SIX-MAN REWIND: Water Valley, Gordon and Jayton punch tickets to state semifinals

The six-man region finals have come and gone, and three teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area remain in the hunt for a state championship.

Water Valley and Gordon punched their ticket to the Class 1A Division I state semifinals with wins over Westbrook and Jonesboro, respectively, while top-ranked Jayton earned a trip to the DII state semis with an impressive win over two-time defending state champion Benjamin.

Richland Springs, meanwhile, joined those to bow out in the playoffs’ third round, dropping a hard-fought game to Oglesby.

With that backdrop setting the stage for this week’s games, it’s time to take a look back at how we got here. We hope you enjoy this “rewind” and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for schedules and results.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

• Water Valley 70, Westbrook 38 — Landon Lacy passed for 212 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 105 yards and three more scores to lead Water Valley past Westbrook in the Region II-1A Division I final. WVHS also got 104 yards and two touchdowns receiving and two TDs rushing from Boston Wiese while taking advantage of six Westbrook fumbles. WHS, which was outscored 38-8 over the middle two quarters after a thrilling opening quarter ended with Water Valley leading 24-22, was led in the loss by Grayson Jeffrey with 256 yards and three touchdowns rushing. WVHS (11-2) advances to the state semifinals, where it will take on unbeaten Whiteface (13-0), while Westbrook saw its season end at 10-3 — two wins shy of a fourth consecutive state championship game appearance.
• Gordon 56, Jonesboro 6 — Stryker Reed passed for 140 yards and three touchdowns and added an additional TD receiving, while Brayden Walters received for 104 yards and three scores to fuel the top-ranked Longhorns to a blowout win over the Eagles in the Region IV-1A DI final. GHS (13-0) also got 99 yards and two TDs passing from Noah Kostiha and a touchdown passing and receiving from Ry Reed in the win, which earned the Longhorns a state semifinal date with fellow unbeaten Abbott (13-0). Ry Reed also had 56 yards rushing as Gordon put yet another game away by halftime. Jonesboro got its only points on a touchdown pass late in the second quarter that cut the GHS lead to 48-6. That score kept the Longhorns, who have now outscored their opponents 721-48 for the year, from earning their eighth shutout of the season.
• Jayton 100, Benjamin 50 — Bode Ham ran for 260 yards and nine touchdowns, and Sean Stanaland passed for 114 yards and two TDs while adding a 62-yard kickoff return score  to help the Jaybirds stay unbeaten with a 45-point-rule win over the Mustangs in the Region II-1A DII final. Griff Reel also contributed to the win for Jayton, receiving for 89 yards and a score. Benjamin, which saw its season end at 9-2, was paced by Keegan Hayes with 288 yards and two touchdowns passing, 87 yards and two TDs rushing and a 77-yard kickoff return score, while Preston True received for 108 yards and a touchdown. Jayton (13-0), which advances to take on Klondike (9-4) in the Class 1A DII state semifinals, led just 24-14 after a quarter and 64-44 at halftime, before outscoring Benjamin 22-6 in the third quarter and 14-0 in the fourth. For a full report on this game, see Brandon McAuliffe’s game story.
• Oglesby 60, Richland Springs 46 — Kyler Fossett ran for 274 yards and five touchdowns and passed for 103 yards and another score to lead the Tigers to a thrilling win over the Coyotes in the Region IV-1A DII final. Jakson Tippit added 50 yards and a TD rushing and Holdyn Goff received for 61 yards and a score for Oglesby (11-2), which took a 46-30 lead into halftime — doubling the number of points Richland Springs had allowed all season coming into the game. Richland Springs, which closed its season at 11-1, amassed 294 yards of total offense, getting 146 of its 215 rushing yards from Cohen Ethridge, who also had a 60-yard kickoff return touchdown in the loss.

PLAYOFF PAIRINGS/RESULTS

REGION II-1A DIV. I (Full bracket)

BI-DISTRICT

Newcastle 74, Spur 22

Westbrook 116, Robert Lee 110

Water Valley 64, Ira 32

Knox City 64, Turkey Valley 52

REGION SEMIFINALS

Westbrook 98, Newcastle 52

Water Valley 56, Knox City 0

REGION FINAL

Water Valley 70, Westbrook 38

STATE SEMIFINALS

Water Valley (11-2) vs. Whiteface (13-0): 2 p.m. Saturday, Lamesa

REGION IV-1A DIV. I (Full bracket)

BI-DISTRICT

Gordon 56, May 8

Jonesboro 64, Baird 16

REGION SEMIFINALS

Gordon 48, Menard 0

REGION FINAL

Gordon 56, Jonesboro 6

STATE SEMIFINALS

Gordon (13-0) vs. Abbott (13-0): 6 p.m. Saturday, Godley’s Wildcat Stadium

REGION II-1A DIV. II (Full bracket)

BI-DISTRICT

Loraine 90, Grandfalls Royalty 61

Benjamin 62, Aspermont 6

Jayton 54, Crowell 6

Blackwell 56, Balmorhea 30

REGION SEMIFINALS

Benjamin 86, Loraine 36

Jayton 60, Blackwell 8

REGION FINAL

Jayton 100, Benjamin 50

STATE SEMIFINALS

Jayton (13-0) vs. Klondike (9-4): 6:30 p.m. Friday, Wolfforth’s Peoples Bank Stadium

REGION III-1A DIV. II (Full bracket)

BI-DISTRICT

Strawn 76, Fannindel 6

Oakwood 74, Stephenville Three Way 36

Bowie Gold-Burg 64, Woodson 62

REGION SEMIFINALS

Iredell 91, Strawn 90

REGION IV-1A DIV. II (Full bracket)

BI-DISTRICT

Zephyr 46, Evant 0

Richland Springs (10-0), bye

Cherokee 102, Rochelle 82

Oglesby 46, Blanket 0

REGION SEMIFINALS

Richland Springs 64, Zephyr 6

REGION FINAL

Oglesby 60, Richland Springs 46

TAPPS SIX-MAN DIV. II

BI-DISTRICT

Rockwall Heritage 72, Abilene Christian 44