Saturday, December 31, 2011

DECEMBER 31, 2011

 

The end is near for 2011. Another fun year full of Six-Man as usual. Saw lots of football starting with two a day visits, scrimmages, the regular season, playoffs, and ultimately the State games in Abilene. The question is what will I do in January while waiting for realignment on February 2nd?

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Another Season in the Books

"Turn out the lights the party is over. They say that all good things must end".

Just a few hours ago at "my house" known to far more people by its real name as P.E. Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas, the curtain fell on the 2011 Six-Man football season. There have been many seasons in the past and for some of us there will be many more in the future. Just speaking for me, I don't think I will ever forget this one. I saw some things that I believe will stay with me for as long as my feeble brain remembers anything. I saw some things that I want to remember and one or two things that even though I have tried to push from my mind it would appear at this time are indelible impressions.

Where should I begin as I recount the now finished "season"? The D2 State Championship between Richland Springs and Motley County is the freshest. I picked RS to win this game by 21 points. The Coyotes of Richland Springs took slightly more than a half of a regulation game to defeat the Matadors of Motley County by the score of 76-28. For the unschooled, Six-Man games are divided into four quarters lasting 10 minutes each. Over the course of the season almost as many games are over at half time as those that go all four quarters. That is because of the "mercy rule" that states when a team is leading by at least 45 points at the half or thereafter, the ball game is over. That sometimes prevents some scores from being "bad to nothing". This game took 21 minutes and 29 seconds of playing time and ended with the Coyotes winning by 48 points. The outcome of this contest was never really in doubt.

MC won the toss, received the opening kickoff. They began an 11 play drive at their own 21 and marched to the RS 10 yard line before being stopped. The drive was fueled by the running of #3 Aaron Rogers. The Matadors actually had a 1st and goal on the RS 10 yard line that quickly turned into a 4th and goal from the 17. Rogers picked up 7 yards to the ten and that produced a turn over on downs (TOD) with 4:11 left in the first. RS,s first drive consisted of one play, a 70 yard TD by #8 Denim Reeves. Just like that the Shar... no make that the Coyotes with a successful PAT were up 8-0 with 4:41 showing on the clock. Maybe there was some doubt to this contest but it did not linger long.

MC had the ball four plays and netted 4 yards. 4th down was a punt that netted 5 yards and RS set up shop on MC's 24. Two passes by Reeves covered the necessary yardage to put the Coyotes up 16-0 with 2:02 left in the 1st.

MC would respond with an electrifying run by #4 Augy Chavez that covered 50 yards and a TD. The PAT was unsuccessful and with 1:51 left in the 1st MC trailed by the score of 16 to 6. RS facing a 2nd and 20 from their own 38 countered with a 42 yard run by who else other than Denim Reeves. The PAT was true and the Coyotes led 24-6 with with 1:37 remaining in the 1 st quarter of play.

MC would have the ball back with 1:33 left on their own 21. 1st and 15 Rogers ran off 17 yards with a nice run. Four more plays ran out the first quarter and gave the ball back to RS with 9:08 in the second and the ball on MC's 28. On first down #11 Ben Vancleave ran for 20 yards to the 8. The next play Reeves was in the end zone again and with 8:28 left in the half RS was up 32-6.

MC would start a new drive on the 40 yard line but a fumble recovered by #13 Chance Bush gave RS back the ball on the 34 yard line. Lo and behold, MC holds RS to 4 plays without a first down. When you get a defensive stop, then is the time to make the other team pay. MC did just that with #14 Braden Mason passing 41 yards to Austin Taylor for a score. The PAT was no good and the score stood 32-12 RS with 5:42 in the half. With a good break MC could position themselves to get back into the game.

That break did not come... What ensued was another RS TD coming from yet another Reeves run. This time it was for 41 yards and with the PAT kick by Cory Bessent RS was now up 40-12 with 5:31 left in the half. Lots of teams would have quit at that point but MC answers with a 75 yard kickoff return for a TD. This time Augy Chavez converts on the PAT and RS's lead was cut to 20 points as they led 40-20 with 5:18 in the half.

RS would start a new "drive" at their on 35. On 1st and 15 Chance Bush made a terrific run covering 45 yards and another RS TD. The PAT failed and RS led 46 to 20 with 5:07 left in the half. Moments later it would be Denim Reeves going in from 37 yards out and the good PAT RS is up 54-20 with 4:12 left in the half. Folks, there is blood in the water and the sharks that hide as Coyotes are making the move. At the 2:17 mark left in the half some kid named Reeves rips off another TD run, this one covering 26 yards and again the PAT is true and RS is up 62-20 with 2:17 in the half.

With the season in peril, and showing the heart of a true Matador, Arron Rogers would dig deep enough to score on a 33 yard run with just 7 ticks on the clock until half. Chavez converts on the PAT and the score becomes 62-28 RS. The half should be over right? With 7 seconds left MC kickoffs. RS has enough time for one more play. You guessed it. Reeves goes 41 yards to the house as time expires in the half, Bessent converts PAT and it is 70 to 28. Don't wander far away during half time because RS receives the kick off to start the second half. One minute and 29 seconds into the third quarter, Mr. Denim Reeves does the honors scoring from 25 yards out and this one is mercifully over. Richland Springs 76 Motley County 28.

Worth mentioning, with this win, RS now has 5 State Championship tying them with Fort Hancock for the most State Titles. RS won their first one in 2004. They won again in 2006 and 2007. They entered today's contest as defending Champions from 2010 and now have added the 2011 title. Congratulations to Athletic Director/Head Coach Jerry Burkhart and Offensive Coordinator Shawn Rogers and their Assistants Michael Brand who serves as Special Teams Coordinator and Assistant John Greenwood, as well as all the players, Administrators, and their GREAT FANS many of whom I consider friends.

I almost forgot to mention that the media types of which I am one vote for the Offensive and Defensive MVP of the State game.


The Defensive MVP went to Chance Bush of Richland Springs

The Offensive MVP went to......Denim Reeves of Richland Springs

Close to the real stats as I could get:
Rushing:
RS Reeves 12-290 Bush 2-53
MC Rogers 19-128 Chavez 6-69 Osborne 2-5 Brooks 1 (-1)

Passing:
RS Reeves 3-5-0 44 VanCleave 1-1-0 14
MC Mason 1-2-0 41 Rogers 0-5-0 0

Receiving:
RS Vancleave 1-20 Phillips 1-18 Bush 1-14 Tillery 1-6
MC Taylor 1-41

Scores by Quarter
RS 24 46 6 x
MC 6 22 0 x


Earlier this same day the D1 State Championship was played, also at "my
house" again better known as P.E. Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas USA. The two teams involved were the Throckmorton Greyhounds coming from the East side of the bracket. You can take that up with the U.I.L. about the East thing. The other team was the Borden County Coyotes coming from the West Bracket. I picked BC to win this game by 21 points. They were battled tested coming out of the West and Throckmorton wasn't so battle tested.

Borden County won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Throckmorton kicked deep and BC was pinned on their 4 yard line. Not the way the BC Coyotes wanted to start the game. On 1st and 15 #4 Austin Fields races for 76 yards and a TD. The PAT by Helio Rosales was good and BC led 8-0 with 9:43 left in the first. I am thinking to myself 21 points wasn't enough for BC in my prediction.

Throckmorton would begin their first drive in much better field position starting on their 30 yard line. 1st and 15 and #1 CJ Hantz goes 15 yards on a run. It is 1st and 15 again and again the ball carrier is CJ Hantz but this time only picks up one yard. 2 and 14 from the BC 34 the ball goes to Levi Taylor who follows his blocker as far as he can then pushes the blocker out of the way cuts to the outside and goes the distance for the score. Initially on the PAT the kick was no good but a flag on the defense allowed a second chance and a successful PAT and we are knotted up at 8 to 8 with 8:23 left in the first. Looks like it will be a better ball game than I thought.

BC gets the ball back for a five play drive that has a holding on BC and ends in a turn over on downs (TOD). Throckmorton takes over on the BC 36. Six plays later and a couple of Greyhound penalties, #7 Tucker Brown finds Levi Taylor for a 19yard TD pass with 5:12 left in the 1st quarter. Throckmorton's Jordon White once again converts the PAT and it is Throckmorton leading 16 to 8.

BC gets the ball back running three plays for little yardage. I note on my play by play sheet that the Greyhounds have come to play this day. On 4th and 18 BC decides to punt the ball. The punt is partially blocked. Throckmorton has great field position and in three plays, one of which is an offensive holding penalty, Brown finds his big target #33 Gary Farquhar for a 34 yard TD pass. White converts and Throckmorton now leads 24 to 8 with 2:35 left in the first. I let out my first "HOLY COW" that draws the attention of everyone in the press box levels 1 and 2.

BC begins another drive this one starting at their own 15 yard line. The drive consist of 6 plays with flags on both the offense and defense. It comes up 4th and 1 for BC and Tucker Brown makes a fantastic defensive play that gives the Throckmorton Greyhounds the ball with time running out in the 1st quarter. CJ Hantz eventually completes an 11 yard pass to Tucker Brownand with the PAT by White Throckmorton now leads 32-8 and out rolls my second HOLY COW of the day. Only a few glance my way this time. I am counting on my fingers and toes and finally figure out that if BC is to win by 21 they will have to put some serious points on the board and need to get started asap. Checking the clock I see there is 8:30 left in the half and I have seen BC scorre quickly and I think to myself BC is going to win this game but not by 21,

BC causes a turn over on downs that ended with a long 4th down pass by the Greyhounds going incomplete. I write down on my play by play sheet MISTAKE and circle it so I can look back later and say that was the turning point in the game. Four plays later Austin Fields for BC finds the end zone on a 5 yard run and the PAT is true and BC has cut the Throckmorton lead to 32 to 16 with 5:18 in the half. The teams swap possessions and the half ends at 32-16 Throckmorton. I am stunned at the score as I set in a cold press box that got colder before the day was over. The Guru came over to see what condition my condition was in. I put on my best face but he could see through me. We both knew that BC probably missed their opportunity to get a win when they had the ball 1st and goal on the 8 right before the half and couldn't cash in. Still I claimed BC wins this game.

Throckmorton got the ball opening the second half and went on an 11 play drive that was capped with a Hantz to Farquhar TD pass for three yards and another White PAT to take a lead of 40 to 16. That was the drive that sealed it as it also ate up 5 minutes and 14 seconds off the clock. With that, I starting thinking hey my friend Mike Reed is going to get his first State Title as a Head Coach. Still the sting of picking BC by 21 was there.

The final play of the third quarter saw BC score on a 13 yard pass from Tanner Richey to TJ Basquez. Again the PAT failed. New score 40=22 Throckmorton as we went to the 4th.
BC would get an interception by Tanner Richey that would lead to another Austin Fields TD of 1 yard. BC was inching closer 40 to 28. They would force a Throckmorton punt and Basquez would snag another 8 yard pass from Richey and convert on the PAT. It is now a 40 to 36 Throckmorton lead with just a minute and 42 seconds left. I had now totally forgotten about my BC 21 point favorite pick and I was thinking BC is going to steal the ring from Mike Reed.

