Blitz Picks - State Championship Edition

WEEK 1: 33-47, 70.2%
WEEK 2: 39-61, 63.9%
WEEK 3: 52-64, 81.3%
WEEK 4: 43-56, 76.8%
WEEK 5: 50-64, 78.2%
WEEK 6: 33-41, 80.5%
WEEK 7: 47-56, 83.9%
WEEK 8: 49-54, 90.7%
WEEK 9: 47-55, 85.5%
WEEK 10: 46-53, 86.8%
WEEK 11: 48-55, 87.3%
WEEK 12: 45-53, 84.9%
WEEK 13: 18-27, 66.7%
WEEK 14: 10-15, 66.7%
WEEK 15: 7-9, 77.8%
WEEK 16: 3-3, 100%
OVERALL: 522-660, 79.1%

It is state title week and the Big Country is blessed to have three teams to cheer for, or against, if that’s your style, in Arlington.

Stamford, Gordon, and Jayton hit the field Wednesday and Thursday to try to bring some hardware back to the Big Country.

*The spread is from PigskinPrep.com for 11-man games and Pigskin Prep and sixmanfootball.com for six-man games.

Thank you to Rodriquez Catering in Haskell for being a sponsor of Big Country Blitz UIL state football coverage!

Blitz Picks: Stamford/Ganado Video

Stamford and Ganado get the party started for day two of the Texas state high school football championships Thursday morning, and this one could be a classic.

We start with defense, where both teams excel and allow the exact same 10.3 points per game.

The offense is pretty even as well, as the Bulldogs score just over 47 a game and the Indians counter with 45.8.

While Stamford is a perfect 15-0 on the season, the Indians did suffer one loss, a 33-12 defeat to 3A Division II playoff team East Bernard in week three.

Stamford hasn’t been to state since they won it all in 2013, while Ganado is in the final week of the season for the first time. The Indians had lost five previous state semifinal games before breaking through against Joaquin last week.

On paper, it looks like a very evenly matched contest that could be decided in the fourth quarter.

The Blitz Pick is for Stamford to finish the job and bring another championship back to Jones County.

First meeting in series
The Spread: Ganado by 9
The Pick: Stamford

Blitz Picks: Gordon/Whiteface Video

The middle game on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington could be the coronation of the back-to-back 1A Division I state champion Gordon Longhorns.

Gordon has cruised to Jerry World a year after winning it all, and Whiteface stands in the way of a Longhorn repeat performance.

The Antelopes bring a perfect record into the contest, and they have only had three games go the distance all season, with a tie for the closest being a 20 point win over Water Valley in the semifinals.

Whiteface has never played for a football state title before, something Gordon has done and won three times in program history.

The semifinal win over Abbott by 41 points was the only non-mercy rule game for Gordon all year.

As impressive as the Gordon offense has been this season, their defense has been even better, allowing a UIL state low six points per game

The well-rounded Longhorns are the heavy favorites, and the Blitz Pick, to take care of business and bring another state football title back to Gordon.

First meeting in series
The Spread Pigskin Prep: Gordon by 14
The Spread 6MFB: Gordon by 27
The Pick: Gordon

Blitz Picks: Jayton/Oakwood Video

First up on Wednesday at noon, unbeaten Jayton against 9-5 Oakwood.

While the Jaybirds have been penciled into this spot for most of the season, Oakwood is a big-time surprise and playing for it all for the first time in 33 years. The Panthers started the year with losses in five of their first seven games before turning things around in district and the playoffs. Oakwood knocked out Three Way, Gold-Burg, Iredell, and last year’s runner-up Oglesby to get to Arlington, and they hope they have one more upset left in the tank.

Jayton is in the championship game for the first time since 2006, and they are heavy favorites to win it all for the first time since 1985.

The Jaybirds have just been dominant, winning 13 of 14 games by mercy rule this season, with the lone exception being a 42-point win over Klondike in the state semifinals.

On paper, it looks like Jayton should win in a route, but that’s what folks in Oglesby probably thought in the semifinals.

The Panthers are obviously a great team to get to this mark, but Jayton is the pick to add a state football championship trophy to the case to go alongside the basketball one they won earlier this calendar year.

First meeting in series
The Spread Pigskin Prep: Jayton by 45
The Spread 6MFB: Jayton by 31
The Pick: Jayton