Arlington Martin coach Bob Wager expecting ‘a very physical game’ vs. South Grand Prairie

Two longtime friends will coach against each other Friday as Arlington Martin hosts South Grand Prairie at Choctaw Stadium.

This won’t be the first time, though. Martin’s Bob Wager and South Grand Prairie’s Laban DeLay have met before when DeLay was the head coach at Arlington Lamar. Now in his inaugural season as head coach at South Grand Prairie, this will be a familiar first.

“For that time period, we’re going to be rivals,” DeLay said. “But then, before the game I’ll hug on him and after the game I’ll hug on him.”

Martin (3-2) and South Grand Prairie (4-1) are currently the top two teams in District 8-6A. Both won their district openers last week.

South Grand Prairie extended its winning streak to 4-0 with a 46-28 win against Arlington Bowie to improve to 1-0 in district. Running back AJ Newberry had 24 carries for 281 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Michael Stallworth went 7 of 16 for 91 yards and one touchdown.

Martin defeated Arlington in its opener 65-17 as five different players scored. Quarterback Cydd Ford went 10 of 13 for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Three-star running back Sergio Snider led the team with 11 carries for 76 yards and three touchdowns.

“Offensively, [Martin has] a lot of different weapons,” DeLay said. “And so, to try to match up with all the weapons they have it’s going to be a challenge for us.”

Ford is currently one of the top 15 passers in 6A in the Dallas-area. So far this season, For has completed 63% of his passes for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns. South Grand Prairie also has one of the leading rushers in Newberry, who has had 94 carries for 630 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The last time Martin and South Grand Prairie met, Martin won 11-8 on its way to an undefeated run in district. With it still being early in the schedule, it’s hard to say what the outcome could mean for the district in the long-run in terms of a district champion and runner-up. South Grand Prairie is under a new direction with a different team.

Throughout Wager’s tenure at Martin, the Warriors are 6-3 against South Grand Prairie.

“Traditionally, this has been a very physical game,” Wager said. “I expect the same.”

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