That led to a fateful play no matter what side of the fence you came down on in this game. It is a big play and very uncharacteristically Coach Trey Richey decides to blitz. Mike Reed and the Greyhounds are ready for that and the center Blayton Oliver gets free and Hantx gets the ball to him for a 41 yard TD pass with 1:19 left in the game. White converts the PAT and your final is Throckmorton 48 Borden County 36. It was a classic Championship game.

Congratulations to Coach Mike Reed and His Greyhounds. What a season? The teams goes 14-0, the HC gets is 100th victory along the way and finally after three defeats in the big one, Mike Reed gets his first ring as a Head Coach. It just doesn't get much better than that.

Your MVP on Offense : CJ Hantz

Your MPV on Defense : Tucker Brown

Stats

Rushing:
Throckmorton Hantz 17-115 Taylor 5-67 Farquhar 3-6 Haggard 1-2 Brown 1 (-7)
Borden County Fields 21-196 Richey 4-35 Telchik 22-166 Shafer 2-8 Basquez 1-4

Passing:
Throckmorton Hantz 7-10-1 94 Brown 4-8-0 77
Borden CountyRichet 4-10-1 41 Fields 2-2-0 15

Receiving:
Throckmorton Farquhar 3-59 Taylor 4-55 Oliver 2-44 Brown 1-11 Hantz 1-2
Borden County Basquez 2-26 Shafer 2-15 Rosales 2--15

Thank you to those who follow me on Twitter @sixmancentral and to those that read my blog where ever it shows up. Thanks to www.lonestarfootball.net for the privilege to post there and to all who take time to read it.

Don Hardin
Abilene, TX
Six-Man Central

Thursday, December 8, 2011

It Is THAT Time

SWEET! It is championship week in Abilene, Texas home of sixmancentral and yours truly. Abilene has a history of hosting the game or games as it now stands. Actually this will be the third year in a row that Shotwell Stadiium has hosted the Texas Six-Man State Championship games. Six-Man was split into two divisions in 2006. The games were held here at Shotwell that year as well before going to San Angelo in 2007 and a split venue of Lubbock and Wolfforth in 2008.

The four teams involved this weekend are hoping to add another State Championship trophy to their display cases. Richland Springs, competing in the D2 game Saturday night against Mötley County, happens to be here to defend the title they won last season. RS has won state in 2004, before the split into two divisions, then won the D1 titles in 2006 and 2007. After their enrollment numbers moved them into D2 they roared back and won the D2 title in 2010. Their opponent, the Mötley County Matadors own a state title from 2007 when they won the D2 title.

The participants in the D1 game Saturday afternoon are Throckmorton and Borden County. Yes, they both own state titles as well. In 2005, again before the split into two divisions, Throckmorton won their title by beating Valley 68-22. That game was played here at Shotwell as well. Borden County won a title back in 1997 and then won back to back titles in D2 in 2008 and 2009.

Here is a little more history of state titles in the ranks of Texas Six-Man football. The first State Championship game played on this level was in 1972 and was won by the O'Brine Bulldogs led by the legendary Coach C H Underwood. There have been 44 State Championship trophies awarded. An interesting fact is only 22 schools have won titles during that time due to multiple titles held by those teams. Here is that list.

Fort Hancock 5 titles 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991
Richland Springs 4 titles 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2010
Borden County 3 titles 1997, 2008, and 2009
Cherokee 3 titles 1973, 1975, and 1978
Panther Creek 3 titles 1992, 1993, and 2000
Amherst 2 titles 1994 and 1995
Garden City 2 titles 2009 and 2010
Gordon 2 titles 1996 and 1999
Highland 2 titles 1982 and 1983
Jayton 2 titles 1984 and 1985
Marathon 2 titles 1974 and 1976
Milford 2 titles 1979 and 1980
Strawn 2 titles 2003 and 2008
Whitharral 2 titles 1981 and 2001
Calvert 1 title 2002
Lohn 1 title 1987
May 1 title 1977
Motley County 1 title 2007
Northside 1 title 2006
O'Brine 1 title 1972
Throckmorton 1 title 2005
Trinidad 1 title 1998

Is the math correct? 44 titles and 22 schools.

There are going to be two more trophies awarded this weekend. Which schools will add to their totals?

If you are in Abilene or even close to Abilene, if you are a huge fan of Six-Man or never have heard of the sport, you owe it to yourself to go and watch the finest Six-Man has to offer.

Savor the moment.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

WINDING DOWN

READY OR NOT................
This season is winding down. TAPPS playing State games today and U.I.L. are in the SEMI-FINALS. I

I attended the Mötley County Sterling City game Thursday in Gail, (Borden County). It would be a terrific understatement to say that the wind was blowing. The wind blew in a fired up Mötley County team that jumped on the Eagles of Sterling City early and often causing Coach Clyde Parham to explain " you can't spot a team 40 points and expect to win". He was referring to his team falling behind 48-8 in the first half. The final score read Mötley County 84 Sterling City 36. SC came into this one beaten up and turnovers really did them in. My belief is MC would have won regardless but in a much closer game. I had the Matadors by three.

Friday night in Jim Ned the Richland Springs Coyotes defeated a good Newcastle Bobcat team 54-8. No surprise here. I picked Richland Springs by 28. The Sharks have had an eye on returning to Abilene for about a year now. Not a team has been able to slow them down this season as they return to the title game for the second year in a row. There is absolutely NO need to tell the Matadors of Mötley County they don't have a chance of shocking the world next Saturday in Abilene. They have a mindset that they can play with anybody and they only listen to one guy.

Up the road, I picked Valley to beat the most physical Six-Man team I have seen, the Borden County Coyotes, by 11. I was wrong. Those Coyotes don't care too much what I pick. They took down the Valley Patriots 61-56 with BIG plays and a determined defense. Missed PAT's took a toll on Valley. They, Borden County, began the season with the idea of being in Abilene next weekend and they have beaten the finest teams the tough west side of D1 had to offer. It is as if they played for state since the second round of the playoffs. I know, I know, IF AND BUTS WERE CANDY AND NUTS..... these Coyotes could be going for their fourth consecutive State Championship. Last May, at the H.O.T. Coaching Clinic in Richland Springs, Coach Richey was the last coach out the door and Coach Burkhart said to him as he walked out, "let's make this up coming season the year of the Coyotes". There will be two "packs" in Abilene next Saturday.

Throckmorton is coming back to Abilene for another shot at a title there. They won it all back in 2005. They want to win for many reasons but perhaps the biggest reason is getting a ring for their beloved Coach Mike Reed. Tonight Abbott played a great first half with the game tied 30-30 at the half but Throckmorton took over and final score was 78-52.

ACHS HAS A GREAT TEAM.
I watched them early in the season and it was evident they were something special. The only blemish on their record was to a talented Ira bulldog team that defeated the Panthers by 8. It is very fitting that the Panthers would face their old foe Dallas Covenant in the TAPPS finals. Dallas Covenant has ended the season for ACHS 3 years in a row. Not this year as the Panthers claim the TAPPS D1 State Championship 66-44.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I Am Back

IS LATE BETTER THAN NEVER??

Don Hardin reporting for duty. Sorry I have been tied up lately and have not published my blog on a timely schedule. Between work, making insurance pictures, and play, watching Six-Man football, I have logged 28000 mile on the little HHR that I drive. That is since the middle of August. Coupled with fact I turned 60 back in October, things finally caught up with me and I couldn't or didn't answer the bell on time. Of all times for me to falter, it is playoff time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's rehash a bit shall we?

WHERE WE HAVE BEEN

Round One

D1
Valley 56 Paducah 6
No surprise here. Valley has performed well all season. WEEK ZERO in Hico saw Valley go down to Throckmorton 65-62. They have not lost since and have improved every week. There only serious challenge was in a 54-42 victory over Crowell. Valley may very well be the state representative from the west.

Ropesville 40 Petersburg 38 Ok, here is one that goes down as a major upset in my way of thinking. The GURU had picked Petersburg by 45. Previously the Buffaloes, ranked #7 for the last five weeks or so, had one loss and that was to Borden County. Ropes entered the contest 7-3 with losses to Ira, Garden City, and Meadow. Early on Ropes had been ranked as high as #9 in the state but had fallen in the rankings to #23. Shelve everything, Ropes advances to round two.

Meadow 79 Spur 38 Meadow entered this game with a #10 ranking and a 7-3 record. Their three losses were consecutive losses to Borden County, Rankin, and Petersburg. The Broncos had defeated Spur in WEEK ZERO 42-28.

Crowell 67 Follett 53 Ranked #9 coming into this contest with n 8-2 record, the Wildcats were 18 point favorites. Crowell's losses were to Valley by 12 and a sound defeat at the hands of Petersburg. Follett's highest ranking of the year came back in WEEK ZERO when they were #5. The Panthers came in to this game ranked #14. Previous losses were to Ira in WEEK ZERO, Mötley County, and Valley.

Borden County 66 Aspermont 27 The Coyotes began the season ranked #1 in the state in WEEK ZERO and were ranked #5 most recently. Their only loss of the season occurred in WEEK ZERO to the Rankin Red Devils 38 to 26. Aspermont, the two seed from their district, entered the game with only one loss and that was to Ira by the score of 50-0.

Rankin 64 Robert Lee 0 Twice defeated, Rankin came into this game as #1. I don't agree with that but we are using the GURU's system. Their losses were to Ira and Water Valley in back to back weeks. Robert Lee enter this contest with 6 wins and 4 losses and ranked #28. There has to be a sacrificial lamb and in this case it was the Steers.

Water Valley 54 Fort Davis 8 The GURU had installed undefeated #3 Water Valley as a 43 point favorite to which I laughed out loud. Fort Davis entered the game 7-2 and a #11 ranking. Their losses were to Throckmorton and Rankin. Fort Davis had done some things very well that I thought would be problematic for WV. Granger, you are the man.

Ira 56 Sands 40 Great game. Tied 0-0 at the end of 1st quarter and 16-16 at the half. Ira remains undefeated while Sands finishes the season at 8-3. Their previous losses were to Water Valley and Borden County.

That is just the West. THE WILD WEST!!!!!!!! Buckle your chin straps and hang on to all things you consider dear because there are some train wrecks coming down the track.

Moving East.

Throckmorton 66 May 36 The Greyhounds of Throckmorton were ranked #1 for five weeks during the regular season and #6 entering this game and undefeated were 45 point favorites. May entered 7-3 with losses to Milford, Newcastle, and Zephyr. May played very well trailing 24-14 at the end of the 1st quarter, and 38-30 at the half. Throckmorton pulled away late.

Avalon 89 Irving Universal Academy 40 Avalon entered as a 5-5 team while Irving Universal Academy was 7-3. Avalon was never the less a 34 point favorite.

