Future Plainview football players smashed into each other last Saturday to Chris Berus’ delight.
The first-year varsity coach stood on the sideline alone, watching Plainview’s sixth-grade Arbuckle Pee Wee League team play Davis for the Super Bowl. Berus, however, wasn’t trying to spy for his next great running back or defensive end — he was simply enjoying watching the kids play.
It didn’t hurt that Plainview won 14-0, either. That score could have been a sign of things to come for the varsity game that Berus expects to be the Indians’ most challenging of the season.
When Davis comes to Indians Stadium on Senior Night, they’ll do so with the No. 1 ranking in Class 2A and a 9-0 record. Since Wynnewood rolled up a grand total of 14 points against the Wolves in week 1, Davis has held every opponent under that margin.
“They’re the fastest defense I’ve seen all year,” Plainview quarterback Wes Davis said. “And they’ve got a stable of backs.”
The stable unleashed 14 rushers last week in a 42-0 win over Kingston. While the Wolves were waltzing to a 28-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, Plainview was locked in a last-minute gasper with Sulphur just to set up its opportunity to play for the District 2A-4 championship this week.
Plainview (8-1, 6-0) won 20-14 on a Wes Davis-to-Blake Campo 14-yard TD with 20 seconds remaining. The win was the Indians’ ideal meshing of experience and youth. The upperclassmen in the trenches provided the stability, while the Indians’ sophomores hit for big plays again and again.
“We have grown from week to week,” Berus said. “I talked to the kids about it Monday — about the improvement we’ve made and what we’ve found out about each other. Every single kid on our team has gotten better.”
For the first time in a while, Plainview will be at full strength on Friday. All key players are eligible and the Indians also get a boost with the return of Lane Davis on defense — who missed a large portion of district play with a shoulder separation.
“Hopefully, it’ll provide greater depth on our defensive line,” Berus said. Wes Davis added that Lane Davis’ return gives Plainview as many as three sets of players that can rotate in the front four.
The front of the Indians will be critical to stopping the Wolves on the ground. Davis has had 12 players score rushing touchdowns this season, headed by Chris Campbell, who is the team leader in attempts (63), yards (537), and TDs (10). Last week, Plainview held Sulphur to a mere 100 yards on the ground.
