SIX-MAN REWIND: District races continue to take shape as regular season nears its end

Week 9 yielded several big results as area district races continue to take shape. Chief among those were Water Valley’s win over Robert Lee and Zephyr’s victory over Blanket in our Games of the Week.

Those two outcomes headlined an exciting week of action that set the stage for more pivotal matchups in the final two weeks of the regular season.

As we do every Monday, it’s time to take a look at the best and most meaningful of games from last week in our “Big Country Rewind.” We hope you enjoy this look back at the week that was 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

• Water Valley 67, Robert Lee 30 — Landon Lacy passed for five touchdowns, ran for another and had a big interception on defense to lead the second-ranked Wildcats to a huge District 8-1A Division I win over the No. 7 Steers in one of our “Six-Man Lookahead” Games of the Week. Boston Wiese also had a big game for Water Valley (8-0, 2-0), running for two touchdowns and receiving for another while helping to lead the defensive effort in the win. The Wildcats, who forced three turnovers for the game, raced out to an early 22-0 lead and took a 38-16 advantage into halftime before extending that gap to 51-16 by the start of the final period. Robert Lee got 217 yards and three TDs passing from Brenner Sherwood and two TDs from Josh Garcez (1 rushing, 1 receiving) in falling to  8-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
• Zephyr 30, Blanket 20 — Quayde Heard passed for 107 yards and three touchdowns, Chayden Woodcock ran for 85 yards and a TD and Bauer Blair received for 48 yards and two scores to fuel the Bulldogs to a hard-fought District 13-1A DII win over the Tigers in our other Game of the Week. Behind that trio, Zephyr (7-1, 2-0) took a 16-6 lead into halftime and stretched that advantage to 24-6 on the opening drive of the second half, before holding off Blanket (7-2, 2-1) the rest of the way. The Tigers outgained the Bulldogs 281-231, getting productive days from Kannon Kensing (109 yards, 2 TDs rushing; 64 yards receiving) and Mason Beck (81 yards rushing, 18 yards receiving), but it wasn’t enough to avoid seeing its seven-game win streak snapped.
• Bryson 63, Knox City 54 — The Cowboys outlasted the Greyhounds for a thrilling win to keep their playoff hopes alive in District 6-1A DI. The game was tied at 48-all with 6:45 to play when lightning in the area forced a delay. When play resumed, Bryson (5-3, 1-1) broke the deadlock with a touchdown to go up 56-48 with 2:45 to play. Knox City (1-8, 0-3) answered, scoring a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining, but a missed kick on the point-after try allowed the Cowboys to retain the lead before tacking on one more score to put the game away. Zander Abila had a huge game in the loss for the Greyhounds, rushing for 263 yards and seven touchdowns and passing for 104 yards and another score.
• Baird 58, Ranger 33 — Tyler Goodwin passed for 254 yards and six touchdowns, hitting Mason Kirk four times for 123 yards and three TDs, to help the Bears to a comfortable win over the Bulldogs in District 13-1A DI action. Hayden Chaney also had a big game for Baird, hauling in three passes for 88 yards and two TDs as the Bears improved to 3-6 overall and 2-1 in league play. Ranger (3-5) fell to 0-2 in district action with the loss.
• Bronte 75, Blackwell 40 — The Longhorns took control of the District 6-1A DII race with an impressive win over the Hornets. BHS (5-3 overall) raced out to a 20-0 lead after the first quarter and was never threatened after that in improving to 2-0 in league play. Blackwell (3-6, 2-1) had a three-game winning streak snapped with the loss, but the Hornets still control their own playoff destiny heading into its open date and regular season finale at Trent on Nov. 7.
• Loraine 56, Trent 34 — Gabriel Perez ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns, and Klay McMillan ran for 116 yards and two scores and received for 41 yards and an additional TD to guide the Bulldogs to to their first win of the season. Major Emerson added 106 yards and one TD rushing and 54 yards and another score passing for Loraine, which moved to 1-8 overall and 1-2 in District 6-1A DII with the win. The Gorillas (6-2, 1-1), who had a six-game winning streak snapped with the loss, got 154 yards and one touchdown rushing and 56 yards and TD passing from Michael Wallis

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

• Landon Lacy, QB, Sr., Water Valley — Had five passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and a key interception early in the second half in the Wildcats’ win over Robert Lee.
• Tyler Goodwin, QB, Fr., Baird — Hit 14 of 24 passes for 254 yards and six touchdowns in the Bears’ win over Ranger.
• Zaylan Delce, utility back, Jr., Hermleigh — Ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns, had a 30-yard touchdown pass and intercepted two passes on defense in the Cardinals’ 46-33 win over Roby.
• Brandt Cox, RB, Sr., Ira — Ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, passed for 24 yards and a TD and had a sack and an interception on defense in the Bulldogs’ 56-6 win over Rotan.
• Zander Abila, RB, Jr., Knox City — Ran for 263 yards and seven touchdowns, passed for 104 yards and a TD and received for 15 yards in the Greyhounds’ loss to Bryson.
• Gabriel Perez, RB, So., Loraine — Ran for 128 yards and three TDs and had a 13-yard reception in the Bulldogs’ win over Trent.
• Klay McMillan, RB/LB, Jr., Loraine — Ran for 116 yards and two TDs and received for 41 yards and another TD vs. Trent.
• Mason Kirk, WR, So., Baird — Received for 123 yards and three touchdowns vs. Ranger.
• Ayden Yanas, RB, Sr., Westbrook — Received for 72 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 39 yards and a score and had an 11-yard TD catch in the Wildcats’ 48-0 win over Highland
• Garrett Teague, RB, Sr., Gorman — Ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 46-0 win over Lingleville.