Walnut Springs 50 Gold-Burg 0 WS entered the contest 8-2 and ranked #30 and a 45 point favorite over the 3-7 Bears of Gold-Burg. Certainly no surprise here. WS losses were to Abbott and Milford.

Knox City 65 Zephyr 46 Zephyr entered the game undefeated and a slight 1 point favorite over a 5-5 Knox City team. Zephyr had wins over six playoff teams in winning their district to get to this game. KC losses were to Crowell, Ira, Newcastle, Spur, and Throckmorton. All playoff teams. Some will say this was an upset while others won't. Knox City is a very senior laden team.

Oakwood 79 Aquilla 52 Oakwood per the GURU came in undefeated as a 5 point favorite and ranked #15 in the state. Aquilla on the other hand entered once defeated losing to Penelope by 7 in district and creating a 3 way tie. Abbott and Aquilla advanced to the playoffs from one if not the most competitive districts across Six-Man.

Lometa had a bye in round one and will face Oakwood in round two.

Rochelle also had a bye in round one and will face Abbott in round two.

Abbott 78 Leverett's Chapel 30 A 45 point favorite, Abbott, 8-2 and ranked #18 lost to Austin Hill Country by a wide margin and a close district contest to Aquilla. LC came into the playoffs riding on an 8-2 record.






D2

Miami 80 Hedley 34 Miami ranked #9 and 9-2 was a 45 point favorite over the Owls of Hedley. The Warriors dropped two games to D1 playoff teams in back to back weeks against Follett and Petersburg. Hedley came in to the playoffs as a 4-6 team.

Amherst 60 Guthrie 22 Once beaten #7 Amherst, losing to Mötley County was installed as a 31 point favorite against Guthrie 6-3. The Jaguars 3 losses came at the hands of D1 Sands and to Trent and in district to Mötley County.

Motley County 53 Whitharral 8 Mötley County entered this game as #6 with one loss and that was to the D1playoff team Crowell Wildcats. Whitharral ranked #15 was a 33 point dog in this game. They brought a 7-3 record with them.

Groom 76 Lefors 59 The GURU installed the #17 ranked 8-2 Groom Tigers as a 3 point favorite over the 7-2 Lefors Priates despite the fact that Lefors defeated Groom 54-50 earlier in the season. How does he do it? BTW Groom's other loss was to D1Follett

Dawson 51 Balmorhea 36 6-4 Dawson started out slow this season losing their first three games. Later they lost to Sands decisively but then finished the regular season strong winning five in a row going into the playoffs. Balmorhea entered into the playoffs with a 5-5 record and was a 31point dog in this contest.

Sterling City 59 Panther Creek 12 Defending state finalist and currently ranked #3 Sterling City brought their 8-2 record in with losses to D1 Water Valley and Sands. Panther Creek entered the playoffs 6-4 and a 45 point underdog.

Loraine 64 Paint Rock 42 Loraine ranked #10 carrying a 7-3 record was a 25 point favorite over the Indians of Paint Rock and their 8-2 record. PR losses were to Robert Lee and Santa Anna. Loraine was previously beaten by Miami in WEEK ZERO and Robert Lee in WEEK TWO then lost in district to Sterling City in WEEK TEN.

Grandfalls-Royalty 61 Loop 42 GF-R, 10-1 and ranked #8 making some noise this year after going 5-23 the previous three years combined. Good to see the Cowboys back in the saddle again. They entered the tourney as a 38 point favorite over the Loop Longhorns, 4-6.

That's the West half of D2. Let's head East!

Lueders-Avoca 40 Strawn 38 WARNING. Be on the look out for a dangerous 45 point dog on the loose. Last seen in Throckmorton headed for round two of the playoffs.

L-A Raiders rode into the playoffs as district champion for the first time in 40 years with an overall 6-5 record counting a 1-0 gift from Benjamin. Even so, they came in as 45 point underdogs. Strawn let the Raiders hang around long enough that the Raiders started believing they could compete with the Greyhounds. On to round two.
Bryson 71 Fannindel 23 The 5-5 Bryson Cowboys were 20 point favorites to defeat Fannindel who brought a 6-4 record. The Cowboys rode home with a big win.

Milford 46 Forestburg 0 Milford opened WEEK ZERO with a win over a d1 playoff team and then lost their next four games all to very good teams. The b
bulldogs put the break on at that point and reeled off five impressive wins to enter the playoffs 6-4 and a 45 point favorite over Forestburg. The Longhorns finished the regular season 7-3 and was district runner up to Bryson.

Newcastle 52 Jayton 0 Newcastle ranked #4 entered this game with only one loss to a very good private school team in Abilene. Jayton finished the regular season 2-7 and district runner up to the Lueders-Avoca Raiders. Six of Jayton's seven regular season losses were to teams that advanced to the playoffs. That is a tough schedule.

Jonesboro 46 Rising Star 0 the Jonesboro Eagles started out the season in WEEK ZERO ranked #10 in the state. After playing ten games and being undefeated along the way they came into the playoffs as the #2 team in the state allowing their opponents to score a total of 42 points. 22 of those were to Strawn. Prior to this playoff game, they had shut out six teams. Make that seven shut outs now. Rising Star finishes their season at 5-6 district runner up to Gustine.

Richland Springs 48 Buckholts 0 What can you say? The Coyotes are ranked #1 and have been for most of the current players lives or so it seems. They are the D2 defending state champions and well on their way to another. Where does it stop? When does it stop? It does have to stop doesn't it? Short answer is it was not with Buckholts. The Badgers finish the season 6-5 overall.

Calvert 77 Cherokee 32. Calvert made it to the playoffs again. This is something like 13out of 14 years! This time with a 5-4 record and just outside of the TopTen. After finishing the season for Cherokee they are on a four game winning streak. Cherokee was a 17point dog coming in with a 6-4 regular season record.

Gustine 62 Cranfills Gap 14 Gustine came in as a 14 point favorite with a regular season record of 6-4. Their opponents made the playoffs for the first time in a long time with a regular season record of 6-4. Congratulations to the Lions for their first winning season since 2003. They were 5-5 in 2010.

Round Two

D1

Valley defeated Ropes 67-22
Valley is doing what every team strives to do. They are getting better every week.

Meadow defeated Crowell 49-30
The Broncos are playing great ball at the right time despite a line up that has had more than their share of injuries.

Borden County defeated Rankin 36-32
Borden County has played well all season and it took a huge effort to get past the Rankin Red Devils. As is always the case in the playoffs, one team goes on while the other team goes home.

Ira defeated Water Valley 56-34
This game had been highly anticipated for sometime and rightfully so. Two dominate and undefeated teams lived up to the hype. In the end, the speed of Ira was too much.

Throckmorton defeated Avalon 70-22
The Greyhounds have been running full stride all season but are now hitting their playoff stride toward yet another deep run.

Knox City defeated Walnut Springs 32-14
Revenge is sweet. KC lost to Walnut Springs last season in the playoffs. This sets up a playoff game with district foe Throckmorton. Yet another chance at revenge.

Lometa defeated Oakwood 84-54
Lometa enjoyed their first round bye and came out scoring.

Abbott defeated Rochelle 61-16
Abbott is responding very well to the opportunity presented them in the playoffs after serving an extremely tough district race that ended in a three way tie.

D2

Amherst defeated Miami 64-50
Some called this an upset. However you look at it, this one went to the second overtime before it was settled. The score sounds crazy for overtime but I believe what happen was Amherst scored and when Miami took their turn to match or beat what the Bulldogs had put up they threw an interception which Amherst returned for a touchdown. The Bulldogs want a rematch with Mötley County in the worst way.

Motley County defeated Groom 53-8
Motley County has but one thing on their mind. That one thing isn't necessarily Amherst unless they get in the Matadors way to Abilene.

Sterling City defeated Dawson 89-42
Team Eagles from Sterling City are determined to get back to the finals this year. Dawson gave them a good game but not enough to advance.

Grandfalls-Royalty defeated Loraine 78-72
This was a hard fought game as the score would indicate. GFR raked out the win.

Bryson defeated Lueders-Avoca 57-12
The Raiders slipper fell off to a tough Bryson team on this night.

Newcastle defeated Milford 75-38
The Bobcats of Newcastle continue to amaze as they walloped Milford.

Richland Springs defeated Jonesboro 60-14
This game featured the #1 and #2 team in the state going at each other in a highly anticipated game played in Hico. What happened? What you would have expected if you have followed the Coyotes of Richland Springs!!!!

Calvert defeated Gustine 65-36
Most people picked Calvert to win and they did just that. Gustine gave them all they wanted and then some before an injury.

Round Three

D1

Valley defeated Meadow 76-48.
These two teams have been here before several times. Valley knew that they would have to slow down HQ if they were to win. They managed to do that. You don't stop him.

Borden County defeated Ira 49-32
Borden County scored early forcing Ira to play from behind all day. More importantly, BC was able to contain the tremendous speed of Ira. #12 Lance Morris of Ira had to be carted off the field with a scary looking injury. Glad to report he is extremely sore but that is all. The West side of D1 was loaded this year. Several great teams that could of represented well at the State game. Borden County and Valley will determine the best representative.

Throckmorton defeated Knox City 78-43
In a rematch of district foes, Throckmorton once again prevailed. Is this the year the Greyhounds win the title? Stay tuned.

Abbott defeated Lometa 118- 100
Lometa scored 84 the week before and 100 this week but that was not enough as Abbott put up 118 points to advance. Abbott playing for themselves and the rest of tough District 14.

D2
Motley County defeated Amherst 73-24
Be careful what you ask for!

Sterling City defeated Grandfalls -Royalty 74-23
The Sterling City Eagles were flying high.

Newcastle defeated Bryson 66-18
Newcastle had little problems here. Great season for Bryson.

Richland Springs defeated Calvert 77-22
Anyone see a pattern here?


WHERE WE ARE GOING

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

D1
Valley vs. Borden County
Friday December 2nd 7:30 PM
Wolfforth Frenship
I like VALLEY by 11

Throckmorton vs. Abbott
Saturday December 3rd 7:30 PM
Springtown
I like THROCKMORTON by 18

D2
Newcastle vs. Richland Springs
Friday December 2nd 5:00 PM
Jim Ned
I like RICHLAND SPRINGS by 28

Motley County vs. Sterling City
Friday December 2nd 7:30 PM
Jim Ned
I like MOTLEY COUNTY by 3
PRIVATES

Dallas The Covenant vs. Abilene Christian
Saturday December 3rd 12:00 PM
Moody
I like ABILENE CHRISTIAN by 4

Granbury Happy Hill vs Fredericksburg Heritage
Saturday December 3rd 6:00 PM
Moody
I like FREDERICKSBURG HERITAGE by 20

Lord, I hope to do better in the future of reporting in a timely manner.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Playoff Recap Round One

Under the presence of a full moon, the Texas Six-Man state playoffs are under way. As usual, there were games that went the way you would expect and there were upsets along the way. Major upsets. Here is a recap of round one.

