Week 9 Rewind
Week nine helped clear things up a little bit as far as the playoffs go, but, with two weeks to go (for class 4A and down) there are still quite a few things to be ironed out. Here’s a look at the best of the best from the past week.
CAUGHT MY EYE
The ABILENE EAGLES notched their first win of the season with a 27-25 upset of District 2-6A favorite Odessa Permian Friday night at Shotwell Stadium. The victory kept the Warbirds in the playoff chase and can do nothing but boost their confidence going forward. Abilene shut out the Panthers in the second half, and Noah Hatcher sealed the deal with an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter to turn Permian away. The road does not get any easier, however, as the Eagles will head to Midland Lee on Friday.
BALLINGER took care of Ingram Moore 47-6 to keep pace with Bangs and set up a battle for the District 2-3A Division II title next week. The Bearcats went up 27-0 in the first quarter and cruised to the win to get to 8-1 on the season and 3-0 in district play.
The BANGS DRAGONS did their part to set up that district championship showdown with Ballinger by blowing out Sonora 48-14. The two teams entered the game tied at 2-0 in district, but the Dragons quickly showed which team was best. Bangs led 27-0 at the half and were never tested. The Dragons rolled up 501 yards of total offense and limited Sonora to 169.
BROWNWOOD returned to action for the first time in 21 days and dominated Alvarado 47-14 to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Lions need to win at Waxahachie Life Wednesday, yes, Wednesday, to secure a playoff spot. The Lions jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and the end result was never in doubt. Brownwood accumulated 424 yards of total offense, a balanced 218 rushing and 206 passing. Royshad Henderson ran for 170 yards and four touchdowns, while Blaize Espinoza threw for 206 and a touchdown while also rushing for 34 yards and two more scores.
Ninth ranked Cisco picked up a key district win with a 27-0 shut out of Coleman. The Bluecats saw a five-game winning streak come to an end, while the Loboes have now won their first three district games and will likely visit San Saba on November 6 with a district championship on the line. Cisco not only kept Coleman out of the end zone, but held the Bluecats to under 100 yards of total offense.
CLYDE stayed perfect in District 3-3A Division I action with a 33-20 road win at Early. Dylan Neuman led the Bulldog attack, throwing for 224 yards and three touchdowns and adding 41-yards and a score on the ground. The Bulldogs victory kept Early from locking up their first trip to the playoffs since 2008, but they’ll likely be able to get the job done with a win over TLCA San Angelo this week. Clyde has two tough games left on the schedule against Wall and at Jim Ned, but have set themselves up with a chance to claim a district title if they can pull off a pair of upsets.
COOPER blew out Granbury 69-7 to get to 2-0 in District 3-5A Division I play. Cougar QB Aidan Thompson threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns and Noah Garcia ran for 96 yards and a score in the easy victory. The Cougars are scheduled to be on the road again Thursday night to play at Arlington Heights.
EASTLAND took command of the District 5-3A Division II race with a 55-20 win over Jacksboro. The two teams entered play tied for the district lead at 2-0, but the Mavericks now have the outright lead with two games to go. Eastland has won five in a row after starting the season 0-3, and will visit Merkel Friday.
HAWLEY outlasted Anson 21-20 to take over the outright lead at 3-0 in District 3-2A Division I. Anson falls to second place at 2-1, while the Bearcats are in the driver’s seat with games against Colorado City and Forsan left on the schedule. Hawley trailed 20-6 at the break, but shut out the Tigers in the second half and got the go-ahead score on an Austin Cumpton run in the fourth quarter. Cumpton, who is just a sophomore, has racked up 455 yards and three touchdowns rushing over the past two weeks.
HERMLEIGH kept rolling with a 62-14 win over Rotan Friday night. The Cardinals victory sets up a battle for the District 7-1A Division I title at Ira this week. Hermleigh checks in at number 25 in the latest sixmanfootball.com Division I rankings.
JIM NED did not have a letdown of any kind after beating Wall last week as the Indians cruised to a 75-0 victory at TLCA San Angelo. Many Indians got the chance to see the field in the easy win, and the defense held the Eagles to just 42 yards of total offense. Jim Ned visits Breckenridge Friday and will host Clyde to wrap up the regular season November 6.
LUEDERS-AVOCA found the win column for the first time this season, beating Moran 51-0 to get to 1-7 and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders will finish the regular season at Woodson Friday. The winner of that game will head to the playoffs as the runner-up behind Throckmorton (barring a Throckmorton upset loss to Moran).
MAY rolled to a seventh straight victory, beating Baird 66-16 to claim at least a share of the District 13-1A Division I championship. Five Tigers scored in the victory, led by Isidro Salinas with 80 yards rushing and a pair of scores to go along with a touchdown catch as well. May is off Friday and wraps up the regular season against Lingleville on November 6.
