Published: November 20, 2008 05:39 pm         

Area football playoff previews

By DARIN ALLRED

Register Sports Editor

Winning a playoff game in Texas high school football is always a proud moment, but for the players, coaches and fans of the Callisburg Wildcats, last Friday’s win over the Paradise Panthers was even more special.

Callisburg High School had never won a football playoff game, so as the final seconds ticked off the clock during the Wildcats’ 17-14 victory over a previously unbeaten Paradise team, a real sense of pride came over everyone wearing maroon.

“Like the commercial says, it was priceless,” Callisburg head coach Jerry Bomar said. “It really put us over the hump to be a legitimate program. We’ve been flirting with it for a few years, but to get that playoff win gives our kids confidence, especially doing it against an undefeated team. Our kids have kept improving and have gotten better every week, so I’m very proud of them.”

The Wildcat offense has gotten most of the attention this year, and rightfully so. The numbers are hard to ignore. Callisburg averages 356 yards of total offense a game. Quarterback Thor Long has passed for 2,610 yards and 25 touchdowns. Receiver Bobby Dorman has 48 catches for 810 yards. Dorman and fellow receivers Jamey Brinlee and Quincy Hough have combined for 21 touchdown receptions.

But the defense has improved and was a key in last week’s playoff win. The Wildcats had to make two stands late in the ballgame when Paradise was driving for possibly a winning touchdown.

“I was very proud of that,” Bomar said of his defense’s play in the fourth quarter. “It was just a will to win. We made a mistake there at the end and our kids had to step up. The biggest difference in our team since district started has been that we have improved defensively every week.”

Against Paradise, Wildcat linebacker Chris Apala had 22 tackles and fellow linebacker Chase McCage added 16, while defensive tackle Daulton Ing was credited with 15 tackles.

Now, Callisburg faces a veteran DeKalb team that is used to not only being in the playoffs, but having success.

“They are a veteran playoff team that went three rounds deep in the playoffs last year and return just about everyone back from that team,” Bomar said. “They are going to pound it at us and run the football.”

DeKalb not only defeated Melissa in the bi-district round last week, they used their offense to control the clock, something that worries Bomar. Melissa only ran six offensive plays the entire first half. Time of possession could be key in this week’s game. DeKalb will try to run the ball and control the clock to keep Callisburg’s offense off the field.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., Friday in Forney.



Class A Division II Area

Lindsay (7-4) vs. Perrin-Whitt (8-2)

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

at Saginaw

They say that offense wins games, but defense wins championships. If that’s true, that could be good news for the Lindsay Knights who showed off their defense in a 28-0 shutout of Celeste last Friday in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

Celeste had speed and had moved an explosive running back to quarterback so he could have the ball in his hands more, but that didn’t phase the Knights, who held Celeste to just 105 yard rushing and 28 passing.

“They (Lindsay’s defense) played really well,” Knights head coach Cody Bounds said. “We’ve been preaching all year to play hard and play with emotion and intensity and that’s what we did Friday. We don’t have that one kid that leads us. We have a whole group of kids that work hard and play hard.”

Now, that Lindsay defense will get an even bigger test as they taken on a Perrin-Whitt Pirates team that is 8-2 and had a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

When asked to give a scouting report on Perrin-Whitt, one word came to mind for Bounds.

“Speed. They are fast as a team,” he said. “They have a tailback that is real fast. He probably runs a 10.7 or 10.8 in the 100. They have a great receiver, a great fullback and an offensive lineman that is one of the best we’ve seen.”

Bounds said the Pirates remind him a little of Era. They don’t run the same spread offense, but they have great team speed, they have one big offensive lineman that they like to run behind, and they try to get you out on the edge.

In the playoff win over Celeste, Lindsay quarterback Nick Bezner rushed for 121 yards.



Class A Division II Area

Muenster (6-5) vs. Gorman (6-4)

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

at Burleson

When the Muenster Hornets defeated Wolfe City 33-26 last Friday in their Class A bi-district playoff, it was especially sweet for Hornet first-year head coach Allen Cross.

Not only was it Cross’ first playoff win at Muenster, it was the first time in his coaching career that he had been able to enjoy victory in the playoffs. He was 0-6 as an assistant coach before coming to Muenster, so he says Friday’s win was a confidence boost for him.

“It gives some validity to what you are doing as a coach,” Cross said. “It kind of reassures me that we are doing things right.”

The Hornets have done lots of things right this season, not only making the playoffs but now having a playoff win under their belt.

“Our goal was to get into the playoffs,” the coach added. “Now for those kids to go on record, they needed to get that bi-district trophy and they did that. Their names are now going to be on that trophy forever. We really built it up with our senior class that had to go through that 1-9 season.”

Now, Muenster will try to get past the area round for the first time in a while. According to folks around town that Cross has talked to, the Hornets haven’t won an area playoff game since 1976.

Against Wolfe City, the Hornets rushed for 214 yards and passed for 71 more. Quarterback Levi Trubenbach was the leading rusher with 133 yards on 27 carries and four touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Walterscheid. Defensively, Eric Hellman had an interception for Muenster.

Next up for Muenster will be the Gorman Panthers, who finished third in their district and had a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

“They are very comparable to us with very similar type players,” Cross said of the Panthers.