D1
Valley 56 Paducah 6
No surprise here. Valley has performed well all season. WEEK ZERO in Hico saw Valley go down to Throckmorton 65-62. They have not lost since and have improved every week. There only serious challenge was in a 54-42 victory over Crowell. Valley may very well be the state representative from the west.

Ropesville 40 Petersburg 38 Ok, here is one that goes down as a major upset in my way of thinking. The GURU had picked Petersburg by 45. Previously the Buffaloes, ranked #7 for the last five weeks or so, had one loss and that was to Borden County. Ropes entered the contest 7-3 with losses to Ira, Garden City, and Meadow. Early on Ropes had been ranked as high as #9 in the state but had fallen in the rankings to #23. Shelve everything, Ropes advances to round two.

Meadow 79 Spur 38 Meadow entered this game with a #10 ranking and a 7-3 record. Their three losses were consecutive losses to Borden County, Rankin, and Petersburg. The Broncos had defeated Spur in WEEK ZERO 42-28.

Crowell 67 Follett 53 Ranked #9 coming into this contest with n 8-2 record, the Wildcats were 18 point favorites. Crowell's losses were to Valley by 12 and a sound defeat at the hands of Petersburg. Follett's highest ranking of the year came back in WEEK ZERO when they were #5. The Panthers came in to this game ranked #14. Previous losses were to Ira in WEEK ZERO, Mötley County, and Valley.

Borden County 66 Aspermont 27 The Coyotes began the season ranked #1 in the state in WEEK ZERO and were ranked #5 most recently. Their only loss of the season occurred in WEEK ZERO to the Rankin Red Devils 38 to 26. Aspermont, the two seed from their district, entered the game with only one loss and that was to Ira by the score of 50-0.

Rankin 64 Robert Lee 0 Twice defeated, Rankin came into this game as #1. I don't agree with that but we are using the GURU's system. Their losses were to Ira and Water Valley in back to back weeks. Robert Lee enter this contest with 6 wins and 4 losses and ranked #28. There has to be a sacrificial lamb and in this case it was the Steers.

Water Valley 54 Fort Davis 8 The GURU had installed undefeated #3 Water Valley as a 43 point favorite to which I laughed out loud. Fort Davis entered the game 7-2 and a #11 ranking. Their losses were to Throckmorton and Rankin. Fort Davis had done some things very well that I thought would be problematic for WV. Granger, you are the man.

Ira 56 Sands 40 Great game. Tied 0-0 at the end of 1st quarter and 16-16 at the half. Ira remains undefeated while Sands finishes the season at 8-3. Their previous losses were to Water Valley and Borden County.

That is just the West. THE WILD WEST!!!!!!!! Buckle your chin straps and hang on to all things you consider dear because there are some train wrecks coming down the track.

Moving East.

Throckmorton 66 May 36 The Greyhounds of Throckmorton were ranked #1 for five weeks during the regular season and #6 entering this game and undefeated were 45 point favorites. May entered 7-3 with losses to Milford, Newcastle, and Zephyr. May played very well trailing 24-14 at the end of the 1st quarter, and 38-30 at the half. Throckmorton pulled away late.

Avalon 89 Irving Universal Academy 40 Avalon entered as a 5-5 team while Irving Universal Academy was 7-3. Avalon was never the less a 34 point favorite.

Walnut Springs 50 Gold-Burg 0 WS entered the contest 8-2 and ranked #30 and a 45 point favorite over the 3-7 Bears of Gold-Burg. Certainly no surprise here. WS losses were to Abbott and Milford.

Knox City 65 Zephyr 46 Zephyr entered the game undefeated and a slight 1 point favorite over a 5-5 Knox City team. Zephyr had wins over six playoff teams in winning their district to get to this game. KC losses were to Crowell, Ira, Newcastle, Spur, and Throckmorton. All playoff teams. Some will say this was an upset while others won't. Knox City is a very senior laden team.

Oakwood 79 Aquilla 52 Oakwood per the GURU came in undefeated as a 5 point favorite and ranked #15 in the state. Aquilla on the other hand entered once defeated losing to Penelope by 7 in district and creating a 3 way tie. Abbott and Aquilla advanced to the playoffs from one if not the most competitive districts across Six-Man.

Lometa had a bye in round one and will face Oakwood in round two.

Rochelle also had a bye in round one and will face Abbott in round two.

Abbott 78 Leverett's Chapel 30 A 45 point favorite, Abbott, 8-2 and ranked #18 lost to Austin Hill Country by a wide margin and a close district contest to Aquilla. LC came into the playoffs riding on an 8-2 record.






D2

Miami 80 Hedley 34 Miami ranked #9 and 9-2 was a 45 point favorite over the Owls of Hedley. The Warriors dropped two games to D1 playoff teams in back to back weeks against Follett and Petersburg. Hedley came in to the playoffs as a 4-6 team.

Amherst 60 Guthrie 22 Once beaten #7 Amherst, losing to Mötley County was installed as a 31 point favorite against Guthrie 6-3. The Jaguars 3 losses came at the hands of D1 Sands and to Trent and in district to Mötley County.

Motley County 53 Whitharral 8 Mötley County entered this game as #6 with one loss and that was to the D1playoff team Crowell Wildcats. Whitharral ranked #15 was a 33 point dog in this game. They brought a 7-3 record with them.

Groom 76 Lefors 59 The GURU installed the #17 ranked 8-2 Groom Tigers as a 3 point favorite over the 7-2 Lefors Priates despite the fact that Lefors defeated Groom 54-50 earlier in the season. How does he do it? BTW Groom's other loss was to D1Follett

Dawson 51 Balmorhea 36 6-4 Dawson started out slow this season losing their first three games. Later they lost to Sands decisively but then finished the regular season strong winning five in a row going into the playoffs. Balmorhea entered into the playoffs with a 5-5 record and was a 31point dog in this contest.

Sterling City 59 Panther Creek 12 Defending state finalist and currently ranked #3 Sterling City brought their 8-2 record in with losses to D1 Water Valley and Sands. Panther Creek entered the playoffs 6-4 and a 45 point underdog.

Loraine 64 Paint Rock 42 Loraine ranked #10 carrying a 7-3 record was a 25 point favorite over the Indians of Paint Rock and their 8-2 record. PR losses were to Robert Lee and Santa Anna. Loraine was previously beaten by Miami in WEEK ZERO and Robert Lee in WEEK TWO then lost in district to Sterling City in WEEK TEN.

Grandfalls-Royalty 61 Loop 42 GF-R, 10-1 and ranked #8 making some noise this year after going 5-23 the previous three years combined. Good to see the Cowboys back in the saddle again. They entered the tourney as a 38 point favorite over the Loop Longhorns, 4-6.

That's the West half of D2. Let's head East!

Lueders-Avoca 40 Strawn 38 WARNING. Be on the look out for a dangerous 45 point dog on the loose. Last seen in Throckmorton headed for round two of the playoffs.

L-A Raiders rode into the playoffs as district champion for the first time in 40 years with an overall 6-5 record counting a 1-0 gift from Benjamin. Even so, they came in as 45 point underdogs. Strawn let the Raiders hang around long enough that the Raiders started believing they could compete with the Greyhounds. On to round two.
Bryson 71 Fannindel 23 The 5-5 Bryson Cowboys were 20 point favorites to defeat Fannindel who brought a 6-4 record. The Cowboys rode home with a big win.

Milford 46 Forestburg 0 Milford opened WEEK ZERO with a win over a d1 playoff team and then lost their next four games all to very good teams. The b
bulldogs put the break on at that point and reeled off five impressive wins to enter the playoffs 6-4 and a 45 point favorite over Forestburg. The Longhorns finished the regular season 7-3 and was district runner up to Bryson.

Newcastle 52 Jayton 0 Newcastle ranked #4 entered this game with only one loss to a very good private school team in Abilene. Jayton finished the regular season 2-7 and district runner up to the Lueders-Avoca Raiders. Six of Jayton's seven regular season losses were to teams that advanced to the playoffs. That is a tough schedule.

Jonesboro 46 Rising Star 0 the Jonesboro Eagles started out the season in WEEK ZERO ranked #10 in the state. After playing ten games and being undefeated along the way they came into the playoffs as the #2 team in the state allowing their opponents to score a total of 42 points. 22 of those were to Strawn. Prior to this playoff game, they had shut out six teams. Make that seven shut outs now. Rising Star finishes their season at 5-6 district runner up to Gustine.

Richland Springs 48 Buckholts 0 What can you say? The Coyotes are ranked #1 and have been for most of the current players lives or so it seems. They are the D2 defending state champions and well on their way to another. Where does it stop? When does it stop? It does have to stop doesn't it? Short answer is it was not with Buckholts. The Badgers finish the season 6-5 overall.

Calvert 77 Cherokee 32. Calvert made it to the playoffs again. This is something like 13out of 14 years! This time with a 5-4 record and just outside of the TopTen. After finishing the season for Cherokee they are on a four game winning streak. Cherokee was a 17point dog coming in with a 6-4 regular season record.

Gustine 62 Cranfills Gap 14 Gustine came in as a 14 point favorite with a regular season record of 6-4. Their opponents made the playoffs for the first time in a long time with a regular season record of 6-4. Congratulations to the Lions for their first winning season since 2003. They were 5-5 in 2010.

There you go. Round one of 2011.

Friday, November 11, 2011

HARD WORK

Upon his arrival at Lueders-Avoca Coach Eric Hearn began teaching the Raider players, parents, fans, and Administrators that hard work pays off. What else would you expect a coach to say? Actions speak louder than words.

This season, the Raiders won their first District Championship in over 40 years. Their efforts in doing so lead them to an encounter with the Strawn Greyhounds last night in a Bi-District game played in Throckmorton. Strawn, a perennial Six-Man powerhouse, that has been ranked this season as high as #4 in the state, entered the contest as a 45 point favorite. The Lone Star Football Network favored Strawn as well but by a much less margin, 12 points to be exact.

The Raiders dug deep enough inside themselves to score the big upset winning the game 40-38. They will meet Bryson in the second round of the playoffs at a place and time TBA.

A victory of this magnitude only comes about by team play. It must be said that two Seniors lead the way last night. Robert Hubbard and Nathan Niehaus both had outstanding games. Both players benefitted from outstanding downfield blocking by team mates. Often one hears that a team and or player is fast or quick. The Raiders or both. I might also add tough as one of their attributes. The Raiders gave up several pounds in a man for man matchup with the Greyhounds. None were more apparent than the matchup of Strawn's #99 senior Zach Hetrick listed at 6'1" 275 lbs and the Raider's #3 Wade Nix at a 105 on a good day.

