West Playoff prediction

[Captain72]

1st round: Happy vs Petersburg/ Spur; Meadow vs Klondike; Borden County vs Anton; Valley vs Nazareth; Garden City vs Robert Lee; Hermleigh vs Aspermont; Crowell vs Ira; Sterling City vs Rankin

2nd round: Happy vs Klondike; Borden County vs Valley; Garden City vs Hermleigh; Crowell vs Sterling City

3rd round: Happy vs Borden County; Garden City vs Crowell

4th round: Borden County/ Happy vs Crowell

State: Borden County/ Happy vs ?
Just not able to decide on BC or Happy outcome, no real measuring stick. They are 1st and 2nd in Div 1 in points allowed.

 

[quentin70]

I think you have it as accurate as a person could put it on paper. Injuries will be key in the west, like it is year in and year out. Hope all teams are 100% through it all.

 

[WildcatClassOf89]

Only thing I would change is your 4th round.

BC vs A healthy Crowell team. My Cats have played the best in the West being BC (10 points) and Happy (15 points) with a key player out on both sides of the ball in those matchups. Should be a good Semi Finals matchup regardless.. You know what they say about the semi finals game in the West...............

State: Crowell vs Whoever the East sends....................

Best of luck to all the teams that advance to the playoffs!!!

 

[WV Backer]

I concur with your assessment with the exception of the Garden City/Robert Lee match-up. In that one I have to go with the WV because, well... that's what I do. Anyway, I also understand your reluctance to choose between Happy and Borden County. That game would certainly be worth the price of admission. You can't completely count out Valley and Crowell; they might be able to pull off an upset... but I doubt it.

Regardless of who comes out of the west, I feel the east representative has little hope of wresting the championship trophy away.

 

[BE]

First things first---who is the head coach at Meadow now?
And I see Hermleigh making it to the third round. The Cardinals are electrified after the Ira win, and I'm betting they have the kilowatts to take them .

 

[Captain72]

I agree with the possibility of Hermleigh making it, but I believe them beating Ira doesn't go far in proving how good they may or may not be, I don't believe Ira was as good as their record looked. If you ask my Ira friends they would say it doesn't matter how they won, just that they won.

 

[BE]

Well what does it take to impress you mister? Ira is suffering a mere one loss per year since football was invented...,exaggeration intended. They have a tradition second to no one in the panhandle but BC and Valley. The Cardinal"s average loss to Ira since the new millennium is greater than the mercy rule. And they are still hungry for a state title despite all their successes. Ira can still fight.

If all those factors don't impress you, recall that Hermleigh has three defending state champions on the team. That in itself is worth 30 or 40 points. It is a solid guess that the Mallory clan can make up plays in the huddle to take advantage of anything their opponents do defensively.


Somebody send me some film on Hudl so I can see for myself how good these birds are.

 

[coyote_king]

Who are the three defending state champs on the team?

 

[Cougarfan13]

Don't count all those chickens yet, bet you " west" fans are glad Calvert isn't in the Div 1 mix, anyway, dont count out anyone in the East, anything can happen....

 

[coyote_king]

I predict a 30+ west victory in D1 title.
I predict a 30+ east victory in D2 title.

 

[51eleven]

Who are the three defending state champs on the team?

BE's probably including Colt Mallory who was an 8th grader last year. He was on the sidelines at the state game if I remember right. So he did get to experience the feel of it from there, which in itself is rarefied air. He has been starting this year as a freshman.

 

[WV Backer]

Yeah, sorry Cougarfan13 but I'm definitely counting out the East. Rochelle, Zephyr and Blum just don't have the same talent level as Borden County, Happy, Crowell, Valley and Hermleigh. Still, the East is loaded in Division 2 so, you've got that going for you.

 

[51eleven]

I remember a saying from a few years ago, if you want to be the best you have to beat the (current) best.
Happy and BC are the only ones 9-0. The case for Valley could be made that who have they played, other than their one loss (Happy by 38). They have the same record as Hermlieg and Aspermont. While Crowell is 5-3 all losses are to top teams. If Aspermont should upset Crowell for the districrt championship Hermliegh would get Crowell in the 1st round I believe. Hermliegh is on cloud 9 this week after not beating Ira in 17-18 years, being 45'd by them since the turn of the century, then 45'ing them last week. That was a beautiful thing for them. They have not won a playoff game in 40 years. That's one reason the coach took the job, the challenge (another is wind mill money which provided them with excellent new facilities, field included). They better not have their head in that cloud no matter who they face in the 1st round.

