SIX-MAN REWIND: High-profile matchups deliver in wild Week 4

Week 4 yielded a number of eye-popping results and statement wins.

Whether it was May knocking off unbeaten Newcastle in our “Six-Man Lookahead” Game of the Week or Gordon going up a classification to thump Thorndale in a 11-man game, there was no shortage of intrigue for area six-man fans.

As has become custom the past two years around here, it’s time to recap the week that was in our “Six-Man Rewind” column. We hope you enjoy this look back at last week’s action and encourage you to check out our Six-Man/Class 1A Central page for up-to-date standings, results and upcoming matchups. 

LAST WEEK’S TOP RESULTS

• May 60, Newcastle 42 — Kobey Morris and Lane Goodson combined for 310 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and 80 more yards through the air to fuel the Division I No. 3 Tigers to a thrilling win over the ninth-ranked Bobcats in our Game  of the Week. Behind that duo, May (3-1) took a narrow 24-22 lead into halftime and extended that advantage to 30-22 before Newcastle (3-1) rallied to tie the game in the third quarter. But the Tigers answered with back-to-back touchdowns to take a 46-36 lead in the fourth quarter and pulled away from there for the three-score victory.
• Gordon 54, Thorndale 21 — Making the jump from the six-man ranks to the 11-man game for a unique nondistrict matchup, the Longhorns crushed the Bulldogs, cruising to a 40-14 halftime lead on their way to a blowout win. Stryker Reed ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, Gordon’s first in the 11-man ranks since 1946, while Noah Kostiha completed 7 of 8 passes for 175 yards and two TDs. Brayden Walters also had a productive game, rushing for 89 yards and a TD and receiving for 38 yards and an additional score. The dominant effort extended Gordon’s win streak to 34 consecutive games, while Thorndale — a year removed from going 8-4 in Class 2A Division I — dropped to 2-2 on the year.
• Hermleigh 56, Rising Star 8 — Zaylan Delce had a touchdown rushing, passing and receiving, while Hayden Simpson ran for a score and added a defensive touchdown to fuel the Cardinals to a 45-point-rule win over the Wildcats. Leading 24-8 in the second quarter, Hermleigh rattled off 32 unanswered points to put Rising Star away early. The Cardinals limited standout JV Kelley to just 69 yards and one TD rushing and 12 yards passing with an interception in the win, which improved their record to 3-1 on the year. The Wildcats, meanwhile, fell to 2-2 with the loss.
• Menard 51, Bronte 0 — In a battle of unbeatens, the Yellowjackets ran away from the Longhorns, racing out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead on their way to a mercy-rule victory. Menard (4-0) outgained Bronte 226-40 in the win, rushing for 222 yards while limiting the Longhorns (3-1) to minus-40 yards on the ground. The Yellowjackets also won the turnover battle 4-0, intercepting a pair of passes and recovering a pair fumbles.
• Paint Creek 65, Harrold 44 — Chris Wesley and Marcus Gonzales both had huge games as the Pirates outlasted the Hornets for a three-touchdown victory. Wesley ran for 270 yards and five touchdowns, while Gonzales added 262 yards and four scores on the ground for Paint Creek, which pushed its record to 3-1 with the win. Gonzales also passed for 70 yards and caught a 35-yard scoring strike from Wesley to add to his monster performance offensively.
• Abilene Christian 52, Lubbock Kingdom Prep 32 — Pierson Walters passed for 260 yards, ran for 143 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns to lead the Panthers to a three-score win over the Warriors in a game that was expected to be tight. Will Sheets also had  a big game for ACS, hauling in three passes for 118 yards and three scores, while Caleb Thyne ran for 66 yards and a TD and added 32 yards receiving. The Panthers (3-1) outgained Kingdom Prep 405-238, limiting the Warriors to minus-16 yards on the ground. 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

• Chris Wesley , RB, Jr., Paint Creek — Ran for 270 yards and five touchdowns and threw a 35-yard TD pass in the Pirates’ win over Harrold.
• Marcus Gonzales, SB, Sr., Paint Creek — Ran for 262 yards and four touchdowns, passed for 70 yards and caught a 35-yard TD pass vs. Harrold.
• Pierson Walters, QB, Sr., Abilene Christian — Hit 17 of 26 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 143 yards and two more TDs in the Panthers’ win over Lubbock Kingdom Prep.
• Stryker Reed, RB/DB, Sr., Gordon — Ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns while adding 13 tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble in the Longhorns’ win over Thorndale.
• Brenner Sherwood, SB, Sr., Robert Lee — Went 7-of-7 passing for 209 yards and four touchdowns, ran for 97 yards and three more scores and had seven tackles, one forced fumble and fumble recovery in the Steers’ 54-6 win over Blackwell.
• Kannon Kensing, RB, Sr., Blanket — Ran for 177 yards and four touchdowns in the Tigers’ 68-0 win over Santa Anna.
• Kobey Morris, RB, Sr., May — Ran for 164 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 17 yards in the Tigers’ win over Newcastle.
• Lane Goodson, RB, Sr., May — Ran for 146 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 63 yards vs. Newcastle.
• Austin Sacedo, RB, Sr., Bluff Dale — Ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 63 yards and four TDs and had 14 tackles, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception in the Bobcats’ 51-6 win over Sidney.
• Michael Wallis, QB, Jr., Trent — Ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 82 yards and two TDs and received for 30 yards in the Gorillas’ 75-52 win over Rule.

