Following a hard-fought battle against East Central just three weeks ago, in which they suffered a 34-21 defeat, Clark proceeded to flex against LEE (Legacy of Educational Excellence) High this past Thursday to open up their district schedule.
In a 48-9 trouncing of the Volunteers, the Cougars are back on track with a 2-2 record, and look to get back in the win column when they take Churchill in a highly-anticipated away game.
Coach John Geist possesses a bevy of weapons within his offensive arsenal, and none have been more essential than Xavier Canavis.
The sophomore running back has had an absolute monster campaign throughout the first half of the season, averaging just under 200 rushing yards per game, with seven scores thus far. He's on pace to potentially receive District 27-6A Newcomer of the Year honors, if not a first-team, all-district nod.
Futhermore, sophomore TE Elisha Johnson (2023 Offensive Newcomer of the Year) has been a big-bodied target for Isaiah Santillan (Jr. QB) to throw some air-mail to, while junior Brett Garza is another reliable contributor the team's ground game.
Defensively, Clark has a handful of leaders to aid in the effort to stifle the opposition -- primarily Sevin Sweatts (Sr. LB), Jayden Schauer (Sr. LB), Dominique Moore (So. LB), and Caleb Hernandez (Sr. DB).
On the other sideline, Churchill (3-1) is coming off close 37-30 win over Madison.
Those 30 points allowed is not indicative of how threatening coach Nate Shaw's defense can be, as they've permitted a mere average of 16 points per game entering the sixth week of the year.
First-team, all-district selection Sutton Cantrell (Sr. DB) anchors an effective Chargers secondary, with second-teamers Freddie Padilla (Sr. DL) and Aiden Ross (Jr. LB) addressing the other levels.
Meanwhile on offense, senior Miles Pace has put up some respectable numbers (13 rec, 276 yds, 3 TDs) as the team's top wideout, giving dual-threat senior signal-caller Hunter Pavlicek a dependable option to turn to in the air-attack.
Regarding the run-game, Churchill has a one-two punch with So. RB Kalobe Rond (202 yds, 3 TDs) and senior Sebastian Vasquez (198 yds, 1 TD) splitting touches in the backfield.
Fans can expect an old-fashioned slug-fest between these two familiar rivals, when they face off this Saturday (2:00 pm) at Comalander Stadium.
SA Wagner Thunderbirds (2025 UIL 5A-D1 State Finalists)
Judson Rockets
