A handful of Douglas tacklers try to wrap up McQueen running back Ashton Hayes, during the Tigers' first meeting with the Lancers in early September. The two clash again in the postseason Thursday night.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
The Douglas High School football teams will travel to top-seeded McQueen Thursday evening to kickoff the Class 5A North regional playoffs.
As the No. 8 seed, the Tigers will have an uphill battle in trying to find an upset of the Lancers after falling in their first meeting, 58-6.
“See how our kids respond after two really tough losses the last two weeks,” said head coach Kyle Mays.
McQueen features a two-headed backfield of future Division I athletes in Robby Snelling and Ashton Hayes, who have proven to be extremely effective on the ground this season.
The Lancers are 7-1 this season and the duo runs to the tune of over 200 yards per game on the ground.
McQueen’s only loss came two weeks ago to Reno, 14-6, while the Lancers also played in another close contest with Reed, escaping 13-9.
Hayes has managed his way into the end zone 20 times this season, which leads the Class 5A North by a wide margin.
After a 46-0 loss to Spanish Springs last week, the Tigers are looking to find more of a rhythm for the postseason.
“Just try to execute, which is easier said than done when you’re playing a team like McQueen. There is a reason they are the No. 1 seed,” said Mays.
At quarterback, Snelling hasn’t been a dynamic passing threat with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
However, the LSU baseball commit is averaging 7.3 yards per carry when he opts to use his legs and has punched in eight touchdowns.
“If we can stop the counter and keep our position on zone reads, we will be in pretty good position,” said Mays. “Ashton’s vision, the more and more I watch him, he is a hard person to tackle.”
Hayes ran for 164 yards and three scores in the two squads only meeting this season.
Defensively, Snelling is the Lancers’ leading tackler with 60 wrap-ups followed closely by Brock Jolley (No. 15) with 54 and Jonathon Lord’s (No. 54) 49.
For Douglas, getting in a groove and picking up some first downs will go a long way.
The longer the Tiger offense can stay on the field, the less time the Lancer offense will have to reach its near 38 points per game average.
“That’s the objective, but that defense is fast and aggressive,” said Mays. “If we can just sustain drives and put a couple of touchdowns on the board, … I think at the bare minimum it will give our kids some confidence.”
Other regional postseason matchups
No. 7 Carson at No. 2 Bishop Manogue
No. 6 Reno at No. 3 Damonte Ranch
No. 5 Spanish Springs at No. 4 Reed
