WEEK THIRTEEN AHEAD

LANCE MORRIS RECORD RUN.......DONE!!!!!!

He finished his last game with 261 rushing yards on 33 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. For his career he has 11866 yards on 828 carries with 179 touchdowns. Not bad. Actually at the time I am writing this blog Lance is both the All-Time Rusher in Six-Man as well as 11-Man on the state level and also leads the nation. Again, congratulations to him on this remarkable record.

REALITY
Some continue to win while others fall. There were surprises along the way. It is a tough situation but that is the reality of playoff football. Win or go home.

Round Two Results

D I
Petersburg 70 Grady 60
Valley 53 Borden County 46
Rankin 58 Ira 38
Throckmorton 62 Water Valley 18
Santa Anna 79 Blum 38
Gordon 66 Savoy 21
Abbott 62 Leverett's Chapel 16
Oakwood 83 Buckholts 71

D II
Follett 68 Amherst 23
Motley County 78 New Home 55
Balmorhea 44 Loraine 40
Grandfalls-Royalty 34 Robert Lee 30
Newcastle 50 Aspermont 38
Strawn 54 Jayton 8
Richland Springs 64 Jonesboro 48
Milford 56 Cherokee 24

ROUND THREE MATCHUPS

D I
Petersburg Vs. Valley in Lockney Friday November 30th 7:00 PM
Rankin vs. Throckmorton in Snyder Saturday December 1st 6:00 PM
Santa Anna vs. Gordon in Comanche Friday November 30th 7:30 PM
Abbott vs. Oakwood in Mexia Friday November 30th 7:30 PM

D II
Follett vs. Motley County in Amarillo River Road Friday November 30th 7:00 PM
Balmorhea vs. Grandfalls-Royalty in Kermit Friday November 30th 6:30 PM
Newcastle vs. Strawn in Cisco Friday November 30th 7:30 PM
Richland Springs vs. Milford in Hico Friday November 30th 7:30 PM

WEEK 13 S.E.E. SIX-MAN NEWS RANKINGS

D I
1. THROCKMORTON GREYHOUNDS
2. Valley
3. Rankin
4. Abbott
5. Petersburg
6. Oakwood
7. Gordon
8. Santa Anna
9. Ira
10. Water Valley

D II
1. RICHLAND SPRINGS COYOTES
2. Milford
3. Grandfalls-Royalty
4. Follett
5. Strawn
6. Motley County
7. Newcastle
8. Balmorhea
9. Jonesboro
10. Robert Lee

GOOD FOOTBALL TO YOU

See you next week.

Don Hardin
Abilene

ONE TWO THREE......

One Two Three.....

There was lots of action from the start of the game to the final buzzer in the Regional Championship between the winning Rankin Red Devils and the tough Ira Bulldogs. In my humble opinion three defensive stops by the Red Devil defense was the difference.

The first two offensive possessions by Ira saw them move the ball but resulted in no points and Rankin as a result led the previously undefeated Ira Bulldogs 14-0 with 1:05 left in the 1st Quarter. Ira would be chasing that lead all night long.

The record setting Lance Morris finished this game with 261 yards on 33 carries and 3 touchdowns. Lance also finished his high school career this game. I have his career rushing record at 11866 yards on 828 carries with 179 touchdowns. Congratulations to Mr. Lance Morris who is the All-Time leading rusher in the state of Texas.

It was a rare game that Ira went down in defeat. Just as rare is the fact that Lance Morris was not the best in show. Mr. Dalton Michum of Rankin carried the ball 31 times for 322 yards and 6 touchdowns. As I have often reminded those outside of the Six-Man world that Lance Morris also plays defense, so does Dalton Michum.

Coach Shannon Williams of Rankin knew he would need to design a defensive game plan that would slow down the talented Morris of Ira. The Red Devils for this game moved Michum from cornerback to middle linebacker to combat the Ira tight formation end sweeps. The early 14-0 lead and defensive play of Rankin got Ira into the spread offensively which is not particularly the strength of Ira. Once in the spread, heavy pressure on Morris resulted in three sacks for a minus 24 yards. That may not sound like it was that big a deal but in my mind it was huge.

The 14-0 lead in the first quarter indeed proved to be more than Ira would be able to handle but Ira showed plenty of fight before the half would end. lance Morris scored the 1st of his three touchdowns with :53 seconds left in the quarter on a 46 yard run. Jared Cotton was successful with the PAT and Ira had cut the lead 14-8. It would be a short lived lead. Less than a minute into the 2nd quarter, Dalton Michum got his second touchdown of the night on a 4 yard run. The PAT failed and Rankin was  on top by 20-8. Each team put up 24 points in the second quarter with Rankin getting 4 points on the 42 yard FG by 6 foot 3 inch 290 pound senior Caleb Wrinkle as time expired in the half. The score at half time was 38-32 and Rankin was riding the momentum train knowing they would get the ball starting the second half.

