaxPreps in Class 4A. At the beginning of the season, Springtown reported that 15 lettermen were returning while losing 28. Four starters came on offense with 5 on defense.
Springtown plays in District 5/4A. This is a district that Kennedale was a member for nine years. It is composed largely of Fort Worth ISD schools including Western Hills, Eastern Hills, Diamond Hill, Carter-Riverside, and Southwest HS. Southwest dropped down from 5A to 4A this year with the new realignment. Castleberry and Decatur round out the eight-team district. Decatur and Springtown are expected to take the top two playoff spots in the district this year.
Annual playoff contender …
Last year Springtown finished 9-4 and second place in district play. The team went 3-deep in the playoffs before losing to Brownwood. Over the years Springtown has been a frequent flyer in the playoffs. The Porcupines are now on a 12-year playoff streak, appearing in one state semifinal and two quarterfinals.
Brian Hulett has been the head coach since 2014. He formerly coached at Eastland High School. Between the two schools, his overall record as head coach is 133-62 (68%).
Old acquaints meet again …
Springtown’s first recorded season was in 1954, similar to Kennedale. The two teams have met at least 24 times over the years. Of those games, Kennedale leads by one game, 12-11-1. The earliest meeting discovered was in 1962 when Kennedale won 38-21 in district play. Kennedale and Springtown have been in the same district no less than three times over the years. The most recent was from 2012 to 2017. At other times it has been in non-district matchups. The last time this occurred was in 2019 when the Cats were handed a 43-20 non-district loss at the hands of the Fighting Porcupines.
Stats notes …
Through two games the Porcupines are averaging 134 passing yards including 2 TDs. On the ground, Springtown has averaged 227 yards with 6 TDs. Defensively the team has allowed 21 points per game.
Game time is 7:30 pm Friday, September 13 @ Wildcat Stadium.
