That was the attitude No. 6-ranked Granger (10-1) expressed after the Lions disposed of Johnson City LBJ handily in their opening-round playoff game last week.
Granger coach Stacey Hunt expects his team to be focused as it attempts to advance one round farther than last year’s squad.
“It’s been big,” Hunt said, referring to using this game as motivation. “We’re excited to be where we’re at, but obviously we want to get past last year’s mark.”
Standing in the Lions’ path is No. 9 Normangee (9-1), a team also fully equipped for a deep run in the postseason.
Granger faces Normangee in a Class A Division I Region IV semifinal at 7:30 tonight at A&M Consolidated’s Tigerland Stadium.
The winner will advance to next week’s regional final to face the Brackettville Brackett-Shiner winner.
Granger has been on a roll lately, having outscored its last five opponents 263-9.
The Lions have blitzed opponents in quick spurts. Quarterback Kenny Sifuentes and running backs Bradley Sims and Clay Mazoch have been running wild, thanks in part to their offensive line’s dominance.
Mike Holly, Dawson Weaver, Geremy Steglich, Jacob Isbell, Thomas Janke, Aaron Jezisek and Nathan Douglas have overmatched opposing defenses as Granger has averaged 427 yards total offense per game.
On defense, the Lions’ linemen have pressured quarterbacks and helped Granger force 38 turnovers.
“That’s it in a nutshell,” Hunt said, referring to the dominance of his linemen. “We wear people down on both sides of the ball. I think the offensive and defensive lines haven’t received a lot of credit for what they really do.”
Added third-year Normangee coach Brian Mullinnix: “They are the biggest Class A team I’ve seen in awhile.”
Here’s a summary of the Lions’ blitzkriegs:
n Granger scored 29 third-quarter points against Austin Hyde Park, highlighted by two safeties in a 62-0 rout.
n The Lions took advantage of two early fumbles and romped to 33 first-quarter points against Valley Mills en route to a 68-0 win.
n 28 first-quarter points against Bartlett propelled Granger to a 61-0 victory.
n The Lions followed up 28 first-quarter points against Holland, with 20 more points in the second quarter in another blowout victory.
n Two touchdowns in 61 seconds gave Granger a 13-0 lead against Thorndale as the Lions eventually romped to a 53-0 win and clinched the District 27-A championship.
n Granger scored 28 second-quarter points to grab a 28-2 halftime lead in a win over Burton.
n 33 second-quarter points in less than 10 minutes helped the Lions beat LBJ in the bi-district round.
Granger’s offense and defense are rolling, but Mullinnix said he is really concerned with the Lions’ abilities in the kicking game.
“They do a great job on special teams,” Mullinnix said. “They beat a lot of teams on kickoff returns and punt returns.”
Normangee twins Justin and Jordan Mullinnix have been beating opponents on offense.
Starting since he was a freshman, quarterback Justin Mullinnix has blossomed in his junior season. He has thrown for 1,342 yards and 18 touchdowns and has been intercepted just three times while operating the Panthers’ spread attack.
“That’s where he’s made the big improvement,” Brian Mullinnix said. “He’s really cut down on mental mistakes. He’s playing real smart.”
Jordan Mullinnix has been an offensive weapon. He has rushed for 1,520 yards and scored 33 touchdowns.
“He’s a speed back but he also gets plenty of yards between the tackles,” Brian Mullinnix said.
The Lions haven’t given up many yards since early in the district season.
The game’s deciding factor might be how well Granger’s big, bruising linemen can control the line of scrimmage against Normangee, the fastest team the Lions have played all year.
Ten of the 11 Panthers’ defensive starters run the 40-yard dash in less than 5 seconds. Normangee has held seven of its 10 opponents to fewer than 10 points.
“We are going to have to use our size up front,” Hunt said. “We won’t do anything fancy - just continue to run at people and hopefully wear them down.
“On defense, we have to win the turnover battle and do a good job of tackling in the open field.”
ncmeister@temple-telegram.com