BCP POWER RANKINGS

DIVISION I

1. Gordon (7-0) ⇔ — Lightning cost the the top-ranked Longhorns a chance to secure another 11-man win last week against Brackettville. They’ll return to District 13 action this week Baird.
2. Water Valley (8-0) ⇔ — The second-ranked Wildcats scored a huge win over previously unbeaten Robert Lee to all but wrap up the District 8 crown and virtually ensure an undefeated regular season.
3. May (7-1) ⇔ — The No. 3 Tigers claimed their sixth straight win last week, routing Santa Anna 52-0. With District 14 games remaining against Lometa and Jonesboro, that streak should hit by playoff time.
4. Robert Lee (8-1) ⇔ — The Steers suffered a setback against Water Valley, but this is still an excellent football team. After a home game against Veribest this week, they’ll get to prove that in the playoffs as District 8’s No. 2 seed.
5. Ira (6-2) ⇔ — The Bulldogs followed their win over Westbrook with a rout of Rotan. That sets up a huge District 7 matchup with Hermleigh (6-2, 3-0) this week.
6. Newcastle (6-2) ⇔ — The Bobcats blasted Vernon Northside 46-8 to stay unbeaten in District 6 play. After an open date this week, they’ll close out the regular season at Bryson.
7. Westbrook (6-2) ⇔ — The Wildcats rebounded from their loss to Ira with a 48-0 win over Highland. After a trip to Roby this week, they’ll host Hermleigh in Week 11 with a playoff spot on the line.
8. Perrin-Whitt (6-2) ⇔ — The Pirates had last week off, giving them extra time to prep for this week’s trip to Knox City. If they win that one, they’ll host Northside For District 6’s second playoff seed in Week 11.
9. Hermleigh (6-2) ⇔ — With games remaining against Ira and Westbrook, the Cardinals have an uphill climb to a playoff spot. But they control their own destiny heading into Week 10.
10. Bryson (5-3) ⇔ — The Cowboys stayed in the District 6 playoff race with their win over Knox City. But they’ll need to beat both Northside and Newcastle down the stretch to have a chance to reach the postseason. 

First five out — Roby (5-3) ⇔, Veribest (2-6) ⇔, Gorman (3-5) ⇑1, Knox City (1-8) ⇓1, Baird (3-6) ⇑⇑⇑

DIVISION II

1. Jayton (9-0) ⇔ — The No. 1 Jaybirds pitched their fourth shutout of the season in a 60-0 win over Lueders-Avoca last week. Up next is a clash with unbeaten Aspermont for the District 8 crown.
2. Richland Springs (6-1) ⇔ — It’s been a long time since the third-ranked Coyotes were tested. If that’s going to change before the playoffs start, it will be this week when Rochelle visits with the District 15 title on the line. 
3. Benjamin (6-0) ⇔ — The No. 4 Mustangs are cruising toward an undefeated regular season. Only winless Crowell and 5-3 Harrold stand in their way. 
4. Strawn (7-1) ⇔ — The sixth-ranked Greyhounds picked up their fifth straight win last week, blasting Throckmorton 61-0. Winless Moran and 1-7 Woodson are up next.
5. Bluff Dale 8-1) ⇔ — The Bobcats stretched their winning streak to seven games with a 67-0 pasting of Morgan. They’ll take this week off before closing out the regular season at Kopperl.
6. Zephyr (7-1) ⇑1  — With their win over Blanket, the Bulldogs took the inside track on the District 13 championship. They’ll host Sidney this week before wrapping up the regular season at Gustine.
7. Aspermont (8-0) ⇓1 — The No. 8 Hornets were idle last week, giving them extra time to prepare for a huge game this week at Jayton. This will be the first real test of the year for an AHS team that has outscored its opponents 456-72.
8. Three Way (7-1) ⇔ — The Braves had last week off and will play a big one at Iredell this week. If they win that, they’ll likely be headed to the playoffs as District 11’s No. 2 seed.
9. Blanket (7-2) ⇔ — The Tigers lost a tough one to Zephyr last week, but they’re still in line to take the second playoff spot out of District 13. 
10. Gustine (5-2) ⇔ — The Tigers still have an outside shot at a playoff spot, but it will require wins at Rising Star and at home against Zephyr.

First five out — Paint Creek (5-2) ⇔, Bronte (5-3) ⇔, Rochelle (3-5) ⇑2, Guthrie (6-2) ⇓1, Rising Star (5-4) ⇑⇑⇑