The game scoring began in an ominous way for the Raiders. Strawn took the lead two minutes into the game by scoring a safety. 2-0 isn't a score you see often in Six-Man football. The Raiders by rule then kicked off to Strawn. The Greyhounds made a very impressive drive deep into Raider territory but didn't finish the drive because of a fumble that Lueders-Avoca recovered. The Raiders quickly moved the ball down the field and Nathan Niehaus capped the drive off with a 23 yard run. A successful PAT pass to Hubbard made the score 7-2 Raiders with 6:37 left in the first quarter.

Strawn answered shortly on a five yard run for a touchdown by Aaron Doyle. Zachary Hetrick made the kick and with 5:01 left in the first quarter the Greyhounds lead 10-7.
Lueders-Avoca came back to score with 3:26 left in the first on a 1 yard run by Hubbard. The PAT was unsuccessful and the Raiders led 13-10. It was a very entertaining 1st quarter of play by both teams but the scoring was not finished as Cole Abbott of Strawn scored on a beautiful 35 yard run. Once again Hetrick made the PAT kick and Strawn regained the lead 18-13 which would be the score at the end of the 1st quarter.

Both teams relied on their respective defenses in the 2nd quarter as each team managed one score. Strawn scored with 5:58 left in the 2nd quarter on a 4 yard touchdown run by Ismail Martinez. The PAT was no good and the Greyhounds led 24-13. It appeared that Strawn was beginning to take control of the game but the Raiders would once again battle back and score with only 22 seconds left in the half on a five yard pass from Niehaus to Chay Sconce. The PAT pass to Tye Jones brought the Raiders to within 4, 24-20 but gave the the Raiders momentum going into the locker room at half. Sometimes, the last couple of minutes in the first half and the first couple of minutes in the second half are the most important moments of a game. True to form with that line of thinking, the Raiders came out and scored with 8:54 left in the third quarter to take the lead 28-24 on a Niehaus pass to Hubbard and a successful PAT kick. With 6:42 left in the third quarter Niehaus again found Hubbard on a 6 yard pass play. Though the kick failed, Lueders-Avoca now lead 34-24. Strawn had let the Raiders hang around too long plus the fact Lueders-Avoca was beginning to believe they could make a game of it.

Momentum is a wonderful thing albeit a fickle thing wandering about to and fro. Strawn, realizing their back was against the wall, came back strong. The Raiders were driving once again but the Greyhounds stop them. Just like that, Bobby Wells breaks loose on a 74 yard run for a touchdown giving the Greyhounds new life. With :40 seconds left in the 3rd quarter Strawn cuts the lead now trailing by 34-30. When momentum comes along, ride it for all it is worth. With 2:27 left in the game Strawn did just that. Wells with a one yard touchdown run and a Hetrick kick the Greyhounds has regained the lead 38-34.

The Raiders drove deep with little time remaining. A flag moved the Raiders Bach from the goal line. A defensive play set them back even farther. 4th down and the Lueders-Avoca team was in a do or die situation. Was there anything left in their tank? With a mere 20 seconds left in the game, Niehaus makes a 15 yard run that scores. The kick is missed but the Raiders reclaimed the lead 40-38. A last ditch effort by Strawn would fall short and a 45 point underdog advances to round two.

This game had everything in it. Touchdowns called back, long plays negated by infractions. Turn over on downs. Fumble recoveries. Timothy Campbell for the Raiders made his presence felt making key recoveries.

In the end,it was hard work and desire. Believe in it.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

SAVOR THE MOMENT, EVERY MOMENT.

Each year for the last 100 or so in mid August things start jumping around the football fields all over Texas. The dreaded workouts, usually two a day, start the new season. You are best off in you find your way to "camp" already in good shape. The old coach will sure smile if you do. Inside he is smiling if you don't cause he is going to put you through the paces to get you in shape. The work is hard and it is HOT! You decide right then and there what you are willing to put into it. This sounds cheesy but the more you are willing to put in the more you will get out of it in the long run. The more of your team puts into it the better the chances your team has of attaining goals you set team wise and as an individual.

Looking ahead from two a days, the season looks long. Two weeks later, WEEK ZERO rolls around. I can't explain it to you! You have to experience it yourself and then it is really too late. Savor the moment. Every moment. WEEK TEN comes before you know it. Looking back you realize what mid-August was all about. Ten weeks of games have been played and the season is over for lots of teams. Not only is the season but lots of careers are over. Savor the moment, every moment.

This is where we are. Playoff time. Those of you still playing this week deserve to be where you are no matter your record. More than circumstances dictated where you are. To be a playoff team it requires you win your district or you place second in your district. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Now, it is apparent, WIN OR GO HOME.

The Lueders-Avoca Raiders have made the playoffs this year. DCTF projected L-A to finish second place. They were wrong. They won the district championship! Not many if any figured that the Raiders would have it in them with ten freshman making up the lion share of their roster. They finished their season with 5 wins and 5 losses. I guess if you figure in a forfeit from district foe Benjamin, they were 6-5 for the year. Regardless, they are district champions of D2 District 9 made up of Jayton, Rule, Benjamin, and of course L-A. The Raiders will compete against the Strawn Greyhounds in Bi-District Thursday November 10th at Throckmorton. Strawn enters the game 6-4 but a totally different story than the Raiders team. They happen to be ranked as the #12 team in the state by Granger. He has had Strawn ranked as high as #4. They have had many injuries all season. Strawn will be a 45 point favorite to end the Cinderella season of the Lueders-Avoca team. Strawn has been plagued with injuries all season looking like world beaters one game and struggling to compete the next week. I say to the Greyhounds and the Raiders, savor the moment. WIN OR GO HOME.

One would like to believe that the playoffs would have great match ups across the board. It doesn't work that way boys and girls. As a matter of fact, there will be considerably more games decided by 45 than ones that won't. It is the nature of the beast. A strong One against a weak Two from another district can be down right ugly.
Oughta ain't is. Sorry.





BREAKING DOWN THE REST OF THE PLAYOFFS"............
Team (record) Sir Granger Huntress SPREADS
D1

Valley (9-1) vs. Paducah (3-7) Valley 45+
Petersburg (9-1) vs. Ropes (7-3) Petersburg 45+
Meadow (6-3) vs. Spur (4-6) Meadow 14+
Crowell (8-2) vs. Follett (7-3) Crowell 17+

Borden County (9-1) vs. Aspermont(9-1) Borden County 45+
Rankin (8-2) vs. Robert Lee (6-4) Rankin 45+
Ira (10-0) vs. Sands (8-2) Ira 21+
Water Valley (10-0) vs. Fort Davis (7-2)

Throckmorton (9-0)vs. May (7-3) Throckmorton 45+
Irving Universal Academy (7-3) vs. Avalon (5-5) Avalon 31+
Zephyr ( 10-0) vs. Knox City (5-5) PICK 'EM
Walnut Springs (8-2) vs. Gold-Burg (3-7) Walnut Springs 45+

Oakwood (10-0) vs. Aquilla (9-1) Oakwood 5+
Lometa (7-3) vs. BYE Lometa advances to round two to play winner of Oakwood/Aquilla
Abbott (8-2) vs. Leverett's Chapel (8-2) Abbott 45+
Rochelle (6-4) vs. BYE Rochelle advances round 2 to play winner of Abbott/ L. Chapel

D2

Miami (8-2) vs. Hedley (4-6) Miami 45+
Amherst (9-1) vs. Guthrie (6-3) Amherst 31+
Motley County (8-1) vs. Whitharral (7-3) Mötley County 36+
Groom (8-2) vs. Lefors (7-2) Groom 2+

Dawson (6-4) vs. Balmorhea (5-5) Dawson 31+
Sterling City (8-2) vs. Panther Creek (6-4) Sterling City 45+
Grandfalls-Royalty (10-1) vs. Loop (4-6) Grandfalls-Royalty 37+
Paint Rock (8-2) vs. Loraine (7-3) Loraine 24+

Lueders-Avoca (6-5) vs. Strawn (6-4) Strawn 45+
Bryson (5-5) vs. Fannindel (6-4) Bryson 16+
Newcastle (9-1) vs. Jayton (2-7) Newcastle 45+
Milford (6-4) vs.Forestburg (7-3) Milford 45+

Jonesboro (10-0) vs. Rising Star (5-5) Jonesboro 45+
Richland Springs (10-0) vs. Buckholts (6-4) Richland Springs 45+
Gustine (6-4) vs. Cranfills Gap (6-4) Gustine 15+
Calvert (5-4) vs. Cherokee (6-4) Calvert 16+
SAVOR THE MOMENT, EVERY MOMENT. WIN OR GO HOME.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

WEEK TEN

Being on the road can be tough. Living on the road is a killer. I am spending way too much time with work and not near enough time with my blog. That might make the few that reads this happy but it is wearing me out.

Well, I took in the Aquilla/Abbott game. It was a hard fought game. Aquilla led 18-0 at the half. Abbott came out the second half and made a game of it. In fact Abbott scored with 7:42 left in the game to pull with in one point 25-24. Aquilla would answer with 5:39 left in the game to go up 31-24. That would be the final score. Things were a little chippy between the teams almost the entire game. One young man was ejected from the contest which is always unfortunate. I think I am safe in saying these schools respect each other, but don't necessarily like each other.

I love Six-Man because it is a great sport. Now that I have have dedicated it as my sport of choice, I have made lots of friends in the circle of Six-Man communities so where ever I chose to go I can not only watch the sport I love I can visit with friends. The Aquilla/Abbott game allowed me to meet up with friends as well as making new friends. This week I met Peter from Waco. Super nice guy and very knowledgeable about the sport I love. He already has hotel reservations in Abilene for the State games December 10th. My kind of guy. I really thought about making him a member of the Certifiable Six-Man Nut club but didn't. He certainly qualifies. Met a couple of other guys from Whitney. They were "crowded field" fans but showed promise. Definitely not ready for the club yet.

Looking at other WEEK NINE games of interest, who saw the pounding coming that Rankin put on Garden City. I was looking for a Red Devil victory but not a 60-12 whipping. It has been an unique season for the Bearkats of Garden City.

Number one and number two seeds for the third season will ALL fall in place this week. Season one was all the games played before district. We plays these because we don't have enough teams to play all district games. Bummer! District games are played to get rid of the terrible teams and give two schools the opportunity to "represent" their respective districts. Then it in tourney time, playoffs to all others. Win or go home. Four teams will play December 10th in ABILENE. All four will go home that day. Two as State Champions, two as State Finalist. Going home as Champions is desired.

To those teams that make the playoffs, GOOD FOOTBALL TO YOU.


Ready to rank? Here we go. Last one for the season from me. Playoffs will make the real final decision over the next few weeks. It has been a great season but now the fun begins with the playoffs after the final week of district games.



DIVISION 1

Ira
Water Valley
Throckmorton
Aquilla
Borden County
Rankin
Sands
Petersburg
Fort Davis
Aspermont


DIVISION 2
Richland Springs
Jonesboro
Sterling City
Newcastle
Motley County
Miami
Milford
Amherst
Grandfalls Royalty
Loraine

Saturday, October 22, 2011

WEEK NINE

CRAZY EIGHTS (WEEK EIGHT) leading to A WACKY WEEK NINE?

