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Holliday-Henrietta and other thoughts
November 3, 2008For the second straight week, I was blessed with a very competitive game. Probably the best I have seen this season.
And there were many reasons why Holliday-Henrietta was greatness. For starters, the intensity of both defenses was incredible. There were tons of hitters on the field. You knew yards were not going to come easy. You knew big plays were going to be at a premium.
Both teams have respect for each other, but they also don't like each other a lick. They go at it hard, and it seems like it is always a close game.
Tyler Cole is a stud, and not many people rush for 170 yards against the Bearcats. I have seen him play twice, and he has about 400 rushing yards in those games. He is not only lightning quick, but he does not go down easy, either. And he has two more years of varsity left -- that is scary.
I heard a lot of people question Coach West's decision to kick a field goal when it was tied at 7-7 with about seven minutes left and 4-and-1 on the 19.
The call is a hard one to make, and obviously it did not work out. I am not saying it was the right or wrong call, but these are the reasons I can see why he did it:
1) The previous two plays got zero yards. If it had been 3-and-6 and Seth Crumpton rushed for five yards, then I think going for it becomes an easier decision to make. But Holliday had stopped them twice.
2) For most schools, a 36-yard field goal is way too risky. But Blake Wiest is a very, very good kicker. I bet he makes 8-of-10 from that range in practice.
3) At 7-7 with that little time left and considering how great the defenses were playing, it was obvious that probably only one more score wins the game. So why not take that chance?
4) Holliday had not moved the ball very well after halftime. So West could not have foreseen Holliday having its best drive of the night immediately afterward.
5) Missing the field goal was a momentum swing, no doubt. But an even more devastating momentum swing would have come if Holliday had stopped Henrietta for no gain on a third straight play.
I do not know what I would have done had I been in Coach West's shoes. But I hope people around town don't second-guess that one to death.
And I really like how Coach West has kept the program going strong the past few years. After the loss, there were a handful of distraught Henrietta players hanging their heads.
West tells them to head to the locker room. Don't worry, he says -- y'all will see this field again on Saturday, and at practice on Monday. His message was basically that life goes on.
Also, a huge thanks again to the Henrietta All Sports Club. The nice people over there hooked me up with some ridiculously good food. Shrimp, pork tenderloin, ribs, I could go on forever. It was some very good dining.
Ricardo from KFDX has been rating concession stands at the games he goes to, and it seems like we have crossed each other's paths a lot lately. And I have noticed that when Ricardo shows up, some of these places have gone all-out. It works out well for me.
Here are some other thoughts from the weekend:
* West beat Gatesville. Why is that relevant? It means No. 2 China Spring will go Division I now, and that Burkburnett will face them after the Bulldogs have a bi-district bye.
* No District 9-A playoff spots or even division seeding up for grabs this next week. That is kinda weird, although Windthorst-Seymour should be a good game. And I am looking forward to Archer City-Roscoe already.
* I had apprehensions about Nocona at the start of the year (I picked them to finish fifth -- if you do not believe me, check my August District 5-2A blog), but the Indians got off to a hot start, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
But the fact remains, Nocona lost its top three players last year, and for whatever reason, it could not get it going when it mattered most in district. I like what Coach McElroy has going over there, but I also thought the Indians should have finished at worst fourth in 5-2A.
* If Bowie and Vernon make the playoffs, then I would have been right on forecasting the 5-3A and 5-2A playoff teams. I did miss Seymour in 9-A. And the order for those districts wasn't exactly right.
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