Bastrop battles Randle, No. 1 ranked and defending state champ, at Prairie View A&M stadium
- Jim Irish
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Jim Irish
Photos by Bella Rick and Jim Irish
Bastrop head football coach Jake Griedl and Randle head coach Brian Randle, whose teams collide in the Class 5A DII regional semifinals, have been instrumental in their programs’ turnarounds.
In his four seasons, Griedl, who previously coached at Marshall, has led the bears to records of 2-8, 5-5, 9-3, and 11-1.
In his counterpart’s four seasons, Randle has directed the Lions to records of 4-6, 11-2, 16-0, and 12-0. Randle, the defending 5A DII champion, has won 28 consecutive contests..
"The moment we make this game about them is the moment we lose ourselves."
-- Bastrop head coach Jake Griedl
The teams clash at Prairie View A&M’s 15,000-capacity stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Griedl said earlier in the season when Bastrop was ranked No. 9 in the state in 5A that “rankings don’t play the game.”
Bastrop, Griedl said, will not focus on Randle’s No. 1 ranking or its 28-game win streak.
“The moment we make this game about them is the moment we lose ourselves,” he said.
Griedl preferred to focus on his team’s capabilities.
“Offensively, we’re averaging 60 points a game,” he said. “We can’t change up our offense because of who we're playing. That’s what gotten us here. It’s going to give us an opportunity to win.
“We can’t change up our defense because of who we’re playing. That’s gotten us where we are. The same for them. At the end of the day, we gotta play really good football. We don’t have to play perfect football. We’ve got to play championship level football to beat a championship level team. We’ve shone that.”
Bastrop may have played its best game offensively last week in its 69-42 win over Waco University in the area game. Gary Jefferson dashed for 381 yards and scored seven touchdowns, including one on a pass. Quarterback Weston Nielsen threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another.
Nielsen has a trio of capable receivers in Zac Wilkinson, Brent Porter, and Diego Rangel, who have combined for 32 touchdown receptions.
A healthy sign, Bastrop committed no turnovers and few penalties against University.
Randle has watched film of Bastrop and mentioned Nielsen, defensive lineman Tiki Hola, and wide receiver Dallas Crencenzo by name. However, the Bastrop athlete Randle was most impressed with is offensive lineman Isaiah Walker-Lopez.
"... If I go in a back alley, I'll take him with me."
-- Randle head coach Brian Randle about Bastrop lineman Isaiah Walker-Lopez
"He is a mean, nasty something," Randle said about Walker-Lopez. "He's not the biggest kid, but he's a mean son of a dog. If I go in a back alley, I'll take (him) with me."
Meanwhile, Randle’s offense centers around junior running back Landen Williams-Callis, a National Player of the Year candidate who has received offers from Alabama and Georgia. Williams-Callis has rushed for 2,538 yards and 42 touchdowns this season. He had fewer carries during blowouts. Griedl expects Williams-Callis to get 20 to 25 touches on Saturday.
“They funnel everything through (Williams-Callis),” Griedl said. “You don’t know where he’s going to hit it. You have to be gap sound.”
Williams-Callis is the same height as Bastrop’s Jefferson at 5-foot-8, but at 200 pounds, he outweighs Jefferson by 30 pounds. Randle, the son of Thomas Randle, the former superintendent after which the high school is named, said Williams-Callis clocked 10.5 seconds for the 100-meter dash in the eighth grade.
“The Good Lord put his hands on Landen and said, ‘You're gonna play football, and you’re going to play at a high level for a long time,’” Randle said.
Randle quarterback Tyler Skrabanek doesn't receive as much attention as Williams-Callis, but he is highly efficient. He has passed for 2,432 yards and 26 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.
On defense, Randle boasts 6-3, 230-pound linebacker Noriel Dominguez, a TCU commit among other quick athletes.
“They’re super athletic,” Griedl said about Randle’s defense. They’re quick. They’re active.”
Bear sightings
Crescenzo, a junior and Purdue commit, has missed five games with a leg injury but is no longer wearing a boot.
Asked about the possibility of Crescenzo playing against Randle, Griedl said, “TBD (to be decided).”
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas