« Things are clearing up (for the most part) | Main | Here's what we learned this weekend »
Week 7 projections
October 18, 2007Before I take a trip down memory lane to help make some key projections this week, I must tell you why I am going to be absentia from Friday night's action.
Normally, I would be covering the Henrietta-Holliday showdown for first place in 9-2A, but instead I will be here in Dallas (the wife and I are currently at my parents' house as we speak. And I must say, there's a ton of good food hanging around in the kitchen.) for one of my best friend's wedding. I have known the guy since we were 8 (or however old third grade is).
So it will be a little weird not being in a packed stadium watching a football game on Friday night. But you can bet I will call the office around midnight and get the lowdown of the night's events. I do not suggest you do the same - we get pretty annoyed by the time the 20th person calls wanting to know a score, especially when we are trying to put out a paper.
Anyway, back to looking back at the past to help with my predictions:
Holliday at Henrietta -- I remember the last time Holliday was state-ranked and traveled to Henrietta with the district lead on the line. It had poured all day, and a scrappy Henrietta team held Colin Leggett in check and won 10-0.
That was 2004. And though I am not sure what the weather will be like, I will say this Henrietta team is pretty scrappy itself. Unfortunately, Holliday is coming off a game it nearly lost (13-12 over Nocona) and will be more focused than ever.
That's why I think the Eagles will win a low-scoring affair. Last week was a wake-up call for them, so they will come out looking to prove something. But I won't be too surprised if something like 2004 happens again.
Vernon at Burkburnett -- I remember the last time these two teams played. Burkburnett was without its top RB in Nate Brown, so it relied on guys like Jonathan Frank and Keaton Green to make the big plays in an OT come-from-behind win.
Well, guess what. Those guys are still around. And these one-loss teams have played two common opponents. Both barely beat Decatur, but Burkburnett nudged past Clyde in OT, while Clyde took down Vernon by almost 20 points.
I'm going to go with the Bulldogs in this one because a) they are playing at a really high level right now and b) they don't want to go into their bye week with a loss.
Nocona at Olney -- I remember each team's district loss pretty clearly (I can thank Time Warner for being able to watch the Nocona game). Nocona committed five turnovers against the Eagles, while three Olney turnovers led to easy Henrietta scores.
Both teams are great offenses and good defenses. So this game comes down to who turns the ball over, plain and simple. Call it a hunch, but I'll pick the road team in this one. The Indians pull out a close one.
Now onto the rest of this week's slate:
WFHS at Sherman -- Both teams have lost to Ryan, so the loser of this one is probably out of the playoffs.
The Coyotes, with RB Ryan Robison, are running the ball better and can score points at will, but they also need to stop teams from scoring. I honestly don't know if they can, so I will pick the home team in a mini-upset.
Iowa Park at Hirschi -- Both teams are in a must-win situation. But only one team can win. The Hawks can run the ball pretty effectively (although Burkburnett did a nice job of stopping them last week) and Hirschi has not stop teams from running lately.
If the Huskies can make a few big plays, and they have the speed to do so, then they can win. But I will go with the Hawks by about 10 points in this one.
City View at Jacksboro -- The Tigers know they could be 3-0 in 9-2A if not for losing tight ones against Henrietta and Alvord. Jacksboro comes out strong and cruises easily.
Electra at Seymour -- Panthers, coming off a big win, win big again.
Munday at Archer City -- Wildcats would like stop the bleeding after their blowout loss last week, but I don't think that happens as Munday pulls away, setting up a showdown with Windthorst next week.
Petrolia at Windthorst -- This should be the closest of the aforementioned 9-A games, but I do not think it will be that close. Trojans by two scores.
And don't worry. Even though I will be out-of-pocket for a few days, I'll still blog about the weekend's happenings next week.
Posted by Zach Duncan at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
