IOWA COLONY — As an assistant coach, Ray Garza has experienced his fair share of rematch playoff games. Now, he is leading his team to its first rematch as a head coach.
Iowa Colony will look to continue its deep playoff run when it faces Fort Bend Marshall, a fellow District 9-5A, Division 2 foe, in a Region 3 round matchup at the Houston Texans NRG Stadium.
Kickoff is at 10 a.m. Friday as part of a tripleheader the stadium is hosting. Another District 9 school, district champion Randle, will play at 10 a.m. Saturday at NRG against Brenham.
“Iowa Colony and Fort Bend Marshall are not far from each other. They are probably the two closest teams in the district,” Garza said. “It’s certainly going to be a tough task seeing a district opponent in Round 3.”
Friday’s game is a rematch of the Oct. 26 showdown between these two teams at Kenneth Hall Stadium. In that game, the Pioneers engineered a come-from-behind, 35-21 win to beat the Buffaloes and secure the No. 2 seed in the District 9-5A, Division 2 standings.
Garza has faced a team for the second time in a season, including La Marque when he was a defensive assistant at Manvel and Foster when he was the defensive coordinator at Shadow Creek.
“It’s about being better every week,” Garza said. “We shouldn’t be the same team this go around like we were last week, and we shouldn’t be the same team we were when we played them the first time. The whole part about a long season is to get better every day, get better every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and at the end of the day, in these deep rounds, you have to show up, play hard, be physical and stay the course.”
Since that meeting, neither team has lost.
Iowa Colony has outscored teams 176-38, averaging 44 points per game. In the postseason, the Pioneers have outscored opponents 91-20 and have not allowed a point in the second half of either game. The Pioneers enter Friday’s showdown with seven straight wins.
The Buffs have been just as dominant during that stretch.
Marshall rides a four-game win streak into Friday’s game, outscoring teams 142-41, including a 90-24 advantage in its two postseason matchups. The Buffs average 35.5 points a game during their four-game win streak. Since Iowa Colony beat Marshall in the regular season, the Pioneers finished second in the final standings behind district champion Randle, and Marshall finished third.
“They were definitely physical up front. They have a good running back, the quarterback has a strong arm and they had some explosive plays early,” Garza said. “Our kids have to come out and match that energy. This is a team that is used to being in the playoffs, and it’s something that is part of their program.”
As if they were entering the first matchup, the teams mirror each other.
The Buffaloes average 34.1 points per game, down from the 41.25 mark before the Oct. 26 game. The Pioneers have a slightly higher clip at 42 points, a little lower than the 45.5-point average when they first played Marshall.
Junior quarterback Kaeden Johnson was the main reason behind Marshall’s production leading up to the Iowa Colony game in October, but he has since cooled.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound signal-caller led the district in passing yards with 2,012 yards on 147-of-243 passing through, completing 60.5 percent of his passes. He has 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The University of Colorado has offered Johnson, and there’s a connection with the Big 12 school. Johnson — the son of former NFL defensive lineman Spencer Johnson of the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings — has the same trainer who works with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Marshall can run, with 2,389 yards and 29 touchdowns to its credit. The Buffaloes enter Friday’s matchup averaging 6.7 yards per carry.
Three rushers have run for at least 370 yards, led by junior Peyton Long’s 946 yards on 142 rushes and 10 touchdowns. Johnson follows with 497 yards and six scores on 92 carries, and Durrell Taylor has rushed 51 times for 373 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Buffaloes’ top pass-catchers are seniors who have garnered collegiate attention.
Andre Feast is Marshall’s leading wideout with 38 receptions, a district-leading 541 yards and six touchdowns. The Arkansas State commit is one of three receivers on the team who has caught five touchdowns on the season. Jakayden Ferguson has 448 yards on 26 catches, and Jakyron Edmonds has 163 yards on 15 catches. Ferguson has received offers from Kentucky, which he recently de-committed from, Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas and Auburn. Edmonds has received an offer from North American University.
Jordan Simmons is efficient, averaging 18.5 yards per catch. He has caught 24 balls for 443 yards and five scores.
Since the game against the Pioneers, Marshall has relied on the running game, including last week’s area round win over Bastrop. Marshall racked up 323 yards on 43 carries and four scores, led by Long’s 16 rushes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. During the team’s four-game win streak, the Buffs have rushed for 985 yards and 11 scores.
The Pioneers will have to watch the run, although Iowa Colony’s defense has done well against it, allowing a 136.5-yard average in the playoffs.
Another first for the program Friday is playing in an NFL stadium. While the team’s ultimate goal is to play in the state championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the Pioneers will first play under the bright lights of NRG.
“I want them to enjoy the atmosphere. They have enjoyed the right to make it this deep in the playoffs and put the effort into playing in this game in a place like NRG,” Garza said. “For a lot, if not all of our young men, this is something they aspire to do as a stage to play on. I don’t want to take that away from them. They need to enjoy it and soak that up.
“But once it gets to kickoff time, they have to focus in on the job and the task of what they have in front of them, which is play snap by snap and play their 1/11.”
Jake Dowling is the sports editor for The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0161.