Let's look at the games of interest from WEEK EIGHT and their results shall we?

Aquilla at Bynum
Per my friend, the Guru, Aquilla entered this game as a 40 point favorite over Bynum.
Scoring went like this:
Bynum 8 8 16 16 16 16 24 24
Aquilla 0 6. 6 14 20 26 26 33 Final

Garden City at Fort Davis
The Guru installed the visiting two time defending state champion Garden City Bearkats as a 22 point favorite over the Fort Davis Indians.
Scoring went like this:
Fort Davis. 8 8 16 22 Half. 22 22 30 30 38 Final
Garden City 0 8. 8 14 Time 22 28 28 34 34
Here is the rest of the story. Fort Davis took the 30-28 lead with 2:50 left in the game. Garden City regained the lead 34-30 with 1:40 left. Fort Davis scored winning TD with just 42 ticks left on the clock on a 30 yard pass from Steve Enriquez to freshman Vincent Perez. The game ended with Garden City turning the ball over on downs with 9 seconds left on the clock.

Groom at Happy
Groom entered the game as 17 point favorites.
Final Groom 36 Happy 22

Jonesboro at Iredell
Jonesboro a 45 point favorite by the Guru.
Final Jonesboro 46 Iredell 0

Cotton Center at Lazbuddie
Lazbuddie entered as a 45 point favorite.
Final Lazbuddie 52 Cotton Center 6

Lefores at Miami
Miami favored by 25
Final Miami 44 Lefores 33

Newcastle at Strawn
Newcastle came in as a 29 point favorite per the Guru.
Final Newcastle 30 Strawn 27

Paint Rock at Panther Creek
Panther Creek was a 3 point favorite.
Final Paint Rock 54 Panther Creek 6

Trent at Sterling City
Last season's state runner up Sterling City was installed as a 45 point favorite.
Final Sterling City 86 Trent 52

Amherst at Whitharral
Amherst was a 17 point favorite.
Final Amherst 64 Whitharral 30

Woodson at Moran
Woodson entered as a 45 point favorite.
Final Woodson 56 Moran 6

I lead this blog as Crazy. Here are some results that made me crazy.

Knox City lead Gordon early 40-8 and won by the final of 92-54.

O'Donnell once lead Borden County 38-32. I received a final that BC won 76-66. BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE!!!! The REAL FINAL: Borden County 116 O'Donnell 80.

Sands 110 Grady 80

Leverett's Chapel 100 Chester 52

Midland Trinity 102 Anton 56

SIXMANCENTRAL WEEK NINE RANKINGS

DIVISION 1
Ira
Borden County
Water valley
Throckmorton
Sands
Valley
Aquilla
Rankin
Crowell
Bynum.


DIVISION 2
Richland Springs
Jonesboro
Sterling City
Motley County
Newcastle
Miami
Amherst
Loraine
Trent
Whitharral


WEEK NINE GAMES OF INTEREST

Abbott at Aquilla
Borden County at Grady
Throckmorton at Knox City
Jayton at Lueders-Avoca
Spur at Petersburg
Garden City at Rankin
Loraine at Trent

Thursday, October 20, 2011

WEEK EIGHT FINALLY

WEEK EIGHT

I have had hedoublehockeysticks getting stuff done over the last month save for running up and down the highways of Texas making insurance pictures. That is my job!

I was able to find myself to a game on Friday night. It was a good game. No, it was a great game. One that I have had circled on my calendar for quite awhile. Ira vs. ACHS.

When the dust had settled and the stink too, Ira had defeated another great team. When two undefeated teams get together this late in the season, someone is going to have their feelings hurt. Ira defeated ACHS 54-46. The game was in doubt right up to the last minute of play! I suspect that if either team loses again this season it will be a season ending heartbreaker in the playoffs.

Sandwiched in this back week was "Snap Shot" day. Yes, the numbers are in to the UIL. I am totally shocked to say that the number that divides D1 and D2 appears to be going up. I would have bet my last dollar the number would have dropped. Part of the story is some Eleven-Man teams are moving up to the Six-Man ranks. I am not sure how many will actually make the move but three that seem committed are Marfa, Rotan, and Nazareth. Let me be the first to say welcome to the greatest game on the planet!!!!!!


WEEK EIGHT GAMES OF INTEREST
Aquilla at Bynum
Garden City at Fort Davis
Groom at Happy
Jonesboro at Iredell
Cotton Center at Lazbuddie
Lenora at Miami
Newcastle at Strawn
Paint Rock at Panther Creek
Trent at Sterling City
Amherst at Whitharral
Woodson at Moran

SIXMANCENTRAL WEEK EIGHT RANKINGS

DIVISION 1

Ira
Water Valley
Throckmorton
Valley
Borden County
Aquilla
Rankin
Sands
Petersburg
Crowell


Division 2
Richland Springs
Jonesboro
Sterling City
Motley County
Newcastle
Miami
Amherst
Trent
Loraine
Whitharral

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

WEEK SEVEN

WEEK SEVEN

The plot thickens as district contest are just around the corner. There are several fans that are just beginning to show interest to what the playoff landscape might look like. Of course there are some of us that filled our brackets out back in late July or early August. Sure, some of us early birds got some districts wrong then and there are some possibilities of other "misses" before the playoff games start. That is part of it when you are a risk taker.

Last week I took in the Trent homecoming game. Nope! I did not graduate there nor did I ever attend school there. I went to that particular game for several reasons. I like the folks out there. I have in recent weeks put quite a few miles in on the road making insurance pictures. My son's son near Waco had a soccer game on Saturday. I just turned 60. Abilene Christian High School was out of town. If you start adding the reasons I just listed into a pile you might come to the conclusion I came to. I needed something close by.

Trent dominated Rule 48-0. Rule played hard. Trent played. That is about the best spin you can put on that game. I am just going to leave it at that.

WEEK SEVEN games of intrigue.
ACHS at Ira
Gold-Burg at Woodson

SIXMANCENTRAL RANKINGS WEEK SEVEN

D1
Ira
Throckmorton
Valley
Borden County
Water Valley
Rankin
Sands
Aquilla
Petersburg
Follett

D2
Richland Springs
Jonesboro
Sterling City
Newcastle
Motley County
Miami
Amherst
Calvert
Bryson
Loraine

Sunday, October 2, 2011

WEEK SIX IS HERE

D1 Has A New # 1
 
Here we go with WEEK SIX Top Ten team rankings from sixmancentral.
 
D1
1. Ira
2. Rankin
3. Throckmorton
4. Borden County
5. Valley
6. Water Valley
7. Crowell
8. Sands
9. Aquilla
10. Abbott
 
D2
1. Richland Springs
2. Jonesboro
3. Sterling City
4. Newcastle
5. Motley County
6. Miami
7. Strawn
8. Calvert
9. Amherst
10. Bryson
 
WEEK SIX GAMES OF INTRIGUE
Motley County @ Amherst
Garden City @ Borden County
Crowell @ Petersburg
Happy @ Silverton
Rankin @ Water Valley
Ira @ Spur

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Lucky or Good????

The Gordon Longhorns came into the game with the Highland Hornets supporting a perfect record. They left town with a perfect record but they were battered and bruised and lucky. There is an old saying, "sometimes it is better to be lucky than good". This was one of those times.
 
Gordon just last week beat their arch rival Strawn 57-50 in a come from behind fashion. That victory took a lot out of the Longhorns. They came out flat in the game with Highland. The Hornets scored first at the 5:33 mark in the first quarter to lead 8-0. They forced a turn over on downs and scored again to lead 16-0 with 4:09 left in the 1st Quarter.
 
Gordon managed to cut the lead to 16-8 with 3:31 left in the 1st Quarter only to see Highland take the lead 24-8. After back and forth possessions that would lead to scores by both teams, Highland lead 32-16 at the half.
 
Gordon did exactly what they needed to do at the beginning of the second half. They won the coin toss to begin the game and elected to defer. Receiving the ball at the start of the third quarter, the Longhorns returned the kick off for a touchdown. For the first time in this game the PAT was unsuccessful. The new score read 32-22 Highland. Gordon would score again and once again missed the PAT to draw within 4 points, 32-28. They could not hold Highland. The Hornets would lead 40-28. Gordon would score again and one more time miss the PAT trailing 40-34. Highland would answer themselves and extend the lead to 48-34 with 3:34 left in the third.
 
The problem was becoming more and more obvious. Gordon was not only needing to put more points on the board they also needed some defensive stops. Solving part of the equation, Gordon would come back with another score and yet again miss the PAT to trail 48-40. It is difficult to make every PAT. Four missed PAT's in a row is never a good thing. This game could have been tied at this point. Highland continued to press the Gordon defense and scored yet again to lead 56-40 as the 3rd Quarter closed.
 
Highland came into this game as a 45 point dog by the Guru. I had the Hornets as 24 point dogs myself. Regardless the Highland Hornets came to play football. Honestly, the Longhorns came out flat. We are talking FLAT. Overcoming much adversity, Gordon would score again and keeping the unmentionable streak going, missed the PAT. Highland still lead 56-46 with 8:27 left in the game.
 
With 5:21 left Gordon scores and CONVERTS to trail by 2 points 56-54. Amazingly enough Gordon gets a last chance and scores with 1:37 left to lead for the first time in this game 62-56, which would be the final score.
 
What's that old saying about better to be lucky than good? Gordon could have given up several times during the course of this game but they didn't. Missed PAT's, missed opportunity, missed calls all plenty of reason to throw in the towel. Gordon didn't quit nor did Highland for that matter. Gordon got lucky. It is ok to get lucky but don't depend on being or getting lucky. If Gordon had taken care of business this would have easily been a 24 point or more victory.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

EXCUSE ME WHILE I VENT. D A N G Dang

I am nearly 60 so one might contribute it to my age. I always played on Defense so perhaps that helps explain it as well. We all have our own personal taste for the game. I detest super high scoring games.

Just in this past week (WEEK FOUR) we had the following scores in Six-Man.
124-108 Fort Davis over Midland Trinity
90-71 Austin Hill Country over Kerrville Our Lady of the Hills
96-84 May over Lometa
90-70 Throckmorton over Dallas Covenant

It has been going on for a while.

WEEK THREE we saw this score.
EP Jesus Chapel 96 EP Immanuel Christian 70

WEEK TWO we had this one.
Orange Community Christian 80 Houston Texas Christian 71

WEEK ONE
Crowell 83 Spur 82
122-120 San Antonio The Winston over San Antonio Town East

WEEK ZERO
San Antonio Castle Hills 109 San Antonio The Winston 105


Ever since the earth was cooling down or as far back in time when I first saw a football game, cheerleaders and fans alike would chant the familiar yell:
DEFENSE! DEFENSE! DEFENSE! Well, times have changed.
There is a new yell in town. It goes like this.
D A N G DANG!
We got to score again!
D A N G DANG!
We got to score again!
D A N G DANG!
We got to score AGAIN!

