Adidas4I0s
08-27-2006, 03:31 PM
Kickoff '06: There will be little room for error in 3A
By Nathan Sanders / sandersn@reporternews.com
August 27, 2006
Sharpen those pencils, Class 3A football fans, and see if you can solve this math problem (no calculators, please):
TD-SM+BC=?
Translation: take an already tough district (TD), subtract Snyder (S) and Merkel (M), then add in 2005 playoff teams Breckenridge (B) and Comanche (C), and what do you have?
Can the new configuration known as 7-3A live up to the standard set by 4-3A, which combined for 18 playoff victories and one state title over the past two seasons? The correct answer won't be known until the 2006 playoffs wrap up in December, but coaches like Sweetwater's Kent Jackson don't expect a dropoff.
''The district lost two teams, but the two we gained are cut out of the same cloth,'' Jackson said.
One thing that hasn't changed is the number of teams. With only five squads fighting for three playoff spots, the margin between haves and have-nots could be microscopic.
''When you just have four district games, every game is (important),'' Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said. ''It just kind of removes any room for error. The magnitude for each game heightens.''
Added Jackson: ''The last two years, it has come down to the last week. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see some of the same things.''
Jackson's Sweetwater team should be one of those in the mix, thanks to an offensive backfield that ranks among the Big Country's best.
Senior Joseph Banyard ran for 1,276 yards in 2004, making him one of the top 10 returning rushers in the state in 3A. And he did it while splitting carries with Skye Green, a second team all-district performer and 1,200-yard rusher who also returns for his senior season. Add junior Auston Davis, a first team all-district fullback, and the reasons for excitement in Sweetwater are evident.
The Mustangs have advanced at least three rounds deep in the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, capped by their 13-2 run to the Division II state semifinals in 2005. Whether that streak continues will likely depend on the development of a revamped offensive line.
Development of newcomers will also be critical at Wylie, much like it is almost every year.
Converted senior running back Gary Edwards brings an added dimension of speed to the quarterback position vacated when Case Keenum left for the University of Houston. At 6-foot-5, All-Big Country senior tight end Matt Smith will give Edwards a welcome receiving target, while senior tailback Russell Felts (396 yards rushing) and senior receiver Justin Skinner (12 catches, 232 yards) are also proven commodities.
Many of the remaining spots will have to be filled by a senior class which hasn't started on the varsity but has benefited from an extra 12 weeks of practice during the Bulldogs' last three playoff runs.
Like Wylie, Breckenridge will also be led by a converted running back under center: junior Blaine Vick, who ran for 835 yards and seven touchdowns for the 5-3A champions and earned district newcomer of the year distinction. After averaging an astonishing 34.5 yards per catch in 2005, senior Michael Hayworth will slide from receiver to Vick's old running back spot.
The defense returns five starters, including all-district end Waylon Davis. But the Buckaroos' fortunes could depend on their final two regular-season games: at home against Wylie on Nov. 3, and at Sweetwater on Nov. 10.
The Bulldogs of Clyde haven't reached the postseason in a decade, but new coach Craig Slaughter is used to snapping such streaks. At his previous coaching stop, he took Class 2A Hearne to its first playoff berth in 34 years.
Slaughter's chances of pulling that off begin with junior running back Curtis Kevil, an honorable mention All-Big Country pick last fall after an 1,100-yard season. Offensive linemen Clint Moyers and Nathan Chastain were also honorable mention All-Big Country. Junior linebacker Wes Liles (121) tackles will lead the way on defense.
Comanche has missed the playoffs just once since 2000, but the Indians have a gigantic gap to fill at running back.
Gone is Sheldon Feist, the All-Big Country performer who averaged 150 rushing yards per game in 2005. Cole Franco (330 yards) and speedster Michael Byrd will attempt to make up some of the difference. Having a lineman like senior Jonathan Tindol, a three-year letter winner, should help.
The schedule won't make it any easier. The Indians play five of their six nondistrict games against 2005 playoff teams before opening 7-3A play against Sweetwater on Oct. 13.
Realignment shifted Snyder into a four-team District 3-3A with Andrews, Lamesa and Midland Greenwood - three teams that posted losing records in 2005. Naturally, a Tigers squad with 11 returning starters from a 9-2 playoff team has entered as the immediate favorite.
Quarterback Lance Day brings plenty of varsity experience to Snyder's wishbone offense, albeit not at the QB position (he's a three-year letterman at safety). The Tigers should have playmakers on defense in all-state nose guard Tyler Driggers and linebacker Clay Hirt (90 tackles).
After falling in the first round of the 2005 playoffs, the Tigers hope this season is more like 2004, when Snyder went 12-3 and reached the Division II state semifinals.
