East Dillon Lions vs. West Dillon Panthers: The Stage is Almost Set

Sorry to interrupt the racing talk, and I know we don't really talk much about high school football in January, but the biggest game of the year is fast approaching!

So what do you think about this game? Does East Dillon have a chance to defeat the powerful West Dillon? I think they do!

SPOILER ALERT for those who know what the heck this is about but seeing it delayed after DTV.

First of all, how different could the West Dillon offense possibly be from last year? East Dillon is coached by Eric Taylor, who obviously coached at West Dillon last year. The quarterback, J.D. McCoy, is the same. And Panther head coach Wade Aikman must have had some voice in drawing up plays last year as an assistant coach. I'm thinking Coach Taylor is ready for anything Coach Aikman can come up with.

McCoy is easily talented enough to shred the Lion defense. But you know what? You can't measure heart any more than you can fake boosterism. And the Lions have heart. Just last week, during their bye weekend, they played against a ragtag group of street kids at a local park. I don't really know who won (maybe Wedge can do some investigative reporting!) but the teams seemed to be evenly matched. The fact that the Lions went out and played this game shows how committed they are, not only to their neighborhood, but also to their team and coach. This game will surely help them overcome some of the challenges to come in the big East/West game.

Also, McCoy is your standard pocket quarterback. He's got a cannon for an arm and may be the most talented player on the field, but he won't surprise the Lion defense. Coach Taylor can and will have his team prepared for McCoy. Lion quarterback Vince Howard, on the other hand, will be tough for the Panther defense to contain. His feet got him the quarterback job, but recently he's proven he too can throw the football. West Dillon will have to wait back on defense to make sure Howard is not throwing; this may be all he needs though to take off toward the endzone. He has a few more weeks to hone his skills and get ready for the battle of Dillon.

But most importantly, our wildcard here is Lions running back Luke Cafferty. As a former Panther who transferred to East Dillon after the first game this year, he knows the offense and will certainly help the Lions prepare for this game. His knowledge of the opposing team will be combined with the experience of other ex-Panthers like kicker Landry "Goldenfoot" Clark and RB/DB Coach Tim Riggins.

Let's face it. The Lions are a new team and have only one win, while the Panthers' only "defeat" came in the form of a forfeit after Cafferty played the first game for West Dillon while using a mailbox in an empty field as an address. But in Texas, apparently two losses can cost you a trip to the playoffs, so much will be on the line when these teams meet in a few weeks.

We'll visit this huge match-up a little more as we get closer to the big game.