MERKEL got back in the win column and kept their playoff hopes alive with a 36-15 win at Dublin. The Badgers snapped a four-game skid and improve to 3-4, 1-2. Merkel will have a shot at the postseason, but it will not be easy with games against Eastland and Comanche left on the schedule.
ROBY picked up district victory number one and improved to 5-4 on the season with a 67-34 win at Aspermont Friday night. The Lions are likely going to end up on the outside looking in at the playoffs with losses to Ira and Hermleigh, but can equal their best season win total since 2017, and claim Fisher County bragging rights, with a win over Rotan in their season finale November 6.
SANTA ANNA joined the century club with a 108-63 win over Lingleville. The Mountaineers were shut out and held to negative yardage last week against powerful May, but did more than turn things around in beating the Cardinals Friday. Santa Anna is the third six-man team in the state to reach 100 points in a game this year, joining Highland, who beat Loraine 104-60, and Rising Star, who topped Waco Eagle Christian 110-62, in the exclusive club. The Mountaineers now have six wins and can equal their best season since 2016, 7-4, with a win at playoff hopeful Gorman Friday night in their regular season finale.
WINTERS broke into the District 4-2A Division I win column and kept their playoff chances alive with a 28-13 win at Goldthwaite. The Blizzards visit De Leon Friday in another game they have a good chance to win and finish the regular season at home against Coleman. Winters continues to be one of those ‘better than their record’ teams at 2-6: the six teams they’ve lost to are a combined 28-13 so far this season.
STILL PERFECT
The same five area teams are unbeaten. Three of them picked up victories this week, while Hamlin and Wylie had to sit things out.
ABILENE CHRISTIAN: The Panthers improved to 4-0 with a 52-7 blowout of Wichita Falls Notre Dame. They host Wichita Falls Wichita Christian and visit Midland Trinity to finish the regular season.
BANGS: Another blowout win for 7-0 Bangs. The Dragons have won their games by an average of nearly 37 points per game this season.
HAMLIN: The Pipers game against Crosbyton was cancelled, but it would have been ugly if they actually played. Hamlin remains 7-0.
HERMLEIGH: Nine games up, nine games down for the Cardinals. Hermleigh gets ready for a huge matchup with Ira on Friday.
WYLIE: The Bulldogs will finally return to action Friday night at state ranked Wichita Falls Rider. Wylie last played October 2, beating Lubbock Monterey 24-6.
LOOKING AHEAD
There are some great games to get out and see this week.
Abilene at Midland Lee
Cooper at Arlington Heights - Thursday
Wylie at Wichita Falls Rider
Brownwood at Waxahachie Life - Wednesday
Snyder at Pecos
Monahans at Sweetwater
Jim Ned at Breckenridge
Wall at Clyde
TLCA San Angelo at Early
Bangs at Ballinger
Winters at De Leon
Eastland at Merkel
Anson at Haskell
Hawley at Colorado City
Stamford at Forsan
Goldthwaite at Cisco
San Saba at Coleman
Lockney at Roscoe - Wednesday
Cross Plains at Albany
Aspermont at Rotan
Hermleigh at Ira
Highland at Bronte - Tuesday
Highland at Sterling City - Saturday
Baird at Lingleville
Santa Anna at Gorman
Trent at Blackwell
Loraine at TLCA Abilene
Benjamin at Rule
Lueders-Avoca at Woodson
Throckmorton at Moran
Rising Star at Panther Creek
Wichita Falls Wichita Christian at Abilene Christian
STANDINGS
District 2-6A
San Angelo Central 2-0, 2-3
Odessa Permian 1-1, 3-2
Wolfforth Frenship 1-1, 2-3
Abilene 1-1, 1-3
Midland 1-1, 1-4
Odessa 0-1, 0-2
Midland Lee 0-1, 3-1
This week: Abilene at Midland Lee; Odessa at San Angelo Central; Frenship at Permian; Midland is off