Gorman will use a power running game out of the Wing T formation. Defensively, they are very aggressive, according to Cross.



TAPPS Division IV Quarterfinals

Sacred Heart (8-3) vs. The Woodlands Christian

Friday, 7:30 p.m., at Rice

The Sacred Heart Tigers opened up the TAPPS Division IV playoffs with an easy 63-20 win over McKinney Christian last Friday in Muenster.

While McKinney Christian wasn’t the toughest opponent that the Tigers have faced this season, Sacred Heart still executed and played hard and took control of the game early with 28 points in the first quarter.

And they did it with a quarterback making his first start of the season. Nathan Berend replaced the injured Matt Hesse and directed the Tiger offense to 430 yards of total offense.

“That was the best game we played all year,” Tiger coach Dale Schilling said. “Nathan did a great job controlling the offense in place of Matt. The seniors really stepped up and took control of the game.”

Things will get a little tougher this week as the Tigers travel to Rice (the city not the university) to face The Woodlands Christian Warriors, who have won games in back-to-back weeks over Galveston O’Connell and Bryan Brazos, both upsets. They defeated Brazos 22-21 in their area playoff this past Friday.

“They are explosive,” Schilling said of the Warriors. “Their quarterback is a good runner as well as passer. They are a hot team right now. That’s what scares me the most. They are playing with a lot of confidence.”

To beat The Woodlands Christian, Sacred Heart will rely on the thing that has gotten them eight wins this season ... their running game.

“Our plan is to pound the ball on the ground,” the coach said.

Pounding the ball on the ground means lots of touches for running back Sam Sparkman, who had 166 yards on 25 carries last week. It also means the offensive line will have to continue to do their job well. That group includes Ben Walterscheid, Seth Turczynski, Mitch Hesse, Nick Popovich and Dylan Flusche.

The winner of this game will face either Richardson Canyon Creek of Halletsville Sacred Heart in the TAPPS semifinals next week.



Texas 6-Man Division I Area

Saint Jo (6-4) vs. Strawn (10-1)

Thursday, 7 p.m., at Saint Jo

The Saint Jo Panthers have had a couple of weeks to think about their first playoff game in six-man football. Since the Panthers had a bye in the first round, they had an extra week to prepare and heal up.

“ We used the off week like one in the regular season,” Saint Jo coach Chad Tallon said. “We rested some players that were dinged up with minor injuries. We also worked on details that you are unable to get to during a game week when you are putting in a game plan, such as PAT protection, blocking details, kickoff coverage and putting in a few new plays. We did scout Strawn's opening round game and came away very impressed with their team.”

Getting in the playoffs is a novel idea for most people around Saint Jo. It has only happened three other times in the school’s history, but Tallon says his team is still confident as it heads into tonight’s matchup.

“I feel our confidence level is high,” the coach said. “We understand the magnitude of what we are doing here in Saint Jo. This is only the fourth time the football program has made the playoffs. We want to create an atmosphere that will build a tradition of success for our program.”

Saint Jo will open with a Strawn team that is 10-1 and will bring lots of talent to Montague County tonight.

“Strawn is a very physical, disciplined team,” Tallon stated. “They have above average team speed, and execute their game plan well. They have a great coaching staff that has them prepared each week. They will run mostly tight offenses and use a power running game. They will crowd the line of scrimmage on defense and be very physical.”

Helping the Panthers out will be the fact that they get to host tonight’s playoff game. Tallon is hoping that edge will push his team over the top.

“Home-field advantage is something unheard of in Texas high school football playoffs,” the coach said. “We are excited about the opportunity and hope that we can use it to our benefit. Our fans are some of the most loyal and loud in the state. This is a chance for them to make their presence felt.”



Oklahoma 8-Man Class C Quarterfinals

Thackerville (11-0) vs. Covington-Douglas (9-2)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m., at Thackerville

If it seemed that the Thackerville Wildcats’ playoff opener with Boise City was finished in a blink of an eye, well you would almost be correct.

The Wildcats needed just two quarters to dispose of Boise City in a game that was called at halftime by the mercy rule with Thackerville winning 54-6.

It didn’t necessarily start well for the Wildcats, who let Boise City score on their first possession.

“We came out a little bit jittery. We were so ready to get after them and we had a couple of offsides penalties. They drove down the field and scored on us,” Thackerville coach Cody McCage said. “But after that we settled down and held them to negative yardage after that.”

Thackerville scored 42 points in the first quarter alone and finished the game with 278 yards of offense including 131 on the ground and 147 through the air.

“That was probably the best we have looked all season,” McCage said. “We were clicking.”

The Wildcats will be back at home for their next playoff game as they host Covington-Douglas Saturday in the Class C quarterfinals.

Covington-Douglas will have 30 players on their roster, which is a lot for an eight-man team.

“They’ve got a lot of size and some good running backs,” McCage said. “They will try and run it down your throat. But our team speed is a plus and we are a very physical team.”

Covington-Douglas has two losses, but one was to the No. 1 team in Class B and the other was to the No. 2 team in Class C.

The winner of Saturday’s game will face either Seiling or Temple in the state semifinals.