Rankin started out offensively in the second half with Dalton Michum throwing a pass that Logan Morris of Ira intercepted. This was a great opportunity for Ira to tie or possibly take the lead for the first time in game. Rankin's D came up huge for the third of 3  stops that I believe won the game. Aaron Castillo on 4th down sacked Lance Morris. Six plays later, Dalton Michum scored his 4th of six touchdowns and Rankin lead   46-32 with 4:04 in the 3rd.

With one minute and thirty-eight seconds left in the 3rd quarter, Lance Morris threw a touchdown pass to Tanner Shifflett. The PAT failed bringing the score to Rankin 46 Ira 38. There was still way more than enough time on the clock for the explosive Ira Bulldogs to come back and win the game. A mere 20 seconds later, Dalton Michum would tear the hearts out of Ira with a 58 yard run with 1:18 left in the 3rd. Though the PAT failed, the damage was done. Rankin lead 52-38. One full quarter and some change left but Ira was empty. Rankin added one more touchdown on a one yard run. The PAT again failed your final score was 58-38. CONGRATULATIONS Rankin Red Devils. They advance to play the defending state champions, Throckmorton Greyhounds Saturday December 1st at 6:00 PM in Snyder.

Don Hardin

Abilene

LANCE MORRIS 11605 YARDS         IRA DEFEATS CROWELL 52-43

Lance Morris is now your new Texas Career Rushing Leader!!!!!!!!

The BIG NEWS from this game was LANCE MORRIS of the IRA BULLDOGS rushed for 386 yards on 30 carries and scored 7 Touchdowns. This young man has been doing super things for four years and it has paid off. He now has accumulated 11605 CAREER RUSHING YARDS, surpassing Kenneth Hall's 59 year old record of 11232 yards which was also a national record.

Career totals for Lance so far are as follows:

2009 Freshman 159 carries 2551 yards 26 Touchdowns
2010 Sophomore 240 carries 3267 yards 56 Touchdowns
2011 Junior 225 carries 3263 yards 53 Touchdowns
2012 Senior 171 carries 2574 yards 41 Touchdowns

Totals thus for are 795 carries.  11605 yards.   176 Touchdowns

The new national record is now held by Derrick Henry From a high school in Florida. He currently has 11612 yards. Both Derrick and Lance still have at least one more game as their teams remain alive in their respective state's playoff games.

GREAT GAME

The Ira Bulldogs escaped with a narrow win Friday night in Haskell against a tough, hard nosed Crowell Wildcat team. The final score was 52 to 43. This was a case where the game was INDEED closer than the score indicates. Without a doubt, this was the most difficult game of the year for Ira.

Crowell received the ball first and drove 60 yards in 8 plays in a very methodical way to draw first blood. The all important PAT was blocked. Crowell led 6-0. Early in the first offensive drive by Ira, Lance Morris gained the 15 yards he needed to become the all time career rushing leader in Texas. He wasn't finished by any stretch of the imagination. Ira led 16-14 after the 1st Quarter of play. At the half, Ira was on top by ten 32-22. Lance Morris had 205 yards at the break. Crowell out scored Ira 14 to 8 in the 3rd Quarter of play but still trailed 40-36. Ira won the 4th Quarter 12-7 to win the game 52-43.

The Crowell team played great on both sides of the ball with #14 Mitchell Parsley returning an interception 80 yards for a touchdown highlighting their defensive effort. Offensively speaking, the afore mentioned Parsley had 85 yards rushing on 17 carries and Lex Bond rushed 16 times for 87 yards.

You need a good defense to win and Ira's defense was anchored by Jared Cotton who had 18.5 tackles, Lance Morris with 11 tackles, and Logan Morris with 8 tackles and two key interceptions.

A win in a Bi-District playoff game means you live to fight another day. A loss on the other hand and your season is finished. Crowell started the season with a bang by defeating Borden County in WEEK ZERO. The Wildcats, coached by Nathan Hayes finished a great year with 7 wins and 4 losses. Their other losses came at the hands of Valley, Petersburg, and Throckmorton all of which are still alive going into Round Two of the Six-Man state playoffs. Ira is now 11 and 0 and will meet Rankin, 10 and 1 in Big Spring on Saturday night at 7:30 PM.

I might mention here that Rankin's only loss this season was to Borden County (9-2) by the score of 82-54 in WEEK TWO.  Crowell defeated Borden County in WEEK ZERO at the 9th Annual Jayton Gridiron Classic 83-60. Borden County's other loss was to 11-0 Water Valley by the score of 60-52 in WEEK FIVE. Can you say drama?

