SAN ANTONIO – The Southwest Dragons started practice in the fog Monday morning, but their sight line is clear because they know they must beat the John Jay Mustangs to win the District 14-5A-D1 championship.
“Yeah, for sure, this is for the district championship,” said Southwest senior Aazeryuan Voss. “It’s the biggest game of the year so far, and this is for seeding in the playoffs, so it’s a big game to us.”
Both teams are 8-0, 6-0 in the district heading into the BGC Game of the Week. They’re the only two undefeated teams in district play with two weeks left in the regular season.
“Somebody is going to go home with a notch in the loss column, but both teams have worked their butts off all year long and in the summer,” said John Jay football head coach Gary Gutierrez.
Not only are their records the same, but the Dragons and the Mustangs are very similar, and at times, they must feel like they are looking in the mirror at themselves.
“They (Jay) have the No. 1 defense in district and the No. 2 offense,” said Southwest quarterback AJ Franco. “And we have the No. 1 offense and the No. 2 defense, so playing a good team like that gets us ready for the playoffs.”
“This is one of the first times we’re starting off 8-0,” said Jay senior defensive end Damion Charles. “We’re getting really close to making history at this school. First undefeated 10-0 season to be district champs in our first year in 5A would just be a statement.”
These two have been on a collision course all season long, and now they will go head-to-head Friday night, Nov. 1, at Dragon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Read more reporting and watch highlights and full games on the Big Game Coverage page.
