"Bay City looks next to Needville" by: Mike Reddell

   After falling to its longtime rival El Campo 46-12 here last week, the Blackcats will prepare for Needville, which will host Bay City this Friday.
   The Blackcats trailed the Ricebirds (7-1, 3-0) 31-0 at half.
   But as they’ve done for two straight contests, the Blackcats are an improved team in the third quarter.
   Junior wide receiver Brice Turner had a standout day, including scoring both of Bay City’s third quarter touchdowns.
   Turner’s first score on a 21-yard run narrowed the Ricebird lead to 31-6, with 11:33 left in the quarter.
   His second touchdown came on a 10-yard run, with 2:53 remaining in the third.
   Both 2-point conversions on the scores were unsuccessful.
   Turner had team-highs 71 yards rushing and 59 return yards for 130 all-purpose yards.
   Freshman running back Jada Andrews again proved he can be dangerous to opposing teams.
   Andrews had a game-high 84 yards receiving. 
   Bay City had 174 yards total offense to the Ricebirds’ 535 yards.
   Defensively, Blackcat junior Ayden Smith had a game-high seven unassisted tackles. He was followed by Quinton Sims with five tackles, and Turner and Karius Luster, each with four tackles.
   “I think the kids played hard the second half after a bad first,” said Blackcat Head Coach Robert Jones.
   “We gave up three or four big plays, which was the difference the first half,” he added. 
      “We made them earn every yard - the opening drive took them eight minutes to score, so I was proud of the kids for making them earn that first one.”
   Bay City (2-5, 0-3) faces Needville (2-6, 0-3) this Friday.
   Needville is another team that lives by the run, averaging 198 rushing yards per game.
   Leading rusher Da’shawn Burton has 105 carries for 702 yards – a 7 yard per carry average.
   Quarterback Bryce Nirider is the district leader with 64 of 147 for 1,039 yards passing, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.
   He also has 13 carries for 684 yards rushing.
   “Looking ahead to Needville, they are very similar to us - young and are struggling with consistency week in and week out,” Jones said.  
   “We will have a good week of practice and keep building off the positives from the last couple of weeks.”
   Asked about the play from Turner and Andrews, Jones replied, “Yes, we are trying to get those two guys the ball in open space because they have the speed to score every time they touch it. 
   “We are dealing with the injury bug right now, but if we get the win Friday night we still have a chance to get that 4th spot - so it’s a must win.”