ROUND TWO PLAYOFFS REGIONALS

Division I
Petersburg 10-1 vs. Grady 8-3
Borden County 9-2 vs. Valley 10-1
Rankin 10-1 vs, Ira 11-0
Throckmorton 10-1 vs. Water Valley 11-0
Santa Anna 10-1 vs. Blum 7-4
Savoy 10-0 vs. Gordon 8-3
Abbott 9-2 vs. Leverett's Chapel 9-2
Oakwood 8-2 vs. Buckholts 8-3

Division II
Follett 6-4 vs. Amherst 6-5
New Home 9-2 vs. Mötley County 9-2
Balmorhea 9-2 vs. Loraine 7-4
Robert Lee 10-1 vs. Grandfalls-Royalty 11-0
Aspermont 11-0 vs. Newcastle 7-4
Strawn 10-1 vs. Jayton 10-1
Richland Springs 11-0 vs. Jonesboro 9-2
Milford 11-0 vs. Cherokee 6-4








WEEK TWELVE S.E.E SIX-MAN NEWS RANKINGS


D I
IRA BULLDOGS
Valley
Water Valley
Throckmorton
Borden County
Abbott
Rankin
Petersburg
Santa Anna
Oakwood

D II
RICHLAND SPRINGS COYOTES
Milford
Jonesboro
Grandfalls
Aspermont
Motley County
Robert Lee
Follett
Strawn
Jayton


Thank you for taking the time to read this stuff.




Don Hardin
Abilene,TX

Home of Six-Man Central

WEEK ELEVEN

WEEK ELEVEN and FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS!!!

Season is over for most but now playoffs have commenced.

Last Week Game of Interest 
Motley County and Groom.
Motley County wins 52-44.

WEEK ELEVEN GAMES OF INTEREST

EVERY DANG ONE OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!

LANCE MORRIS WATCH
Ira takes on Crowell tonight in Haskell for Bi-District. Lance needs 15 yards to break the National Career Rushing mark currently held by Ken Hall. Mr. Hall has held that record for 59 years. Exciting times for Ira and Lance Morris.

WEEK ELEVEN S.E.E. SIX-MAN NEWS RANKINGS

D I
1. IRA BULLDOGS
2. Valley
3. Water Valley
4. Throckmorton
5. Abbott
6. Borden County
7. Petersburgs
8. Rankin
9. Crowell
10. Oakwood

D II
1. RICHLAND SPRINGS COYOTES
2. Milford
3. Jonesboro
4. Grandfalls-Royalty
5. Aspermont
6. Robert Lee
7. Motley County
8. Follett
9. Strawn
10. Groom

Come back next week!!!!!!!!!

Don Hardin
Abilene, TX
Home of Six-Man Central
 

WEEK TEN

WEEK TEN


My emotions are running high this week. Looking at it as the proverbial good news, bad
news point of view, well we are a week away from the playoffs and all the excitement
that comes with that. Good news for certain. Bad news? WEEK TEN will be the end of
the season for lots of teams. Worse news is for seniors on those teams that don't
advance not only does the season end but most likely so does their career as a football
player. Some of those kids have been playing since peewee days.


I remember my high school coach telling our team that playing your last game is hard.
That did not faze me too much then. Later, I knew exactly what he meant. The season is
already over for some. Cherish the memories right now and in the future. I applaud the
effort of everyone of you. Thank your coaches, parents, and fans for being part of your
life and dreams.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

There are a few districts that playoff positions are determined. The other seedings will
be determined with the results of this weekend, some outright others perhaps by tie
breakers. Let the good times roll!!!


RESULTS OF WEEK NINE GAMES OF INTEREST
Ropes at Anton. Ropes won this game by 30 points. Final score of 76 to 46. The ropes
win was legit. In times past, ropes has had some let downs after defeating district rival
Meadow. Not this year.


Knox City at Crowell. KC needed a win bad to make playoffs. Crowell stunned the world
back in WEEK ZERO defeating Borden County 83-60. The Wildcats dropped games
against playoff bound Valley and Petersburg in back to back weeks then suffered a loss
in district play to the defending state champions Throckmorton Greyhounds by a 30
point margin. most likely Crowell will get Ira in the first round of the playoffs. There are
still games to be played before that is for certain.

May at Zephyr. Zephyr wins 38-16.

LANCE MORRIS WATCH
Ira defeated HIghland in a Thursday night game 52-2 as Lance continues to chase Ken
Hall's career mark of 11232 yards. Lance gained 147 yards on seven carries leaving
him at 10984 yards according to my numbers. He needs 249 yards to become the
Texas All-Time Career Leading Rusher. Mr. Hall's record has stood for 59 years. Rotan
won their second district game on Friday night and that sets up the game with Ira for the
district championship this Friday in Rotan. Both schools will advance to the playoffs.


WEEK TEN GAME OF INTEREST
Mötley County at Groom


WEEK TEN S.E.E. SIX-MAN NEWS RANKINGS


D I
1. IRA BULLDOGS
2. Valley
3. Water Valley
4. Throckmorton
5. Abbott
6. Borden County
7. Petersburg
8. Rankin
9. Crowell
10. Oakwood


D II
1. RICHLAND SPRINGS COYOTES
2. Milford
3. Jonesboro
4. Grandfalls-Royalty
5. Aspermont
6. Robert Lee
7. Motley County
8. Follett
9. Groom
10. Strawn

Come back next week as we break down the playoff games.

Don Hardin
Abilene, Texas
Home of Six-Man Central