Grand Oaks Aims For Its First District Win Against Cleveland

THE WOODLANDS -- With the start of district play last week, many teams secured a win in their first district game, while some are still looking for one. Grand Oaks and Cleveland are two of those teams heading into week 4 of the season, meeting this Thursday at Woodforest Bank Stadium. Grand Oaks suffered an unfortunate loss to The Woodlands last week, struggling to stop the Highlanders’ offensive attack. Cleveland comes into this game having only scored 12 points all year and will need to get something going on offense to have a chance.

Grand Oaks Grizzlies: An Elite Team on the Ground

As mentioned earlier, last week the Grizzlies struggled on both sides of the ball, as their defense allowed 45 points and their offense managed only 14. QB Grant Smith threw the ball much more in the last game, passing for 2 touchdowns but also throwing an interception. Grand Oaks will still rely on the run, using their two RBs, Keilan Gause and Bryan Victorian Jr., as both backs have combined for 573 rushing yards this season, making their rushing numbers far surpass their receiving stats. Gause, through just 3 games, has over 380 rushing yards, with at least 100 yards in each game so far. He also found the end zone with a receiving touchdown, showing he is the engine of this offense and capable of gashing opposing defenses on the ground and through the air. WR Darnell Jackson Jr. was another bright spot in the loss, catching a touchdown and totaling 84 of Grand Oaks' 95 passing yards. For this game, expect a lot of Keilan Gause, as the Grizzlies will look to him for answers when it comes to scoring and moving the ball. If Gause is moving well as he usually does, and Smith connects with his receivers, expect a solid bounce-back win for Grand Oaks.

Cleveland Indians: A Struggle for Identity

It’s been a struggle for Cleveland this year, as they seem to be allergic to scoring points on offense and have let up over 137 points on defense this season. They have only scored two touchdowns all year, both of which failed the point after, giving them only have 12 points to show on offense. Last games only score for Cleveland came off a rushing play at the very end of the game to avoid a shutout. Cleveland will have to figure out something this Thursday if they even want a chance against Grand Oaks, and a win will only come if they can score consistently.

Final Thoughts

Both teams need to win, but Cleveland appears outmatched in every aspect of the game. Grand Oaks isn’t a team that scores a lot of points, but they are solid and capable on both sides of the ball when they are clicking. It might get ugly by the end, but you won’t really know until they get under the lights. To watch the live coverage of this game, check it out here on Woodlands Online.