Nathan's Picks
1.Sweetwater
2. Wylie
3. Breckenridge
4. Clyde
5. Comanche
Evan's Picks
1..Sweetwater
2. Wylie
3. Breckenridge
4. Comanche
5. Clyde
By Nathan Sanders / sandersn@reporternews.com
August 27, 2006
Sharpen those pencils, Class 3A football fans, and see if you can solve this math problem (no calculators, please):
TD-SM+BC=?
Translation: take an already tough district (TD), subtract Snyder (S) and Merkel (M), then add in 2005 playoff teams Breckenridge (B) and Comanche (C), and what do you have?
Can the new configuration known as 7-3A live up to the standard set by 4-3A, which combined for 18 playoff victories and one state title over the past two seasons? The correct answer won't be known until the 2006 playoffs wrap up in December, but coaches like Sweetwater's Kent Jackson don't expect a dropoff.
''The district lost two teams, but the two we gained are cut out of the same cloth,'' Jackson said.
One thing that hasn't changed is the number of teams. With only five squads fighting for three playoff spots, the margin between haves and have-nots could be microscopic.
''When you just have four district games, every game is (important),'' Wylie coach Hugh Sandifer said. ''It just kind of removes any room for error. The magnitude for each game heightens.''
Added Jackson: ''The last two years, it has come down to the last week. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see some of the same things.''
Jackson's Sweetwater team should be one of those in the mix, thanks to an offensive backfield that ranks among the Big Country's best.
Senior Joseph Banyard ran for 1,276 yards in 2004, making him one of the top 10 returning rushers in the state in 3A. And he did it while splitting carries with Skye Green, a second team all-district performer and 1,200-yard rusher who also returns for his senior season. Add junior Auston Davis, a first team all-district fullback, and the reasons for excitement in Sweetwater are evident.
The Mustangs have advanced at least three rounds deep in the playoffs in each of the past four seasons, capped by their 13-2 run to the Division II state semifinals in 2005. Whether that streak continues will likely depend on the development of a revamped offensive line.
Development of newcomers will also be critical at Wylie, much like it is almost every year.
Converted senior running back Gary Edwards brings an added dimension of speed to the quarterback position vacated when Case Keenum left for the University of Houston. At 6-foot-5, All-Big Country senior tight end Matt Smith will give Edwards a welcome receiving target, while senior tailback Russell Felts (396 yards rushing) and senior receiver Justin Skinner (12 catches, 232 yards) are also proven commodities.
Many of the remaining spots will have to be filled by a senior class which hasn't started on the varsity but has benefited from an extra 12 weeks of practice during the Bulldogs' last three playoff runs.
Like Wylie, Breckenridge will also be led by a converted running back under center: junior Blaine Vick, who ran for 835 yards and seven touchdowns for the 5-3A champions and earned district newcomer of the year distinction. After averaging an astonishing 34.5 yards per catch in 2005, senior Michael Hayworth will slide from receiver to Vick's old running back spot.
The defense returns five starters, including all-district end Waylon Davis. But the Buckaroos' fortunes could depend on their final two regular-season games: at home against Wylie on Nov. 3, and at Sweetwater on Nov. 10.
The Bulldogs of Clyde haven't reached the postseason in a decade, but new coach Craig Slaughter is used to snapping such streaks. At his previous coaching stop, he took Class 2A Hearne to its first playoff berth in 34 years.
Slaughter's chances of pulling that off begin with junior running back Curtis Kevil, an honorable mention All-Big Country pick last fall after an 1,100-yard season. Offensive linemen Clint Moyers and Nathan Chastain were also honorable mention All-Big Country. Junior linebacker Wes Liles (121) tackles will lead the way on defense.
Comanche has missed the playoffs just once since 2000, but the Indians have a gigantic gap to fill at running back.
Gone is Sheldon Feist, the All-Big Country performer who averaged 150 rushing yards per game in 2005. Cole Franco (330 yards) and speedster Michael Byrd will attempt to make up some of the difference. Having a lineman like senior Jonathan Tindol, a three-year letter winner, should help.
The schedule won't make it any easier. The Indians play five of their six nondistrict games against 2005 playoff teams before opening 7-3A play against Sweetwater on Oct. 13.
Realignment shifted Snyder into a four-team District 3-3A with Andrews, Lamesa and Midland Greenwood - three teams that posted losing records in 2005. Naturally, a Tigers squad with 11 returning starters from a 9-2 playoff team has entered as the immediate favorite.
Quarterback Lance Day brings plenty of varsity experience to Snyder's wishbone offense, albeit not at the QB position (he's a three-year letterman at safety). The Tigers should have playmakers on defense in all-state nose guard Tyler Driggers and linebacker Clay Hirt (90 tackles).
After falling in the first round of the 2005 playoffs, the Tigers hope this season is more like 2004, when Snyder went 12-3 and reached the Division II state semifinals.
Nathan's Picks
1.Sweetwater
2. Wylie
3. Breckenridge
4. Clyde
5. Comanche
Evan's Picks
1..Sweetwater
2. Wylie
3. Breckenridge
4. Comanche
5. Clyde