PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Port Arthur Memorial has built a reputation for being one of the toughest teams in the Triangle, but last year things were a little rougher than normal with the Titans finishing the year (5-6) after a Bi-District loss..
Coach Brian Morgan thinks his team learned a lot from 2019.
"I think more than anything you can see the game just slows down for them. You can especially see in our quarterback, he was a sophomore. And if you look, his last half of last season was just completely different from the first half cause he grew up and you can really see it on a daily basis going against our defense, which is a pretty good defense. You can just see the game slow down for him and he's a super talented kid. But we took some lumps playing a lot of sophomores and now we hope to reap the benefits of that."
That experience should pay off this year with a ton of talent returning.
"When you've got a quarterback, you've got Jah'mar Sanders coming back. You got two really good backs in Chaney and Hayward. Some really good receivers. Tyrence coming back. A couple of good offensive linemen. And our defense is super talented as well, so we're excited to hear all those guys."
Unfortunately the Titans are placed in a district with only one local rival, meaning Port Arthur is facing long road trips once again.
"You know we don't really have a whole lot of choice in it, I mean obviously I'd love to play the local teams and get back to a situation where we had a few years ago playing all the local teams and you have some local rivalries, some local fans around each other. But that's just not something we can control right now. I mean it's unfortunate kind of how they split up the divisions and Friday nights do account for some travel. But it's just not something we can control."
PORT ARTHUR MEMORIAL TITANS
Last Year: (5-6, 4-3)
Bi-District Finalist
Playoff Results: Shadow Creek (L 49-7)
Starters Returning: Offense (7), Defense (8)
Players to Watch: DE Jordon Thomas, CB Jaylon Guilbeau, RB Adrian Hayward, RB Branden Chaney, QB Jah'mar Sanders, DE Christian Thomas, DB Devaunn Davenport, DT Alex Prevost, LB Darrell Thornton
HISTORY
District Championships: (4) 2004, 06, 16, 17
Playoff Appearances: (13) 2003, 04, 06, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19
Playoff Record: (13-13)
Deepest Playoff Run: State Semifinalist (2011)
Most Wins in a Season: 13 (2011)
Dave Campbell's Texas Football 9-5A-DI Prediction: 4th
SCHEDULE
Sept. 25 - at Port Neches-Groves Indians
Oct. 2 - at Barbers Hill Eagles
Oct. 9 - at La Porte Bulldogs*
Oct. 16 - vs Goose Creek Memorial Patriots*
Oct. 23 - at Galveston Ball Golden Tors*
Oct. 30 - OPEN
Nov. 6 - at Beaumont United Timberwolves*
Nov. 13 - vs Baytown Lee Ganders*
Nov. 20 - at Baytown Sterling Rangers*
Nov. 27 - OPEN
Dec. 4 - vs Friendswood Mustangs*
(District Game*)
