SIX-MAN LOOKAHEAD: Five area teams ready to play with trip to Arlington on the line

With one fewer round in the six-man playoffs than in its 11-man counterpart, the state semifinals are already upon us. And with five teams remaining from the Big Country Preps coverage area, there’s an extra layer of intrigue on what is already an outstanding slate of games.

Water Valley and Gordon remain in the Division I bracket and could clash for the state title in two weeks in Arlington, while Jayton and Klondike will battle for the right to take on the winner of Strawn and Richland Springs in Division II.

If you like six-man football, these are the types of matchups you love, so let’s stop wasting time and dive into this week’s games. We hope you enjoy this preview of the state’s four semifinals games.

THIS WEEK’S MATCHUPS

Water Valley (13-0) vs. Rankin (11-2) — Fresh off their second win of the season over Robert Lee in the Region II-1A Division I championship game, the Wildcats will be tasked with beating another good team for the second time this week in the state semifinals. Water Valley thrashed the Red Devils 68-20 in an Oct. 3 home game, but there are two key differences this time around. First, this will be a neutral site game, played at San Angelo Stadium. And second, Rankin will be riding the momentum of a seven-game winning streak into this rematch — having already avenged its first loss in a 50-39 bi-district win over Borden County. The Wildcats are still the favorite here, by one to three touchdowns depending on the source, but they can expect a much stiffer test this time against an RHS squad that has improved substantially over the course of this season.
Gordon (12-0) vs. Gilmer Union HIll (11-2) — The Longhorns ride a 42-game winning streak into this matchup with a Bulldogs squad that has won nine consecutive games since suffering back-to-back losses to Jonesboro and Chester in Weeks 3 and 4. As has been the case in every other game this season, Gordon comes in as a heavy favorite — and for good reason after opening the playoffs with 45-point-rule wins over Jonesboro (52-6), Menard (61-14) and May (71-22). Any team you’re playing this time of year will be good, and Union Hill is, as it showed in impressive wins over Chester (76-30) and then-undefeated Aquilla (82-32) the past two weeks. But the Bulldogs haven’t faced a team this season like the Longhorns, who have outscored a strong schedule of opponents by a ridiculous margin of 732-111 for the year.
Jayton (13-0) vs. Lamesa Klondike (13-0) — In what may be the most intriguing matchup on a state semifinals slate full of interesting games, the defending Division II champion Jaybirds will tangle with the Cougars in a battle of unbeatens. And if a glance at the records wasn’t enough to pique your interest, a peek at the two team’s resumes should, as they have had remarkably similar campaigns. Jayton, which has played a slightly more difficult schedule, has outscored its opponents 758-139, while Klondike has outpaced its opposition by a similarly dominant 776-136 margin. And both teams enter this game off hard-fought wins over previously unbeaten squads, as the Jaybirds downed Benjamin 76-62 and the Cougars topped Miami 60-36 in their respective region finals tests. This should be a barn-burner between two excellent teams with state championship aspirations and capabilities.
Strawn (12-1) vs. Richland Springs (11-1) — Like the other DII semifinal, this matchup should also deliver the goods, as the only thing keeping this from being a clash of undefeated squads is the Gordon Longhorns. Richland Springs, which fell to GHS 52-6 in its season opener, has won 11 straight games since, mercy-ruling excellent teams from Zephyr (59-12) and Oglesby (72-22) its last two times out. Strawn, meanwhile, has won 10 straight since falling to Gordon 58-8 in Week 3, blasting quality squads from Bluff Dale 74-26) and Three Way (46-0) to earn this opportunity. Neither of these programs are strangers to the big stage and both feel they have state championship-caliber teams, which should make this an excellent matchup that could go either way.