Rockwall-Heath, Kimball vie for area legitimacy
November, 16, 2011
11/16/11
11:41
PM CT
By
Travis L. Brown | ESPNDallas.com
No. 7 ROCKWALL-HEATH (10-1) vs. DALLAS KIMBALL (9-2)
7:30 p.m. Friday at Garland’s H.B. Johnson Stadium
What: Class 4A Division I Region II area playoff
When we saw them last: Rockwall-Heath barely made it out of the bi-district round, edging Frisco Wakeland, 22-21, thanks to two second-half touchdown runs by Rico Henderson. Jaalen Adkins' two rushing touchdowns in the second half helped Kimball beat Bryan Adams, 34-24, in bi-district play.
Last in the playoffs: Kimball advanced to the area round in 2010 but was bounced decisively by Wylie, 42-14, at Carrollton’s Standridge Stadium. Rockwall-Heath lost to Frisco Liberty, 49-35, in 2009 in the bi-district round.
What’s at stake: Legitimacy. Rockwall-Heath flew under the radar during the regular season, hidden by the shadow of District 10-4A rival Highland Park. A deep playoff run would do wonders as far as putting the Hawks in the conversation as one of the best 4A programs in the area. Kimball has become recognized in Dallas ISD circles as one of the top programs in Dallas, but has had little playoff success against teams outside of the DISD. A signature win over a good Rockwall-Heath team would put them on mark to be one of the area’s best teams -- not just the best 4A DISD team.
Key matchup: Will Kimball have an answer for Rockwall-Heath's Amaris Fields? Kimball has yet to face an opponent with a duo as potent as Cody Court and Fields. The tandem has accounted for 57 percent of the team’s passing yards, and Fields ranks second on the team in scoring with 66 points. Fields also had a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown last week against Wakeland.
Players to watch: Adkins has emerged as an all-around playmaker for Kimball. Adkins has thrown for over 1,000 yards despite sharing time with Traveon Thibodeaux, last year's starter, and has run for 435 yards and eight touchdowns. Rockwall-Heath has a committee backfield led by Court. He is followed by Henderson, who scored two touchdowns last week and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 11. Jeremy Armstrong and Jovan Hernandez are also clutch runners for the Hawks.
Prediction: Rockwall-Heath exploits Kimball’s defense through the air. Fields has a huge night and leads the Hawks to a 35-17 victory.
7:30 p.m. Friday at Garland’s H.B. Johnson Stadium
What: Class 4A Division I Region II area playoff
When we saw them last: Rockwall-Heath barely made it out of the bi-district round, edging Frisco Wakeland, 22-21, thanks to two second-half touchdown runs by Rico Henderson. Jaalen Adkins' two rushing touchdowns in the second half helped Kimball beat Bryan Adams, 34-24, in bi-district play.
| UIL PLAYOFFS |
|---|
| STAFF PICKS Bi-district » Area round » Region semis » Region finals » State semis » Finals » Totals » STATE BRACKETS Class 5A: Div. I | Div. II Class 4A: Div. I | Div. II REGION BRACKETS 5A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 5A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 |
What’s at stake: Legitimacy. Rockwall-Heath flew under the radar during the regular season, hidden by the shadow of District 10-4A rival Highland Park. A deep playoff run would do wonders as far as putting the Hawks in the conversation as one of the best 4A programs in the area. Kimball has become recognized in Dallas ISD circles as one of the top programs in Dallas, but has had little playoff success against teams outside of the DISD. A signature win over a good Rockwall-Heath team would put them on mark to be one of the area’s best teams -- not just the best 4A DISD team.
Key matchup: Will Kimball have an answer for Rockwall-Heath's Amaris Fields? Kimball has yet to face an opponent with a duo as potent as Cody Court and Fields. The tandem has accounted for 57 percent of the team’s passing yards, and Fields ranks second on the team in scoring with 66 points. Fields also had a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown last week against Wakeland.
Players to watch: Adkins has emerged as an all-around playmaker for Kimball. Adkins has thrown for over 1,000 yards despite sharing time with Traveon Thibodeaux, last year's starter, and has run for 435 yards and eight touchdowns. Rockwall-Heath has a committee backfield led by Court. He is followed by Henderson, who scored two touchdowns last week and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 11. Jeremy Armstrong and Jovan Hernandez are also clutch runners for the Hawks.
Prediction: Rockwall-Heath exploits Kimball’s defense through the air. Fields has a huge night and leads the Hawks to a 35-17 victory.
Travis L. Brown
ESPNDallas.comTravis L. Brown covers high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He is a graduate of TCU, where he was sports editor of the student paper, The Daily Skiff.
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Travis L. Brown
Travis L. Brown covers high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He is a graduate of TCU, where he was sports editor of the student paper, The Daily Skiff.
Randy Jennings
Randy Jennings covers south Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. His 34-year career as a sports writer includes eight years at the Dallas Morning News. Jennings is a graduate of UT-Arlington.
Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews covers north Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He covered high school sports for four years at the Denton Record-Chronicle. Andrews is a graduate of UNT.
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