No. 8 Cisco faces off against defending 2A DII champion Stratford in area playoff
The state high school football championships won’t be until December 14-17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, but several Big Country teams are playing state title caliber competition this week.
No. 8 Cisco (9-2) draws a state champion in Round 2 of playoffs this week in No. 5 Stratford. Kickoff is 6 p.m. Friday at Lubbock-Cooper’s Pirate Stadium in Woodrow.
The Elks (11-0) won the Class 2A Division II title year, beating Falls City 39-27.
The move up Division II hasn’t slowed Stratford, which is 26-1 the past two years combined.
It will be the second state finalist the Loboes will have played in the space of three weeks. They dropped a 36-33 heartbreaker to Hawley in a game that decided the District 4-2A DI title.
Hawley, ranked No. 2, lost to Shiner 47-12 in the Bearcats’ first title game appearance last year.
The Bearcats, who beat Christoval 52-8 in their playoff opener last week, play District 1-2A DI runner-up Panhandle (9-2) this week, while Cisco gets the District 1-2A DI champions.
“That’s the path that we were given after the loss to Hawley,” Cisco coach Kevin Stennett said. “We knew that was the team we’d end up seeing in Round 2. They’re everything we thought they’d be.”
The Elks are led by quarterback Bryce Braden, who has thrown for 1,136 yards and 18 TDs. The sophomore also is second on the team in rushing (126-903, 15 TDs) behind senior Zane Burr (110-923, 11 TDs). Senior WR Luke Braden (28-795, 14 TDs) is the leading receiver.
“They’re really a lot like us,” Stennett said. “They’re ground and pound, smash-mouth, and they’re very good at it. They’re dangerous in the air, too. They have a really good receiver they like to throw the ball to, and they’ve very efficient when they do throw the ball. So, they’re the total package for sure.”
Braden threw for 121 yards and a TD, while running for 128 yards and two TDs in the Elks’ 49-8 win over Sundown in their playoff opener last week.
Cisco bounced back from its loss to Hawley with a 55-0 victory over Big Lake Reagan County in its playoff opener. Hunter Long threw for 177 yards and three TDs, and he combined with Trenton Huston for 263 yards and four TDs rushing.
“We didn’t come from Hawley, Texas, with too much confidence,” Stennett said. “The kids were pretty down in the dumps, but they did a really good job of getting back up and getting prepared to win a playoff game last week. Yeah, they’re feeling pretty good about themselves now.”
Long has thrown for 1,213 yards and 17 TDs this season. He also leads the team in rushing (210-1,714, 23 TDs), followed by Huston (114-852, 14 TDs). Cade Gayle (27-554, 8 TDs) is the leading receiver.
Cisco had Hawley beat on its own field in the regular-season finale, before losing on a 2-yard TD pass with three seconds left in the game, and the Loboes have played for the region title the last two years. So, they’re not intimated by any opponent.
“That’s the thing,” Stennett said. “We know what type of team we can be. We just really haven’t put it together for a complete game yet. It goes back to this team not even peaking yet. I don’t think we’ve played our best football yet. That’s what it’s going to take this week – our best effort.”
The Cisco/Stratford winner plays the New Deal (8-3)/Forsan (9-2) winner in the region semifinals next week.
The Hawley/Panhandle winner draws the Sonora (9-2)/Farwell (9-2) winner.
Comanche (10-1) vs. Bells (9-2)
7 p.m. Thursday, Springtown
Comanche, 1-9 last year, has had a spectacular turnaround, and it isn’t ready to stop just yet. Moving onto the Region II-3A Division II semifinals won’t be easy – not with No. 3 Bells in Comanche’s path.
The Panthers went two rounds in the 3A DII playoffs last year, falling to Holliday 21-14 in overtime. They’ve won five consecutive games since losing to unbeaten Gunter 24-14 in the District 8-3A DII opener on Oct. 7. Bells other loss is to a 9-1 Whitesboro team that still playing.
The Panthers make a living on the ground, led by Grady Waldrip (154-1,223, 21 TDs), Spencer Hinds (73-1,046, 16 TDs) and Brock Baker (102-961, 16 TDs).
“It’s going to be a real tough one,” Comanche coach Jake Escobar said. “They’re really good. They’re Slot T on offense, and they do a good job. They’re physical coming off the football. They’re good at what they do, and they stick with it no matter what.”