Cheerleading etiquette says this particular cheer cannot or should not be used until both teams have given up 70 points!

Surely I am not the only person that feels this way! I know my good friend Jess Roberts feels this way. He is the head coach at Fort Davis. He was just involved in such a crazy game. This is what he has to say about the subject. “It was not my intention to go for a scoring record. Every time I see a game that the scores is in the hundred I always think holy crap! Where’s the defense?” He goes on to say “I hope God doesn’t strike me down but what’s wrong with out- scoring them? I know that is going to come back to bite me in the long run. We have got to do better on defense.”

Jess, my old friend, you better “git’ er done” soon as Throckmorton is coming to town in a couple of weeks and they just hung 90 on the #2 ranked TAPPS Dallas Covenant Eagles. I suppose the good news is they gave up 70!

TOP TEN’s WEEK FIVE
D1
1. Throckmorton
2. Ira
3. Rankin
4. Borden County
5. Water Valley
6. Valley
7. Sands
8. Crowell
9. Aquilla
10. Abbott

D2
1. Richland Springs
2. Motley County
3. Jonesboro
4. Newcastle
5. Sterling City
6. Calvert
7. Miami
8. Strawn
9. Lefors
10. Amherst


WEEK FIVE GAMES OF INTEREST
Ira @ Rankin
Garden City @ Ropes
Motley County @ Crowell
Lueders-Avoca @ Hermleigh
Bloomberg @ Karnack
Anton @ Lefors

Last week’s games of interest results.

Strawn @ Gordon Gordon 57 Strawn 50
Spur # Knox City Spur won 54-8
Follett @ Motley County Motley County won 41-38
Lazbuddie @ New Home New Home won 62-44
Dallas Covenant @ Throckmorton Throckmorton won 90 to 70
Sands @ Water Valley Water Valley won 58-48
Walnut Springs @ Iredell Walnut Springs won 52-22

It has been a long season and District has not started yet. We are however getting closer. Hang in there and stay healthy if you are and get healthy if you aren’t.

GOOD FOOTBALL TO YOU.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Mike Reed: 100 Career Wins!!!!!!!!!!!!!







You may have heard this before. I have a saying about Six-Man, "you never know how good a Six-Man game will be until you have seen the game". I made the trek from Abilene to Throckmorton to watch the #1 D1 UIL team in the land take on a highly ranked TAPPS D1 Dallas Covenant. I saw a great game.

Knowing this had the makings of a "good game" because the teams involved were both undefeated and highly ranked made it a easy target for me to desire watching. The added attraction was my friend Coach Mike Reed of Throckmorton was going for his 100th win in his 10th year of coaching. Throckmorton got the win by the score of 90-70 and Coach Reed has the milestone 100th victory! Dallas Covenant proved to be a strong team for those who may have doubted if they could hang with Throckmorton.

A win is a win and you take them no matter what they look like, a thing of beauty or one that is ugly as sin. This Throckmorton victory was somewhere in between. It appeared a time or two in the 3rd Quarter of play that Throckmorton was dominating but the Knights never gave up!

Dallas Covenant received the opening kickoff and came out passing the ball. Unfortunately, the Knights fumbled on their third offensive play and to make matters worse for them, the Greyhounds recovered the ball near midfield.

Seven plays later, Throckmorton scored on a three yard run and made the PAT. 8-0 with 6:37 left in the 1st Quarter. Dallas Covenant would again come out passing. First down was an incompletion but on second down the Knights moved from their 23 yard line to the Greyhound 39. The next play Dallas Covenant went the distance on a beautiful pass play. The PAT was no good and at the 5:57 mark of the 1st Quarter Throckmorton led 8-6.

After the ensuing kickoff, Throckmorton had the ball on their 34 yard line. The Greyhounds picked up 7 yards on first down but after three straight incompletions they turned the ball over on downs. Dallas Covenant took over on their own 39. Seven plays later the Knights score on a 9 yard run and with the PAT good, lead 14-8 with 3:35 left in the 1st Quarter. Throckmorton came right back on a 4 play drive covering 60 yards to knot the score at 14-14. The PAT was wide left.

Throckmorton would out score Dallas Covenant 48 to 16 in the 2nd Quarter to take a halftime lead of 62-30 and seemed to be in control of the game. More of the same in the third with Throckmorton leading 82 to 46 at the end of three and threaten to end the game on the mercy rule more than once during the 3rd.

Dallas Covenant is worthy of their TAPPS ranking and they showed it in the 4th out scoring Throckmorton 20 to 8 to make the final 90 t0 70.

Throckmorton is fortunate to have Mike Reed as their Head Coach and they had a wonderful celebration after the game to honor Reed for his 100th career victory. Administrators, fans and players as well as good people from Rule showed their appreciation to Coach Reed. Many of his former players showed up for the special occasion as well as Reed's former Head Coach and mentor, Hall of Fame member Coach Nelson Campbell.

Monday, September 19, 2011

LOOKING AHEAD WEEK FOUR

Lets get to it shall we?

Here are the WEEK FOUR Top Tens for D1 and D2 Texas Six-Man Football from sixmancentral.

D1
1. Throckmorton
2. Ira
3. Sands
4. Rankin
5. Borden County
6. Valley
7. Water Valley
8. Aquillal
9. Crowell
10.Petersburg


D2
1. Richland Springs
2. Motley County
3. Jonesboro
4. Strawn
5. Newcastle
6. Calvert
7. Sterling City
8. Miami
9. Gustine
10.Groom

There are always a few games that intrigue me and WEEK FOUR is no different.

Strawn at Gordon
If you are a fan of the game, you will not question the intrigue here.

Spur at Knox City
Knox City needs to "right the ship". This isn't an easy team to do it against. Spur was humbled by Rankin but they aren't afraid of the Greyhounds.

Follett at Motley County
Motley County put D2 on notice when they snapped Garden City's 29 game winning streak in Hico during WEEK ZERO. Could this be an exclamation point?

Lazbuddie at New Home
Speaking of streaks, Lazbuddie just snapped one themselves! Can they win two in a row?

Dallas Covenant at Throckmorton
Man look out! A highly ranked "private" comes to challenge the #1 in the world Throckmorton Greyhounds. What could be better? How about Mike Reed going for his 100th win as a Head Coach? I will be in Throckmorton!!!!!

Sands at Water Valley
This is the place to be but I can only be at one place any given time and as I already stated, I will be in Throckmorton.

Walnut Springs at Iredell
What we have here is a WS team coming off a loss going against the Iredell boys and of course the famous Iredell cheer leaders will be there.

I would not think of forcing you to attend one of these games but I certainly do expect you to go see a Six-Man game somewhere.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

LOOKING BACK TO WEEK THREE

What Happened..........

Those that read my last post know I designated a few games as must see TV. Wait a minute, that was not it. There were a few games that I said I was particularly interested in. Here is the break down on those games.

Borden County defeated Meadow 76 to 50.
It was a good game between teams that sixmancentral had ranked #7 and #8 in the state. That being the case, it should have been a good game. I picked Borden County to win by 8.

Calvert defeated Penelope 62-14.
I thought Calvert could possibly win this game.

Valley defeated Crowell 54-42.
My main interest here was to see how good Crowell really is knowing that Valley was deserving of the #6 ranking bestowed on them by sixmancentral. Crowell is now 3-1 and I would recognize as a solid playoff team.

Gordon defeated Bryson 40-28.
This was a battle of two undefeated teams both being 3-0. Gordon has shown some improvement from last year although I have not seen them this season. I will see them on the 30th of September at Highland when I work the booth with my good friend Shanon Hunt. It would appear even though Bryson lost their first game here they are still on their way to a second straight district crown.

Waco Live Oak defeated Gustine 46-0.
Gustine was previously undefeated this season and ranked #7 in D2 by sixmancentral. Well, the wheels came off.

Newcastle defeated Knox City 60-30.
Newcastle has been an up and coming team in D2. Knox City on the other hand had been dropping in the rankings in D1 for a couple of weeks. The Greyhounds need to come around soon. Newcastle is gaining strength every week and will push Strawn hard for the crown in their district.

Finally, Sands defeated Sterling City 91-47.
D2 Sterling City suffered their second straight defeat. Sands is a D1 dark horse so to speak even though sixmancentral has them ranked 4th in the state. Be on your toes for these guys!

What I Saw...........

Super dog deal! It was a two for one special Friday in Gail, Texas. Rankin and Spur were scheduled to play on Borden County's field
On Saturday but changed the date to 5:30 Friday. Rankin who sixmancentral has ranked #3 beat a top twenty team in the Spur Bulldogs.
The score was 54-8. It was a whipping, no hiding that. Spur was out matched in this game but to make matters worse there were several self inflicted wounds as well as a punishing opponent. Rankin is a large and physical team. Stated another way, Rankin will line up and run over you. Can I say here and now the #9 Rankin Red Devil is a BEAST. His number could just as well be 666. One other thing, don't defense them by bringing everyone to stop the run because they will break your heart with their passing game.

Rankin received the opening kickoff. They went on an eleven play drive that covered 47 yards to score. The PAT was not good and the score was 6-0 with 6:13 left in the 1st quarter. The ensuing kickoff to Spur went deep however #7 picked it up and went 70 yards for the TD. Spur converted their PAT and led 8-6. With :54 seconds left in the 1st quarter, Rankin regained the lead 14-8 and that remained the score as the horn sounded the end of the quarter. Rankin ran 29 offensive plays to 5 for Spur in quarter one. What was typical of this game, Rankin
ground out another drive to lead 22-8 at the half. Three more scores in the 3rd quarter, the last with 9 seconds left salted away the game for Rankin. 54-8.

Borden County outlasted Meadow in the second game of the night by a score of 76-50. Borden County has a great team and this is no excuse for Meadow but they simply ran out of gas. The game started with Meadow kicking to Borden County. The Coyotes ran three plays for short yardage and were forced to punt their first possession. Meadow took over on their own 34 yard line. With 4:20 left in the 1st quarter the Broncos scored and converted to lead 8-0. The game seemed a little slow at that point. BAM!!! Lightning struck! Not from the sky but in the form of back to back 76 yards kickoff returns for touchdowns. The game was tied 14-14 at the start of the second quarter. More of the same and at the half the score was tied 28-28. As the game advanced in the second half, Borden County got stronger and Meadow became gassed. Final: Borden County 76 Meadow 50.

WHAT I DIDN'T SEE THAT I WISHED I HAD.........

The Lazbuddie LONGHORNS came from behind in their homecoming game scoring on the final play with no time showing to defeat Wellman-Union 26-20. Pretty exciting stuff. My idol, the latePaul Harvey used to say " And now, for the rest of the story" . The Lazbuddie win was just a win, NO SIR! The win snapped a 14 game losing streak. I am told that quite a celebration erupted by the homecoming crowd. I say CONGRATULATIONS to Cooach JK Hester his tem and their fans. Hip hip hooray!