BCP POWER RANKINGS

DIVISION I

1. Gordon (4-0) ⇔ — In addition to being one of the greatest six-man teams of all time, the Longhorns proved they would compete very well in Class 2A with their blowout win over Thorndale. Brackettville may be wishing it had a 45-point rule on Oct. 24.
2. Water Valley (4-0) ⇔ — The No. 2 Wildcats stayed unbeaten with a 52-0 drubbing of Imperial Buena Vista last week. They’ll close out nondistrict play with games against Rochelle and Rankin.
3. May (3-1) ⇑3 — The third-ranked Tigers earned their second statement win of the season last week, adding a big win over Newcastle to their season-opening victory over defending runner-up Whiteface.
4. Robert Lee (4-0) ⇔  — The Steers jumped from No. 10 to No. 5 in the state rankings with last week’s win over Blackwell. Tests against Ackerly Sands (3-1) and Bronte (3-1) await to close out nondistrict play.
5. Newcastle (3-1) ⇓2  — The ninth-ranked Bobcats take a bit of a tumble after last week’s loss to May, but this is still a very good team. After a road trip to Wichita Falls Wichita Christian this week, they’ll host Division II No. 1 Jayton on Oct. 3.
6. Westbrook (2-1) ⇓1  — The Wildcats had last week off recover from a 48-44 Week 3 loss to Rankin and prepare for this week’s matchup with Buena Vista.
7. Hermleigh (3-1) ⇔ — The Cardinals are riding a two-game winning streak after routing Rising Star last week. But a buzzsaw awaits this week in Jayton.
8. Perrin-Whitt (3-1) ⇔ — The Pirates stayed hot with a 68-20 win over winless Covington. Their only loss this season came in Week 2 to No. 4 Aquilla.
9. Ira (2-2) ⇔ — The Bulldogs evened their record with a 61-20 win over O’Donnell. After an open date this week, they’ll host Loraine in Week 6 before opening District 7-1A DI play on Oct. 10. 
10. Bryson (2-2) ⇔ — The Cowboys took it on the chin last week against Strawn, falling to the DII No. 8 Greyhounds 56-8. They’ll have a chance to bounce back the next two weeks against Woodson (0-4) and Gorman (1-3).

First five out — Roby (3-1) ⇑1, Paint Rock (3-1) ⇑⇑⇑, Knox City (0-4) ⇔, Rotan (2-2) ⇓3, Veribest (1-3) ⇑⇑⇑

DIVISION II

1. Jayton (4-0) ⇔ — The top-ranked and defending state champion Jaybirds continued their dominant start with 56-0 win over Knox City. Games the next two weeks against Hermleigh and Newcastle should provide good tests heading into district play. 
2. Richland Springs (3-1) ⇑1 — The No. 3 Coyotes’ 42-14 win over May in Week 2 is looking better and better. Unfortunately, that will likely be the last time Richland Springs is tested before the playoffs.
3. Benjamin (3-0) ⇓1 — The sixth-ranked Mustangs didn’t do anything wrong during their first of two consecutive open dates to drop a spot. But May’s win over Newcastle helped boost Richland Springs.
4. Strawn (3-1) ⇔  — The Greyhounds bounced back from their 58-8 loss to Gordon by thumping Bryson 56-8 last week. A home matchup this week against Zephyr should tell us more about both teams. 
5. Zephyr (4-0) ⇔ — The Bulldogs have outscored their four opponents 214-10 thus far, but they haven’t really played anyone of note yet. That changes this week when they travel to Strawn.
6. Aspermont (4-0) ⇔ — Like Zephyr, the Hornets have been dominant to start the season, but none of the Aspermont’s first five opponents have won a game yet. We won’t know how good this team is until the final two weeks of the regular season, when it takes on Jayton and Paint Creek to close out district play. 
7. Three Way (4-0) ⇑1 — The Braves continued their winning ways last week with a 95-46 win over Ranger. They’ll close out nondistrict play with games against Lohn and Paint Rock.
8. Bluff Dale (3-1) ⇑1 — The Bobcats routed an overmatched Sidney team last week 51-6 to head into their first of two open dates on a high note. After a nondistrict finale against Granbury Grace Classical on Oct. 3, they’ll travel to Three Way for a high profile district opener on Oct. 9.
9. Gustine (3-1) ⇑1 — The Tigers rebounded from their Week 3 loss to Three Way with a 48-0 win over Priddy. They’ll take this week off before traveling to Morgan for their final nondistrict tune-up.
10. Blanket (3-1) ⇑3 — The Tigers jumped into our rankings with a 68-0 win over Santa Anna. Their only blemish this season came in Week 1 against a good Menard squad by a respectable 57-25 margin.

First five out — Bronte (3-1) ⇓4, Paint Creek (3-1) ⇑2, Rising Star (2-2) ⇓2, Guthrie (2-1) ⇓1, Rochelle (0-4) ⇔