NEDERLAND — Coach Larry Neumann knows Class 4A No. 2 West Orange-Stark is a very good football team.

He also admitted this week he could have done a better job preparing his Nederland Bulldogs to face the Mustangs.

WOS ran over the Bulldogs 42-0 last week at Dan R. Hooks Stadium. Neumann understands a better coaching job might not have changed the outcome of the game but it would have improved his team’s performance.

“I think every time you play, you learn about yourself,” Neumann said. “You use that information, win, lose or draw. Hopefully we will be better this Friday because of last week.

“With all due respect to West Orange-Stark because they are as good a football team as anyone can imagine and with hindsight being 20/20, if I could do some things over, I believe I could have done a better job as a head coach. I take a lot of the blame for the things that we did that were self-inflicted.”

WOS held Nederland to four first downs last week. Nederland trailed 28-0 at halftime, and the Mustangs scored the last 13 points of the game in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs were held to 91 yards of offense and threw two interceptions. WOS’ Justin Brown took one of the interceptions back for a 20-yard touchdown.

“That was the biggest thing we got out of that game was trying to

eliminate some of those things that were self-inflicted,” Neumann said. “That is taken nothing away from West Orange. I don’t know if the difference of the game would have been any different. Perhaps our performance would have been better if I had made better decisions on how to prepare for the game.”

This week’s game is against a team the Bulldogs are very familiar with. Dayton comes to Bulldog Stadium at 7 p.m. The two teams have faced each other 20 times through the years, with Dayton winning four of the last five.

Dayton is coming off a 29-22 loss to Channelview. The Falcons ripped through the Broncos’ defense for 408 yards. Channelview quarterback Gerald Gardner threw fore 253 yards on 23-of-35 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.

Dayton rushed for 269 yards on 33 carries. Jalen Styner led the Broncos with 153 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown and Justin Santee had 89 yards on 13 carries with two scores.

Broncos quarterback Trevin Marcrum completed 10 of 17 passes for 68 yards.

“We know each other well,” Neumann said. “Coach [Jeff] Nations was on our staff for several years prior to him getting the head job at Dayton. What you can expect from Dayton is physicality, not unlike what we got last Friday. They are a program with a rich tradition.

“We have had some donnybrooks with them. If there is such a thing as a non-district rivalry, this would be pretty close. We have both beat each other soundly at times and others have been close. So, we know them and they know us. They are a talented bunch. We will have our hands full.”

Neumann wants one thing from his group before next week’s District 22-5A opener at home against Livingston.

“We have got to get better,” Neumann said. “If we are better this Friday night we have a better chance of winning. They (Broncos) are very capable of beating a lot of people. They are a very good football team.”