Comanche’s lone loss is to 2A DI Tolar, 45-15 in Week 4. The No. 7 Rattlers still are unbeaten. Comanche started a seven-game win streak with a 31-28 win over No. 7 2A DII Albany after the Tolar loss.
Comanche beat Henrietta 69-27 to start the playoffs last week.
Junior QB Layden Welch has thrown for 1,515 yards and 19 TDs, while sophomore sensation Sawyer Wilkerson has run for 2,408 yards and 28 TDs on 236 carries. Senior WR Miguel Martinez (40-747, 10 TDs) is the leading receiver.
“I told the kids the other day, we’re kind of on free money,” Escobar said. “Nobody thought we would be here, and they’ve really surpassed expectations. We’re a good football team, too. Our kids are playing with a lot of confidence. I think we play the game pretty physically.
“I just told them it’s going to be a great Texas high school football game and they should enjoy it, because not a lot of people get to play a game like this. Just go out there and play like we have the last 12, 13 weeks and see what happens. … We’ve beaten some good people, and I think our kids understand that. I’m proud of them.”
The winner plays the No. 2 Holliday (11-0)/Scurry-Rosser (8-2) winner.
Jim Ned (8-3) vs. Bushland (10-1)
7 p.m. Friday, Lowrey Field, Lubbock
It’s kind of hard to think of Jim Ned as the underdog in this one.
Sure, Bushland is ranked No. 6 in Class 3A DI, but the crew from Tuscola has a pretty impressive resume – winning a state title in 2020 and going three rounds last year before falling to eventual state finalist Brock.
Jim Ned has a stunning 34-5 record the past three years, and that’s including an 0-3 start this season with a team hampered by injuries early playing three teams still playing in No. 2 2A DI Hawley, No. 2 3A DII Holliday and No. 10 3A DII Wall with a combined 31-1 record.
“If we’ve learned anything the last couple of years, it’s that we can win any game," Jim Ned coach Matt Fanning said. “Of course, we’ve had some moments where we’ve realized we could get beat any game, too.
“I think our kids have a healthy respect of anybody we’re playing in the playoffs and a healthy understanding of the situation and what it takes to be successful.”
Bushland, the runner-up from District 2-3A DI, has won two consecutive games since a 43-28 loss to Shallowater in a game that decided the league title.
Bushland is playing in the second round for the seventh consecutive year. The Falcons, a region finalist in 2017, reached the third round in consecutive seasons (2019-20).
“I think they’re one of the class team in our region,” Fanning said. “Everything they do challenges you, and they’re super-fast tempo, super aggressive defensively. Very well-coached. They’ve got athletes all over the field. They’ll test us in a lot of different ways.”
The Falcons beat Kermit 55-6 last week, while Jim Ned blanked Pilot Point 41-0 to start the postseason. Troy Doran ran for 205 yards and three TDs to lead Jim Ned’s win.
“I think we played as well as we’ve played all year last Friday,” Fanning said. “We fumbled the ball twice, and that was really the only two mistakes we made the whole game. I think it had a lot to do with it being cold. … We played really clean, executed well, and the kids played with a ton of effort. If we can do that every week, we’ve got a shot.”
Brayden Shipman (183-1,072, 8 TDs) and Doran (120-1,009, 15 TDs) offer a 1-2 punch in the ground game, while Doran also has thrown for 630 yards and 11 TDs this season.
The winner plays the Brock (7-4)/Muleshoe (8-3) winner in the Region I-3A DI semifinals.
In other Big Country playoff games of note:
No. 10 Coleman plays No. 3 Crawford (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in a Region II-2A DI playoff game in Weatherford
No. 9 Brownwood (9-2) plays Canyon (10-1) at 7 p.m. Friday in a Region I-4A DI area game in Midland.
Defending Class 4A DI champion Stephenville (9-2) plays No. 3 Anna (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in a Region II-4A DI game in Midlothian.
Early (7-4) plays No. 4 Canadian (9-2) 7 p.m. Friday in a Region 1-3A DII game in Vernon.
No. 7 Albany (10-2) plays Muenster (6-5) in a Region II-2A DII game in Graham.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Big Country teams face big tests in area football playoffs
