SIX-MAN REWIND: Gordon, Jayton continue to separate themselves from pack

Week 3 has come and gone, and the area six-man picture continues to get clearer.

Defending champs Gordon and Jayton continue to be the class of Division I and II, respectively, but others throughout the Big Country Preps coverage area are making names for themselves at both levels as well.

 Without further adieu, let’s dive into last week’s matchups in this week’s “Six-Man Rewind” column. When you’re done reading, make sure you check out our our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for more information on your favorite team(s). 

LAST WEEK’S TOP RESULTS

• Gordon 58, Strawn 8 — Stryker Reed ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, and Ry Reed added 83 yards and two TDs on the ground to lead the Division I top-ranked Longhorns to a blowout win over rival Strawn in the “Six-Man Lookahead” Game of the Week at Stephenville’s Art Briles Stadium. Gordon led 38-0 by halftime, before ending the game by 45-point rule late in the third quarter. Brayden Walters also contributed to the victory for the Longhorns, receiving for 62 yards and a score to help the coach Mike Reed’s squad enter this week’s game against 11-man Thorndale with a perfect 3-0 record. Strawn, which fell two spots to No. 8 in Division II, got its only touchdown on a fumble return early in the third quarter that cut the deficit to 38-8, before Gordon closed the game with 20 unanswered points.
• Robert Lee 60, Ira 14 — Brenner Sherwood ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 52 yards and another TD to fuel the Steers to a lopsided win over the Bulldogs and into the Division I state rankings at No. 10. Robert Lee also got a pair of rushing touchdowns from Josh Garcez and a receiving score from Noah Gonzales in improving to 3-0 on the year. Ira fell to 1-2 with the loss. 
• Rankin 48, Westbrook 44 — In what may have been the most competitive six-man game in the state in Week 3, the Red Devils outlasted the Wildcats for a thrilling victory, thanks in part to a 3-1 advantage in the turnover margin. Trailing 36-28 at halftime after scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter, Rankin outscored Westbrook 14-8 in the third quarter and 6-0 in the fourth to escape with the come-from-behind win. Gage Lopez passed for 120 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Red Devils, hitting Issac Armendarez with two TD passes and Jairo Cruz with one as RHS finished with 344 yards of total offense. The Wildcats, who had 354 total yards, were paced by Chance Morris with 167 yards and two TDs passing, Landon Rodriguez with 84 yards rushing and Caleb Browne with 91 yards and a TD receiving.
• Abilene Christian 90, Knox City 44 — Pierson Walters passed for 335 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 66 yards and another TD to lift the Panthers to a convincing win over the Greyhounds. Caleb Thyne added 130 yards and four touchdowns rushing for ACS, while Brysonn Waggoner received for 137 yards and a three TDs. Knox City, ran for 217 of its 304 yards was led by Zander Abila, who ran for 123 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 77 yards and another score. The Greyhounds led 20-14 after a quarter and the game was tied at 36-all at halftime, but Abilene Christian outscored Knox City 30-8 in the third quarter and 24-0 in the fourth to pull away.
• Perrin-Whitt 50, Rising Star 38 — Cole Keeney ran for five touchdowns and passed for two more to lead the Pirates to a hard-fought win over the Wildcats. The game was nip and tuck throughout, as Rising Star held leads at 6-0, 14-13, 22-19 in the first half, before Perrin-Whitt went to halftime up 26-22. The Pirates went up two scores at 32-22 and again at 44-30, but the Wildcats narrowed the gap to 44-38 midway through the fourth quarter, before Perrin-Whitt finally put the game away with one final touchdown. Nate Scuggs added a touchdown rushing and receiving for Perrin-Whitt, which improved to 2-1 on the year. Rising Star (2-1) was led in the loss by JV  Kelly, who ran for 165 yards and a touchdown and passed for 136 yards and two TDs.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

• Pierson Walters, QB, Sr., Abilene Christian — Hit 15 of 19 passes for 335 yards and seven touchdowns and ran for 66 more yards and another score vs. Knox City.
• Cole Keeney, QB, Sr., Perrin-Whitt — Had touchdown passes of 55 and 45 yards and TD runs of 65, 32, 5, 33 and 25 yards vs. Rising Star.
• Kannon Kensing, RB/DL, Sr., Blanket — Ran for 282 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 14 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Tigers’ 65-20 win over Evant.
• Brenner Sherwood, SB, Sr., Robert Lee — Ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns, hit 4 of 8 passes for 52 yards and a TD and had seven tackles and two interceptions defensively vs. Ira. 
• Alex Saucedo, RB/DL, Jr., Bluff Dale — Went 3-for-4 passing for 106 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 96 yards and two more TDs and had a pick-six in the Bobcats’ 68-20 win over Covington.
• Stryker Reed, RB, Sr., Gordon — Ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns vs. Strawn.
• Chayden Woodcock, RB/DB, Jr., Zephyr — Ran for 130 yards and four touchdowns, had an 18-yard TD reception and added12 tackles and an interception defensively in the Bulldogs’ 59-10 win over Gorman.
• Caleb Thyne, RB, Sr., Abilene Christian — Ran for 130 yards and four touchdowns vs. Knox City.
• Zaylan Delce, WR/DB, Jr., Hermleigh — Received for 109 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 104 yards and two TDs and had an interception defensively in the Cardinals’ 51-6 win over Loraine.
• Michael Wallis, QB/DB, Jr., Trent — Ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns, passed for 55 yards and one TD and had a kickoff return score in the Gorillas’ 57-8 win over Priddy.

