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Discussing my Red River 22 team
November 12, 2007Now is about the time I sit down and start penciling a rough draft of the Red River Small School 22 team.
To those who've been living in a cave (or just not in the area) the past few years, that's our all-star team that comes out on Christmas Day.
The reason why it comes out so late is because the playoffs are factored into the equation. I may know of some shoe-ins now, but some more guys will emerge once the postseason starts.
I don't want to throw out any names who I think will be on the team right now (just in case I change my mind. Wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings), but I will tell you a story that happened a couple of years ago.
I hadn't really considered Quanah's Matthew Hill at running back during his junior year -- I usually have three RB's on the team, and when the playoffs started, he wasn't one of them. That position is usually very competitive.
His numbers were good (about 900 yards) but not great, and from what I had noticed, QB Bubba Claudrick was the catalyst of the offense.
I was in Amarillo covering a host of bi-district games, one being Quanah-Sunray. Hill rushed for more than 100 yards and scored five touchdowns in that game.
Automatically, I had to find a spot for him. THat kind of performance with your season on the line is pretty big-time.
That's not to say your team has to make the postseason. I will probably have an Archer City and Olney representative or two on my squad.
And in case you are wondering, it's not just me picking and choosing who deserves the recognition. First, I scan every all-district list when it comes out to see what coaches think.
I also call up most coaches to pick their brains about making tough calls between two of their players, and ask them what they think about other guys.
Most coaches will tell you (or tell me, at least) who gave them the biggest fits all year.
Anyway, with the playoffs starting, it will be interesting to see who emerges into the fold.
Posted by Zach Duncan at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Comments
I'm sure the Moguls will be represented well on that list this year.
