by Malcolm Butler
With only two regular season games remaining before playoff time, Cedar Creek head coach Matt Middleton has been very transparent with his ball club entering tonight’s district match-up against Lincoln Prep.
Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at Cougar Stadium.
Creek (5-3) currently sits at No. 16 in the Select Division IV power ratings while Lincoln Prep (3-5) sits at No. 23. Middleton feels tonight is a must-win if his club wants to host a playoff game in Ruston come November.
“I told them this week that from here on our every game is a playoff game,” said Middleton. “For us to be where we want to be, we have to attack this one. We have to win this one. We know for us to have a shot at a home playoff game we have to win (tonight). We have talked to the players about it. I think it would be really big for us to have a playoff game at home but we have to handle our business in order to get it done.
“I don’t ever sugar coat anything or lie to them about anything. I am just as real as I can be. They know it. They realize it. Some people say that’s pressure, but you play with pressure ever time you snap the ball. Kids are smart. They know. I want them to know what they are playing for so they know.”
The game was originally scheduled for Friday but due to the weather forecast, it was moved up 24 hours. It’s one of a number of high school games across north Louisiana that has been moved to Thursday night.
“We were honestly the first one,” said Middleton. “On Sunday we looked at the forecast in our staff meeting and then I called Glen Hall and he was all for it. We thought it was best for both of us. We should have a good crowd and it should be a good football game.
“Last week they played out here. I consider Glen and Gordon (Ford) friends. I think it will be good. The two schools are in the same parish so its a big game for both of us.”
The Cougars are coming off an emotional 34-10 loss at No. 1 ranked Ouachita Christian last Friday night, snapping Creek’s five-game winning streak. However, Middleton feels his team is in a good place and knows what is at stake.
“Mark Ware and I were talking about it,” said Middleton. “It’s really hard to get them up for a really big game all the time. It was a real emotional game last week. I hope we haven’t peaked. We want to start to be playing our best ball now. I think we are doing that. I was proud of them last week. We just can’t turn the ball over.
“I think we are probably a little bit better than I gave us credit for by seeing some of that last week. We went through that stretch where we were blowing people out. You just don’t know if what you are seeing is real or not. But I do think we have a good football team. We control our own destiny.”
The Panthers play for their second straight Thursday at Cougar Stadium, having defeated River Oaks 34-8 one week ago at Cedar Creek. Middleton knows the challenges that Lincoln Prep will present to his team.
“They are electric,” said Middleton. “They have some really good players. It’s scary. We have tackle. You better make tackles. We watched them last week against River Oaks. They will make 10 of you miss if you don’t. And if you miss tackles, they can make big plays on you. That’s what they did to River Oaks and wore them slap out.
“Offensively, they have some weapons. They have some big play ability. They are sitting at 3-5 but could easily be 5-3. They lost two games in the last minute. It could easily be a 5-3 club against a 5-3 club. That’s how we are looking at it.”
A few Cougars are approaching season milestones statistically. Quarterback Caden Middleton is 68 yards away from 1,000 passing yards on the year while tailback Lane Thomas needs just 167 yards to hit 1,000 rushing yards. Linebacker Quincy Lewis is 15 tackles shy of hitting 100 on the year.
The winner tonight will take another step forward in positioning itself for the upcoming playoff scenario.
“It’s huge (for Lincoln Prep) too,” said Middleton. “They are trying to get in or stay in. It’s big for both of us. Really, really big game.”