BCP POWER RANKINGS

DIVISION I

1. Gordon (3-0) ⇔ — The top-ranked Longhorns have no match in six-man. We’ll see if 11-man Thorndale can challenge them this week.
2. Water Valley (3-0) ⇔ — The No. 2 Wildcats continue to dominate, routing previously unbeaten Panther Creek 61-6 last week. They’ve now outscored their three opponents 171-14.
3. Newcastle (3-0) ⇑1 — The No. 8 Bobcats have still  yet to allow a point this season after blanking Bowie Gold-Burg 63-0. They’ll face May this week in a battle of top-10 teams.
4. Robert Lee (3-0) ⇑1  — The 10th-ranked Steers are off to a running start, headlined by last week’s dismantling of Ira. After a matchup with winless Blackwell this week, they’ll face a couple of tests to close nondistrict against Ackerly Sands (2-1) and Bronte (3-0).
5. Westbrook (2-1) ⇓2  — The Wildcats suffered their first loss to an excellent Rankin squad, but this is still a really good football team. They’ll have this week off to lick their wounds.
6. May (2-1) ⇔ — The No. 3 Tigers bounced back from their loss to Division II No. 3 Richland Springs with a 63-8 win over Rochelle. Up next is a clash with unbeaten Newcastle.
7. Hermleigh (2-1) ⇔ — The Cardinals got back in the win column against Loraine.  They’ll play a solid Rising Star team this week before facing off with DII No. 1 Jayton on Sept. 26.
8. Perrin-Whitt (2-1) ⇔ — The Pirates held off Rising Star in an exciting game last week. They should face little resistance the next two weeks against Covington and Granbury Grace Classical.
9. Ira (1-2) ⇔ — The Bulldogs’ record is more a product of the schedule they’ve played than their strength. They should get back with nondistrict games remaining against O’Donnell and Loraine. 
10. Bryson (2-1) ⇔ — The Cowboys followed their blowout win over Baird with a 58-12 victory over winless Throckmorton. Things get much, much tougher this week with Strawn coming to town.

First five out — Rotan (2-1) ⇑2, Roby(2-1) ⇔, Knox City (0-3) ⇓1, Baird (1-2) ⇑⇑⇑, Highland (1-2) ⇓1

DIVISION II

1. Jayton (3-0) ⇔ — The top-ranked Jaybirds, who blasted Turkey Valley 52-6 last week, will hold this spot until someone knocks them off their perch. No one has come close yet. 
2. Benjamin (3-0) ⇑2 — The No. 6 Mustangs picked up an impressive 58-26 win over Borden County lastweek to stay unbeaten. With open dates each of the next two weeks, they won’t be tested again until they take on No. 5 Cherokee on Oct. 3.
3. Richland Springs (2-1) ⇔ — The No. 3 Coyotes followed their 42-14 win over May with a 68-8 drubbing of Nueces Canyon. With a favorable schedule the rest of the way, they likely won’t be challenged again until the playoffs.
4. Strawn (2-1) ⇓2 — The eighth-ranked Greyhounds aren’t on Gordon’s level, but who is? This is still an excellent team, and Bryson could learn that the hard way this week. 
5. Zephyr (3-0) ⇔ — The Bulldogs continued their outstanding start with a blowout win over Gorman. After a tune-up this week against Lingleville, we’ll learn exactly how good they are against Strawn on Sept. 26.
6. Aspermont (3-0) ⇔ — The Hornets have been dominant this season, but their opponents to date are a combined 0-9, and their next two foes haven’t won a game yet either. 
7. Bronte (3-0) ⇔ — The Longhorns stayed undefeated with a 54-8 rout of Veribest last week. Things are about get much tougher, though, with Menard (3-0), Eden (3-0) and Robert Lee up next.
8. Three Way (3-0) ⇑1 — The Braves handed Gustine their first loss of the year last week in a 44-8 victory. With Ranger, Lohn and Paint Rock due up next, they’ll likely enter their district opener with Bluff Dale unbeaten.
9. Bluff Dale (2-1) ⇓1 — The Bobcats followed a strong showing against a top-five Oglesby squad with a lopsided win over Covington. They’ll try to start a winning streak this week against Sidney.
10. Gustine (2-1) ⇔ — The Tigers tasted defeat for the first time last week. They should have little trouble bouncing back this week with Priddy up next.

First five out — Rising Star (2-1) ⇔, Blanket (2-1) ⇔, Guthrie (2-1) ⇑2, Paint Creek (2-1) ⇑⇑⇑, Rochelle (0-3) ⇓2