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Playing spoiler: Wildcats embrace underdog role against area power Skyline
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Last week, the Plano Senior football team came closer to beating Allen than any Plano ISD school has in seven years before falling short, 35-34.
It's a good thing that performance is fresh in the minds of the Wildcats because it may take a similar effort at 7:30 p.m. Friday from SMU's Ford Stadium when Plano opens the postseason in bi-district play against Skyline.
"We're definitely going to be the underdogs and we understand that," said Jaydon McCullough, Plano head coach. "If you look at Skyline's record and the points they put up and give up, we know what we're up against."
Skyline has performed like a team befitting its No. 9 state ranking in the Class 5A AP Poll thus far. Skyline is fresh off an unblemished campaign through District 9-5A during which it outscored opponents by average of margin of 56-14. In a sense, those numbers jive with what the Eagles brought to the table heading into last Friday against the Wildcats, with No. 6 Allen having outscored its 10-5A opposition, 51-12, beforehand.
"How could you not get some confidence out of that?" McCullough said. "To me, we went into a very hostile environment against one of the top teams in the state as probably a 30-point underdog."
The nature of Plano's clash with Allen went hand in hand with the story of the Wildcats' run through district, with three losses by a total of four points.
The setback against the Eagles was the latest, with Plano opening up a 21-3 advantage and finding itself in position to take a late lead with 30 seconds left before Allen denied the Wildcats' bid for a two-point conversion.
"They were very disappointed after the game, but I think they've responded well," McCullough said. "Losing never feels good but the closest thing to feeling good about a loss would be that because I felt like the kids had peace of mind Friday because of how well they played."
That effort, working hand in hand with similar strides against Plano East and Plano West, has the Wildcats "playing their best football right now," McCullough said.
It's exactly where Plano wants to be against a Skyline group that can score points and stifle opponents like few in the state.
The Raiders have the area's third-ranked offense at 490.2 yards per game, passing and rushing games that sit ninth (262.2) and 10th (228), respectively, plus the No. 2 ranking in scoring (50.8). Those figures are exemplified by 32 touchdowns of 20-plus yards during district and a collective of team speed that will test Plano junior David Griffith and the Wildcats defense like few others.
"You have to play great technique," McCullough said. "The only way you can be faster than they are is to be so schematically sound. A lot of times a player can play faster because they understand what's going on and know what the other team is doing before it happens."
Dual-threat Ole Miss commit Devante Kincade leads the Skyline passing attack with 2,070 yards and 32 touchdowns to complement 576 rushing yards and 10 scores. Ra'Shaad Samples is Kincade's target of choice out wide, evidenced by the future Oklahoma State Cowboys' 739 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. In the backfield, Kincade is one of eight rushing threats that average more than 7 yards on the ground, led by Jordan Stevenson's 698 yards and eight touchdowns.
Cornerback Will Harrow (Texas Tech) and lineman Kerrick Huggins (Texas A&M) highlight a Skyline defense that ranks 11th n the area in points allowed (19.8).
"They look like a college football team to me," McCullough said.
History is on Skyline's side as well, with the Raiders not having lost a playoff opener since 2006. The Wildcats however, did get the better of the Raiders in their last meeting: a 41-20 decision in 2007.
Skyline's cruise control through 9-5A means the Raiders have gone several weeks without being tested, making a strong start Friday all the more pivotal for the Wildcats.
"I just know they've killed everybody they've played," McCullough said. "They've crushed some good teams. I know we're the underdogs and that they're not going to come in overconfident."
It's a different story for the Wildcats, who had to scrape and claw just to make it to SMU on Friday. Having weathered that storm, Plano aspires to make good on what narrowly eluded the team in Allen.
"We're going to go for it just like we did last week," McCullough said. "We've got to play every down and snap like it's our last breath. We've got to be fighting to breathe and if we can do that, we've got a chance.
"It's going to take a great effort to beat this team."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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