6-3a...Midseason Report

[vet93]

Here are some quick capsules on 6-3a at the midpoint of the season:

1. Abilene Wylie - they are feeling the effects of an inexperienced team. They have played a very tough schedule. They have played teams that have more talent than anyone they will face in district play. They were competitve in all of their games except for the Aledo game. As Keenum developes and cuts down on some of the sophomore mistakes they will only get better. They have the most depth of any of the teams in district by far and have to be considered the favorite at this time. They get Ballinger at home this year.

2. Ballinger - To say that the year to date has been anything but dissapointing so far would be a lie. They showed promise against Greenwood and Bangs but the intensity level has dropped off considerably since that time. Inconsistent play and an inability to finish teams off has been two areas of weakness. This team seems distracted at this time. It is hard to say what the cause of the distraction is (Lack of focus? Lack of character? Off the field distraction? Fans messing with their heads?) Who Knows. One things is for certain...this team has the talent to be explosive and one of the better teams in the region but if they don't pull things together they will slip into mediocrity and underachieve. I think that their destiny is in their own hands. An early indicator of whether Ballinger is a contender or pretender will be the Brady Game in a couple of weeks. Which Ballinger team will show up?

3. Brady - I was one of the few to pick Brady to make the playoffs this year. I felt all along that they had the offensive skill people to be competitve. What they lacked was line play and defensive stoppers. They have shown signs that they may be a force to be reckoned with in the district. They beat an improving Llano team and gave Comfort (2A #1) all they wanted losing 20-15. The key game for Brady will be the Ballinger game on October 10. If they beat the Bearcats in Ballinger, then look out for the playoffs. If they lose then the next key game will be with Comanche.

4. Comanche - The indians have been a pleasant surprise this year. After graduating a good class last year they were not expected to be as good this year. However, they have started strong and have the capacity to make the playoffs. The Comanche coaches appear to be doing an excellent job of coaching and preparing their players. The key game for Comanche at this time will be the Brady game.

5. Clyde - the Bulldogs have had a dissappointing season so far. They have quite a few returning starters on a senior laden team. I am not sure why the Bulldogs have been having trouble this year but they have the ability to make the playoffs if they can pull things together and beat Brady and Comanche. So far they seam to lack some of the offensive and defensive punch that they had last year. Last year clyde lost close games to both Wylie and Ballinger. Time will tell if the Bulldogs can pull things together. They are much like Ballinger...potential and past performance don't make you a good team...the proof will be in the pudding in a few weeks as Clyde begins district play. Hopefully the Bulldogs can pull things together for a run.

6. Early - early is outmatched this year in district and will need to look at this season as a building block for the future. Hopefully they can develop some young players and get them some good varsity experience and be ready for next year.

[pero chato]

Hey Vet, excellent commentary as usual. I believe you're right on target. It was a disappointing loss for Wylie Friday, but it must have been even more so for Ballinger. Ballinger was and still is my pick to win district this year. Hopefully the players will learn that the coach means what he says and the team will pull together. I remember one year when Sandifer was the basketball coach (in addition to football) and he sat four starters out for three games in the middle of district for team rules violation. Gotta respect those tough coaches. Back to the commentary--like you I thought Clyde would make a bigger splash than they have so far. We'll see in a couple of weeks. Comanche is a bit of a surprise and I think will make the playoffs. Ballinger just needs to get focused and set some goals. You're right--they seem to be distracted. They should have a longer playoff run this year if they get on track. They have all the tools and weapons they need. Wylie has got to get rid of the turnover bug. Brady could make the playoffs under the right conditions, and Early, well, appears to be having a tough year. Have you found any good games to attend this week? I'm still looking aroung.

[vet93]

Hey Pero Chato...it looks like pickings are pretty slim in the area as far as football goes this week. I'll be out of town for a conference in Ft.Worth. The one game that interest me in your part of the country is the Breck/Merkel game. I am leaning toward Merkel in this game. Their defense is pretty salty and the new running back (transfer from henrietta) gives them some offensive punch. However...if Breck gets their spread rolling they can be pretty hard to stop. What are your thoughts?

[pero chato]

I knew Merkel would be stout this year, but Breckenridge has really stepped it up and seems to be improving each week. I still think Merkel takes this one because of their defense.

[Knightmoon]

Merkel's Defense is #7 in the state based on points allowed. They have only given up 26 points in 4 games (14 of those to Ballinger). They are ranked #32 in the state on Margin of Victory. They should have their entire team back healthy this week. They have been missing a key player in each of their last three games. I think this will be a good test for both teams. I forgot to mention, Merkel's linebacker Sammy Prieto received the Big Country Defensive Player of the week. In Merkel's last game, he had 13 solo tackles, 6 for lost yards and two fumble recoveries. I guess you know by now who I think is going to win this one.

[Knightmoon]

Merkel had an open date last Friday, so I decided to check out the Sweetwater/Wylie game. Hats off to a good Sweetwater team. It could have been a different story if Wylie had not turned the ball over so many times. Wylie had at least 4 turnovers and 1 very costly penalty that kept a Sweetwater drive alive. Sweetwater has got a dandy of a quarterback. Wylie did move the ball on Sweetwater easily enough, but turnovers were the key. Wylie had more rushing and receiving yards than Sweetwater. Sometimes those kind of things just happen. Looking forward to playing Sweetwater. Hopefully by that time, Merkel will have become more consistent on Offense. We'll see. Not alot of area games this weekend, so I am cordially inviting everyone to show up in Breckenridge for a good game. It was a good game last year. Kind of the same backdrop this year. Merkel got beat by Ballinger, Breckenridge beat Ballinger. Should be a good one. I will be there sitting somewhere on the 40-50 yard line (dressed in Purple of course). See you there.

[clydewr35]

Where is the Breck/Merkel game being played at?

[Knightmoon]

Merkel/Breckenridge will be at Breckenridge.