November 13, 2009

This is going to sound ridiculous, but losing 27-0 to Heights two weeks ago to place second in their district was the best thing that possibly could have happened for Derby football.

What a draw. After traveling just 18 miles for their opening playoff game at Northwest, they now host Dodge City, a team which lost to Great Bend and Hays mid-season, teams which did not make the playoffs. If Derby beats Dodge at home, then they could then host No. 1 Manhattan at sub-state. Manhattan is 10-0, but they’ve won three times on the final play of the game this season.

Manhattan is beatable.

Derby can make the state title game.

The only reason I’m not picking Heights is because their track record the past two years in the northeast is not strong. They'll have to turn over a new leaf tonight to stay alive.

Carroll quarterback Blake Bell has accounted for 14 touchdowns the past two weeks. Are you kidding me? Emporia is going to have their hands full tonight at Carroll Family Stadium. And let’s face it, we’re all waiting for that Game Of the Decade sub-state match-up between Carroll and Hutch.

In 4A, it's a showdown between the Andale-defeated. Buhler continues to look unstoppable... as long as they're not playing Andale. Rose Hill, which Buhler hosts tonight, also has their only loss coming to Andale. Rose Hill at Buhler is a showdown, but in the end, it's really still all about Andale until someone around here knocks them off.

Finally, the possibilities for Class 3A sub-state fascinate me. Who will win the quarterfinals, Hutch Trinity at Norton and Scott City at Collegiate?

Munch on this nugget: Hutch Trinity and Wichita Collegiate were both 24-0 when they met in the state basketball semifinals last year. With quarterfinal wins this weekend, they would both be 12-0 going into a state football semifinal next week. Weird.

But, it must feel a little like the 1980s in western Kansas. Norton and Scott City used to rule 4A West football with an iron fist. Now in 3A, while the towns are smaller, football is still king.

Whoever wins in the 3A West tonight, there will be long, winding story lines to follow next week.

With the Vype Games Of the Week, I'm Tom Witherspoon