Next post I will extoll the games I find intriguing. This one was a little long, sorry. Thanks for the read.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

WEEK THREE Rolling Around

You know the drill by now. Please go and support your favorite Six-Man team this week home or on the road. Let the players know how much you appreciate the hard work they are putting in. Visit the concession stand too and help support whatever group is working the stand.

To the fan in general, like myself, that is running unattached so to speak, there are a few games that generate more than just a wait and see attitude.

These are the games I am particularly interested in the outcome.

Meadow (3-0) vs. Borden County (2-1) at Borden County
Calvert (0-2) vs. Penelope (2-1) at Calvert
Crowell (3-0) vs. Valley (2-1) at Valley
Gordon (3-0) vs. Bryson (3-0) at Bryson
Gustine (3-0) vs. Waco Live Oak (3-0) at Gustine
Newcastle (2-1) vs. Knox City (1-2) at Newcastle
Sterling City (2-1) vs. Sands (3-0)

I have been known to make mistakes of EPLER proportions in my time so before you plan on attending these games you better check dates, places, and times.

Enjoy whatever game you choose to attend. If for any reason you can't make a game this week there are some great ones coming up in the next few weeks.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Long Tough WEEKEND

I love football. Really, I do. It is hard for me to get enough football. It is a known fact that I see as much Six-Man as I can. I have done that for several years now. Sometimes I have to call an audible because other issues come up that require me to divert from my love of Six-Man. This weekend was such a case.

I surveyed the overall schedule for games that I believed would be good games to see. I narrowed it down to two games. Decision time. Sterling City and Water Valley would hook up in Water Valley and Ira and Ropes would be playing in Ira. Abilene to Ira is roughly 85 miles. Water Valley is a little over a hundred miles. The kicker was I have a grandson who plays in a youth football league in the San Antonio area. It was his first game of the season so I told my wife this would be as good a time as any to go watch him.

Knowing we would need to be on the road Saturday morning no later than 6:00 AM to make Nathan's game and thinking about the drive home on Friday night after the game in Ira or Water Valley, old age whispered in my ear that I might ought to opt for a game in Abilene instead. It so happened that Abilene Christian High School had a home game scheduled. Elmer Gray stadium is about a five minute drive from my house. They were playing Rockwall Christian. I figured ACHS would win by 25 or so but what the heck. Five minute drive back to my house seemed to be just what was needed for my tired and deteriorating body.

ACHS won the game 54-6. The panthers are impressive. The running game needs a little work I think but the passing game looks close to perfection. I will issue a PANTHER WARNING at this time. If ACHS appears on your schedule and you don't have a pass defense, you might want to consider taking a sick day. If you are not sick you will be when your game with them is over. Truly, they are scary good.

I did make the trip to San Antonio to watch the grandson. His team got drilled. Four touchdowns to none. He got to play a little more than half the game as a defensive lineman. The other team had quite a few larger kids and they double teamed Nathan all the time. He lived to fight another day. I was proud he gave it all he had. Coming home on Sunday, my son in the Waco area sent me a text with disturbing news. His four year old son, my number two grandson, has signed up to participate in futbol! Translated, that means he will be playing soccer. None of my three children ever took up such to which I can say I am proud. Number two grandson is the first of my five grandchildren to do so. It is indeed a sad day. His first day to practice is Thursday. Hope with me that the boy comes to his senses and decides his PePaw is right that soccer is a dumb game.

That is enough personal trauma. It is time to release the sixmancentral rankings for WEEK THREE.

D1
1. Throckmorton
2. Ira
3. Rankin
4. Sands
5. Aquilla
6. Valley
7. Borden County
8. Meadow
9. Aspermont
10. Water Valley

D2
1. Richland Springs
2. Motley County
3. Jonesboro
4. Sterling City
5. Miami
6. Strawn
7. Gustine
8. Milford
9. Calvert
10.Newcastle

Sunday, September 4, 2011

EPLER the name is EPLER not EPHLER.

The inventor of THE game is EPLER. STEPHEN EDWARD EPLER.
Heath A Gibson called it to my attention that I spelled Mr. Epler's name wrong!
I have read this a million times and never caught my mistake. How lame is that?
I make an honest effort to bring honor to a gentleman that much honor is due and I can't spell his name correctly. I beg the forgiveness of all ESPECIALLY Mr. Epler's family.

Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler Epler

S.E.E. SIX-MAN NEWS
by Don Hardin
Abilene, Texas
donhardin1@gmail.com


SIXMANCENTRAL WEEK TWO RANKINGS

SIXMANCENTRAL WEEK TWO RANKINGS


Division 1

1. THROCKMORTON

2. IRA

3. SANDS

4. RANKIN

5. ROPES

6. AQUILLA

7. MEADOW

8. BORDEN COUNTY

9. WALNUT SPRINGS

10. GARDEN CITY

Division 2

1. RICHLAND SPRINGS

2. STERLING CITY

3. MOTLEY COUNTY

4. MIAMI

5. JONESBORO

6. BALMORHEA

7. STRAWN

8. GUSTINE

9. CHEROKEE

10. CALVERT

From WEEK ONE to WEEK TWO

After seeing eight games in WEEK ZERO, I weaned myself to just one game for WEEK ONE. Strawn hosted Jonesboro in a close game, a low scoring game, and a tad sloppy at times game. Jonesboro won the contest 29-22. Junior Gerrit Buster picked up the opening kickoff and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. The play appeared to be an onside kick by Strawn. Regardless, it turned into a touchdown for Jonesboro and that was pretty much the difference in the game. I had Strawn ranked #6 in the state and Jonesboro # 7 going into this game. IF you can go by my poll, it should have been close. A slight upset in Strawn.


Speaking of polls, I am sure you heard the quote from Sarah Palin as I suppose she was referring to politics. The quote went something like this, “Polls are for strippers and cross county skiers”. Sounds like a fun girl. Maybe there will be a Palin Perry ticket.

WEEK ONE games I thought might have been GOTW affairs went like this.

Jonesboro defeated Strawn 29-22

Sterling City defeated Garden City 68-56

Aquilla defeated Calvert 32-22

Ira defeated Knox City 72-48



WEEK TWO potential GOTW honors in advance go to:

Follett vs. Miami

Gustine vs. Cherokee

Ropes vs. Ira

Sterling City vs. Water Valley



Take your pick. I am going to the Sterling City Water Valley game. Mercy!!!!!



Looking back at KEEW ENO did you see the outrageous scores?

SA The Winston 122

SA Town East 120

OR

Crowell 83

Spur 82



Maybe Sarah Palin is right about polls. In D2 I had Richland Springs ranked Number One and Panther Creek ranked # 8 in the state. Richland Springs whipped Panther Creek 70-8!!! Halftime!!!! The question: Is there 62 points difference between #1 and # 8 in the state? There was this time and I think it is for real.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Formatting

I believe once upon a time I actually knew how to format a paragraph. Guess not anymore! Actually, I was able to edit the previous post and it looks better.

LOOKING BOTH WAYS

LOOKING BOTH WAYS KEEW OREZ TO WEEK ONE

Have mercy football gods! Looking back to WEEK ZERO there were some magical ballgames that matched highly ranked teams against each other. That means a few sore muscles and bruises and a bruised ego to add insult to injury.

Hico’s Eight Annual Six-Man Super Saturday once again provided a full day of action. Strawn defeated Calvert to start off the day’s action. As you and I have seen before, a game between two ranked teams can turn a shade of…..ugly. That is not always the case. More times than not when you get two elite teams together the fans are treated to something special.

Speaking of fans, there we were, my brother from Houston, my son from Waco, along with a longtime friend of mine from Frisco, and myself. We were all sitting under the famed “big oak tree” at the South end of Tiger Stadium when we heard a terrible snap. What was it? Was the tree falling? Did someone break their ankle or leg? No, it was none of those things. What we heard snap was Garden City’s 29 game winning streak when the Bearkats lost to the Matadors of Motley County in overtime by the score of 50-44. BTW, my brother had only seen one Six-Man contest before this one, the Strawn Calvert game. I supposed I may have ruined him for life. That’s ok. What you must understand is the fact he is nearly ten years older than me and he put me through lots of “stuff” when I was a kid. Karma! The last time Garden City had tasted defeat was on the very same field here in Hico at the Sixth Annual Six-Man Super Saturday.

Man they got the next game on the card started almost immediately. The folks in Hico learned their lesson all the way back to the first Classic they hosted. There was a 45 point victory ending a game that year and it was something like three hours before the next game started. It was a good game but lots of people didn’t hang around to watch it. Warning to future participants at Hico, the first game of the day has a “hard” start time. All other games start immediately at the conclusion of the previous game. If you are gonna play in Hico you had better be ready to go. Now, back to the third game of the day. Can I just say WOW?!!! Throckmorton and Valley played to a 65 to 62 score with Throckmorton taking the win.

Games four and five found Ira defeating the perennial power house Follett Panthers 69 to 24 after a fairly close first half and Walnut Springs defeating Rising Star in a tight one 44-24. Coach Toby Goodwin took a moment to visit with me as the Ira Bulldogs came back on the field to start the second half of their game with Follett. Exactly what he told me will remain a private conversation between him and me but the jest of the conversation was “we better start playing football or……..anyway they did just that.

Congratulations to all the great people in Hico that make Six-Man Super Saturday a FANTABOLUS event every year. Same to the boys who played their hearts out whether they won or lost. More congratulations go out to the fans that braved the unforgiving heat to watch one game or all five. It is the best $10.00 you will spend all year.

There was action elsewhere besides in Hico. I would be remiss if I did not mention a great game that took place 300 or so miles west of Hico in McCamey at their Second Annual Kick Off classic. Rankin, in the last game of the day took down Borden County by the score of 38 to 26.

Also, in Zephyr, the Richland Springs Coyotes took down a talented Avalon squad 66 to 20. One game in WEEK ZERO does not win you a State Championship. I have to say though that Richland Springs would appear to be on their way to repeating as D2 Champions. I realize there are lots of football games to be played before that December 10th game in Abilene. Just saying.

Looking forward to WEEK ONE, there will again be some great games to watch although they will be spread out just a tad more than WEEK ZERO. Game of the week honors could go to the Jonesboro and Strawn game. That game I believe is in Strawn. The Sterling City and Garden City game will also contend as GOTW. I am thinking that game is in Garden City. I am also intrigued by the Calvert and Aquilla game in Aquilla. Just for good measure one might consider Ira and Knox City.

Next week there will be tales to tell as we look back at KEEW ENO and forward to WEEK TWO. Be very careful what you ask for BECAUSE you might just wind up getting it.

YOU know WHO I am talking to and what I am talking about.

Each of you could be doing lots of things besides reading my blog.
I truly THANK YOU for your time.

Don Hardin
donhardin1@gmail.com