District 3-5A Division I
Cooper 2-0, 3-1
Brewer 2-0, 3-2
Azle 1-0, 3-1
Granbury 1-1, 2-3
Arlington Heights 0-0, 2-0
Justin Northwest 0-1, 2-2
Crowley 0-2, 0-5
Saginaw 0-2, 0-5
This week: Cooper at Arlington Heights; Brewer at Granbury; Azle at Crowley; Northwest at Saginaw
District 3-5A Division II
Wichita Falls Rider 1-0, 4-1
Lubbock Cooper 1-0, 4-1
Wylie 0-0, 2-0
Plainview 0-0, 2-2
Canyon Randall 0-1, 2-3
Wichita Falls 0-1, 1-2
This week: Wylie at Wichita Falls Rider; Cooper at Plainview; Wichita Falls at Randall
District 5-4A Division I
Midlothian Heritage 4-0, 7-2
Stephenville 3-1, 5-4
Waco La Vega 2-1, 5-2
Brownwood 1-1, 3-4
Waxahachie Life 1-3, 2-6
Alvarado 0-4, 2-7
This week: Brownwood at Waxahachie Life; Midlothian Heritage at Stephenville; Waco La Vega at Alvarado (Wednesday)
District 1-4A Division II
Sweetwater 3-0, 6-1
Greenwood 3-1, 5-3
Monahans 2-1, 4-5
Pecos 0-3, 2-4
Snyder 0-3, 2-5
This week: Pecos at Snyder; Monahans at Sweetwater; Greenwood is off
District 3-3A Division I
Jim Ned 3-0, 6-1
Clyde 3-0, 4-4
Wall 2-1, 5-3
Early 1-2, 4-4
Breckenridge 0-3, 0-7
TLCA San Angelo 0-3, 0-8
This week: Jim Ned at Breckenridge; Wall at Clyde; TLCA San Angelo at Early
District 2-3A Division II
Bangs 3-0, 7-0
Ballinger 3-0, 8-1
Sonora 2-1, 3-5
Brady 1-2, 3-5
Ingram Moore 0-3, 5-3
Grape Creek 0-3, 1-7
This week: Bangs at Ballinger; Ingram Moore at Brady; Sonora at Grape Creek
District 5-3A Division II
Eastland 3-0, 5-3
Jacksboro 2-1, 5-3
Comanche 2-1, 7-1
Millsap 1-2, 5-3
Merkel 1-2, 3-4
Dublin 0-3, 1-6
This week: Eastland at Merkel; Comanche at Jacksboro; Millsap at Dublin
District 3-2A Division I
Hawley 3-0, 6-2
Anson 2-1, 5-2
Forsan 2-1, 4-3
Haskell 1-2, 2-5
Stamford 1-2, 4-4
Colorado City 0-3, 0-8
This week: Anson at Haskell; Hawley at Colorado City; Stamford at Forsan
District 4-2A Division I
San Saba 3-0, 6-1
Cisco 3-0, 5-3
Coleman 2-1, 6-2
Winters 1-2, 2-6
Goldthwaite 0-3, 2-6
De Leon 0-3, 1-7
This week: Goldthwaite at Cisco; San Saba at Coleman; Winters at De Leon
District 5-2A Division II
Hamlin 2-0, 7-0
Lockney 1-0, 6-0
Ralls 1-1, 5-3
Crosbyton 0-1, 1-6
Roscoe 0-2, 0-8
This week: Crosbyton at Ralls; Lockney at Roscoe; Hamlin is off
District 8-2A Division II
Albany 4-0, 7-1
Cross Plains 2-0, 6-1
Santo 2-2, 6-4
Meridian 1-3, 3-5
Hico 1-3, 2-7
Ranger 0-4, 0-8
This week: Cross Plains at Albany; Santo at Meridian
District 7-1A Division I
Hermleigh 3-0, 9-0
Ira 2-0, 6-2
Roby 1-2, 5-4
Rotan 0-2, 6-2
Aspermont 0-2, 3-5
This week: Hermleigh at Ira; Aspermont at Rotan; Roby is off
District 8-1A Division I
Sterling City 2-0, 8-0
Westbrook 1-1, 7-1
Robert Lee 1-1, 2-5
Highland 1-1, 5-3
Bronte 0-2, 1-6
This week: Highland at Bronte (Monday); Westbrook at Robert Lee (Friday); Highland at Sterling City (Saturday)
District 13-1A Division I
May 3-0, 8-1
Baird 1-1, 3-5
Gorman 1-1, 4-4
Santa Anna 1-2, 6-3
Lingleville 0-2, 1-7
This week: Baird at Lingleville; Santa Anna at Gorman; May is off
District 6-1A Division II
Blackwell 2-0, 5-3
Loraine 2-0, 5-3
TLCA Abilene 0-2, 0-6
Trent 2-1, 2-7
Olfen 0-2, 0-3
This week: Trent at Blackwell; Loraine at TLCA Abilene
District 8-1A Division II
Benjamin 1-0, 4-1
Rule 1-0, 5-2
Chillicothe 0-1, 3-4
Harrold 0-1, 0-3
This week: Benjamin at Rule; Chillicothe at Harrold
District 9-1A Division II
Throckmorton 2-0, 6-1
Woodson 1-1, 1-5
Moran 0-2, 0-9
Lueders-Avoca 1-1, 1-7
This week: Throckmorton at Moran; Lueders-Avoca at Woodson
District 15-1A Division II
Blanket 2-0, 6-2
Brookesmith 2-0, 5-2
Sidney 2-1, 5-3
Panther Creek 0-2, 1-7
Rising Star 0-3, 3-6
This week: Rising Star at Panther Creek; Blanket at Brooksmith; Sidney is off
