A look at Friday’s football matchup between Houston and Thayer.
TIGER TIDBITS: HHS coach Billy O’Neil discovered Devin Coulter’s ability to punt the ball just three days before the season opener. O’Neil gave Coulter the assignment, and the junior has averaged 33.7 yards on his 11 punts through four games. “His average would be even better if we had played in better conditions the last four weeks,” O’Neil said. …Houston sophomore Ty Wilkins dislocated his finger during Cabool’s final drive on Friday. O’Neil said he was trying to substitute for Wilkins, who starts at safety, when he was injured. Wilkins was taken to the hospital after the game. O’Neil said they are waiting for a release from the doctor before he will play again.
ABOUT THAYER: The Bobcats fell to 1-3 with a 21-6 loss Friday at Salem. After beating Hayti 21-6 in the season opener, Thayer has lost to Highland, Ark. (46-6), Mountain View-Liberty (30-0) and Salem. …The Bobcats’ four opponents have combined 11-1 record. Two were state ranked. …The Bobcats managed just 81 yards rushing against Salem. …O’Neil said Thayer runs a variety of offensive formations. “It’s the same plays, but it’s a variety of formations to make you think and get you out of position,” O’Neil said. …The Bobcats have defeated Houston six straight times. The Tigers’ last victory was a 34-20 win in the second game of 2005.
LIVE BROADCAST: Watch Friday’s game between the Tigers and Thayer at www.houstonherald.com/live. It can be viewed live or watched later. The broadcast will begin at 6:40 p.m. with Jeff McNiell, Brent Kell and Jim McNiell. Last week, there were 1,307 viewers as HHS topped Cabool 27-12. The numbers were the most of CityLinkTV’s nearly 200 channels across the region.