 

[BE]

Yes, I am referring to Coach Mallory and both his boys. Being the son of a coach usually, I say usually makes them more prepared and generally more experienced, regardless of classification.

Who is the head man in Meadow??

 

[Mexican Englishman]

Casey Cooper is the head man at Meadow. He was an assistant at Aquilla for about 3 years. He brought in his dad as D-coordinator who had been at Aquilla for several years. I believe this is a program to keep a eye on. The Aquilla Supe made a horrible decision for the Aquilla program and I wish these two nothing but good luck.

 

[cozmo cramer]

You guys can talk about all the cliche's you want to.

The best team in Div. I WEST is Borden County. I've seen them play 2xs. They are HUGE, BIG, FAST and VERY PHYSICAL across the line.

Borden County will represent the WEST.
If you want to talk about sleepers, I'm going with Sterling City because Bret Tyler can flat out coach and he has proven he can beat ANYONE at ANYTIME.

I do like the set up of the WEST, we have teams like Crowell, Happy, Sterling City, Meadow, Valley, Hermleigh, Ira.
I'd probably leave out Meadow in the state hunt, but the others are VERY legit teams (enter your cliche here)....

But I'm going with Borden County.

As for the EAST,
No one is on the Milford bandwagon just yet.
It will be Gordon or Milford from the EAST

 

[BE]

Horrible decision? Can you elaborate?

Let me offer a cliche or two on that statement you made.
Too often the head coach gets the only praise (and criticism) for the success or failure of an athletic program. And rightly so. However, if you peer a little deeper you will often discover that that success (yes and failure) was started with an interested, determined and enlightened administrator. Every person hired at any small school usually must go through the Superintendent. That's what they get paid to do, make sure he or his principal or AD has the good sense to find, pursue and sign the best coach possible. The ones who do not feel hiring a coach is in the same league as hiring a math or science teacher is fooling himself, and needs to be educated on his lack of vision. That sounds silly to many administrators, I know. Nonetheless, it is true. The Fall sports have direct influence with the overall morale of the school. And anything that affects a school must be given due respect and consideration. It is my belief that football, volleyball and first semester basketball can determine the attitude of our young people. And even our community. And it should also encourage the school staff to put their best foot forward in whatever capacity and endeavor they are responsible for.

When a school needs a coach, the visionary administrator searches long and wide for someone who can improve the school's athletic experience. Most of us want our kids to learn more than how to lose gracefully.

When Panther Creek was needing a football coach they sent several board members to Ropes to recruit Mitch Lee. When RS was looking they found Doyle Clawson and went after him. At that time Clawson had just completed a stint at PC and Brookesmith and Cotulla. Going from two of those three to RS was like moving from a mansion into an efficiency apartment. The facilities were sub-standard on every level.
When Strawn needed a coach in 2002 or 2003, they didn't grab the first college rookie or ex-eleven man guy. They recruited Dewaine Lee.

To cut it short, give the coach his due, but don't forget that first it was an administrator who did his part to set the school up for success..., or failure.

 

[BE]

Wonder Dog, I like your Trumpy enthusiasm for Milford. I watched them play Jonesboro early in the season, barely losing 38 to 50, or there about.
But if you are going with them because of their Spread ability led by a quality freshman Spreadback, there is another team that possesses those qualities and is led by a senior who I think fits the role of Cinderella Man better than Milford. Rochelle is that team.
I haven't looked to see the routes these two teams take in the playoffs, yet. But whichever way they go neither team will face an opponent as tough as RS and as brutal as Jonesboro, until they get to Abilene. My opinion has some measure of ignorance based on my lack of seeing May and Gordon this year.
Even so, I believe Rochelle today is where Milford may be next year, but not at the present.

Saying that, I would not be surprised if your prediction materializes. Any team who masters the spread offense with a strong run/pass threat can beat anyone out there.

So Bobby Avery retired, didn't he.

 

[quentin70]

love this time of year when everyone is rooting for their favorite teams. lets all remember this about the kids playin on the field, thats where its all decided anyways. i wish all teams, coaches and players the best of luck. in a few short weeks we'll all be in the confignment of gyms talking about what if this, and what if that, except for one team. wether its happy, crowell, borden county, hermileigh, sterling city or any other team from the west playing in that final game against the east, its been a privilage to watch these kids grow into men under the coaching we have in the west. may the best team win, but i'm going with the boys from Gail Texas to win it all in the end. they are just too deep at every position.

 

[Longhorn85]

I love this time of year when no one is talking about Gordon