Posted 12:39 am Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wright-Brown Tandem Carries Pitt To Success
By BRETT HONE
Staff Writer
First-year head coach Robert Manley knew what he was walking into when he took the Pittsburg job in the spring.
The Pirates of late have been dismal on the gridiron. They had not won a playoff game since 1988 or managed a winning season in at least the last three.
On the other hand, Manley had no clue how richly he would be blessed with two senior half-brothers in Kendall Wright and Carlos Brown. The backfield tandem has paced the Pirates (8-4) all year, especially in two postseason wins, and Pittsburg is in the Class 3A Division II regional semifinals.
Staff Writer
First-year head coach Robert Manley knew what he was walking into when he took the Pittsburg job in the spring.
The Pirates of late have been dismal on the gridiron. They had not won a playoff game since 1988 or managed a winning season in at least the last three.
On the other hand, Manley had no clue how richly he would be blessed with two senior half-brothers in Kendall Wright and Carlos Brown. The backfield tandem has paced the Pirates (8-4) all year, especially in two postseason wins, and Pittsburg is in the Class 3A Division II regional semifinals.
Carlos Brown
"Any time you walk in and have two athletes in the backfield the caliber of Kendall and Carlos, it's nice," Manley said. "We hadn't ever seen the kids play so we didn't have any idea of what we had until the fall. We had to make sure we got them in the right places but once we did that we felt like we had something special.
"They are both Division I athletes and can make up for bad coaching some times."
The Pirates will need a strong dose of both to stand a chance of knocking off Celina this week. Kickoff at Mesquite's E.H. Hanby Stadium Friday will be at 7:30 p.m.
From all appearances, Celina is everything it has been in year's past.
That history includes six state titles in 12 years and, most recently, a loss last year in the Division II championship to Liberty Hill.
Celina wins the same way it has for years - with great defense and an unstoppable power-running game.
The Bobcats (12-0) are allowing about a touchdown and 141 yards per game defensively this season. In its two postseason affairs - against Emory Rains and West - Celina's allowed just 32 rushing yards and six points.
Meanwhile, its offense hasn't been held under 40 points since the fourth week of the season. Celina is averaging over 450 yards offensively, most of that (318 per game) coming on the ground.
Manley never matched up with Celina while at Clarksville, but like everyone else he knows the Bobcats' tradition.
"You can't give them any big plays and you have to get them in a four down situation to stop them from managing 10 to 11 play drives," Manley said. "Then when you get the chance, you have to be able to finish against them. Some people have been able to drive on them but just haven't been able to finish."
For the Pirates, that duty will fall to Wright and Brown.
Through two playoff games, the senior duo has accounted for 700 of the Pirates' 840 offensive yards from scrimmage - breaking down to about 83 percent of Pittsburg's offense.
Wright is over the 1,000 yard-mark in both rushing and passing categories this season. He's run for 1,268 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 122-of-211 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 more scores.
Brown has added 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, while catching 21 passes for 215 yards.
When the two aren't trying to find holes in opposing defenses, both are still plenty busy.
Brown is the leading tackler on the Pittsburg defense, totaling 120 tackles from his inside linebacker position. Wright, playing either safety or corner, patrols the backfield trying to notch another interception to go with the five he has already made this year.
As good as the two are though, the entire Pittsburg team will need to play flawlessly to advance to the Region II finals, Manley said, where the Pleasant Grove-Glen Rose winner will await.
"We're excited to be here because it's a no-lose situation. We are going to try and bring our A-game, play our very best, and see if we can't pull the upset," Manley said. "We hadn't won a playoff game in (a while) before this year but now we are in the third round and are just thrilled to be here."
"They are both Division I athletes and can make up for bad coaching some times."
The Pirates will need a strong dose of both to stand a chance of knocking off Celina this week. Kickoff at Mesquite's E.H. Hanby Stadium Friday will be at 7:30 p.m.
From all appearances, Celina is everything it has been in year's past.
That history includes six state titles in 12 years and, most recently, a loss last year in the Division II championship to Liberty Hill.
Celina wins the same way it has for years - with great defense and an unstoppable power-running game.
The Bobcats (12-0) are allowing about a touchdown and 141 yards per game defensively this season. In its two postseason affairs - against Emory Rains and West - Celina's allowed just 32 rushing yards and six points.
Meanwhile, its offense hasn't been held under 40 points since the fourth week of the season. Celina is averaging over 450 yards offensively, most of that (318 per game) coming on the ground.
Manley never matched up with Celina while at Clarksville, but like everyone else he knows the Bobcats' tradition.
"You can't give them any big plays and you have to get them in a four down situation to stop them from managing 10 to 11 play drives," Manley said. "Then when you get the chance, you have to be able to finish against them. Some people have been able to drive on them but just haven't been able to finish."
For the Pirates, that duty will fall to Wright and Brown.
Through two playoff games, the senior duo has accounted for 700 of the Pirates' 840 offensive yards from scrimmage - breaking down to about 83 percent of Pittsburg's offense.
Wright is over the 1,000 yard-mark in both rushing and passing categories this season. He's run for 1,268 yards and 15 touchdowns while completing 122-of-211 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 more scores.
Brown has added 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, while catching 21 passes for 215 yards.
When the two aren't trying to find holes in opposing defenses, both are still plenty busy.
Brown is the leading tackler on the Pittsburg defense, totaling 120 tackles from his inside linebacker position. Wright, playing either safety or corner, patrols the backfield trying to notch another interception to go with the five he has already made this year.
As good as the two are though, the entire Pittsburg team will need to play flawlessly to advance to the Region II finals, Manley said, where the Pleasant Grove-Glen Rose winner will await.
"We're excited to be here because it's a no-lose situation. We are going to try and bring our A-game, play our very best, and see if we can't pull the upset," Manley said. "We hadn't won a playoff game in (a while) before this year but now we are in the third round and are just thrilled to be here."
