By Richard Greene | Published Thursday, October 22, 2009
Two Wise County teams can virtually lock down football playoff berths and take a significant step toward securing district titles with victories Friday night.
The Boyd Yellowjackets and Bridgeport Bulls can both move to 3-0 in their respective districts. Boyd (5-2, 2-0) will play District 9-2A rival Jacksboro in Jacksboro Friday. Bridgeport (3-4, 2-0) will play at Vernon (1-6, 1-1) in District 5-3A action.
Boyd coach J.G. Cartwright said the Yellowjackets can take a big step toward reaching two of their goals Friday.
"To get to 3-0 is very important," Cartwright said. "We'd still have two tough games to go.
"Our goal is to make the playoffs, but we definitely want to win a district championship," he noted.
Jacksboro is coming off a 20-14 loss to Millsap last week to drop to 1-1 in 9-2A. Jacksboro beat Paradise 39-27 to open district play Oct. 9. Jacksboro scored an impressive win earlier this season over Holliday, which was ranked in the top 10 at the time.
"Jacksboro is right in the hunt for a playoff spot, and we have to go over there," Cartwright said. "They are a good team. A couple of weeks ago, they beat Holliday when they were a top-10 team."
Jacksboro quarterback Kole Weldon threw for 145 yards, completing 10 of his 19 passes with two interceptions against Millsap. He also ran for 61 yards.
"He's a real good player," Cartwright said. "He's an accurate passer and a good runner. We tried to put pressure on him last year, and he just stood there."
Boyd beat Alvord 42-0 last week. The Yellowjackets were led by Tim Fleming, who scored three touchdowns and ran for 239 yards.
"He had a big game," Cartwright said. "He's a real good runner and passer. We were also able to take advantage of the offensive line coming around and becoming more consistent."
Alone at the top of District 5-3A at 2-0, Bridgeport coach Danny Henson said his team could likely earn a playoff spot with a third win. Four teams in district trail the Bulls at 1-1.
"Each game is huge in the district standings," Henson said. "If we win against Vernon, it probably clinches a playoff spot. You want to get all the wins you can get. You never know when someone may get hurt or sick."
Vernon is coming off a 48-14 loss to Burkburnett last week. The Lions' defense allowed 487 yards in the loss, including more than 300 rushing. Henson said it was a rough game for Vernon against Burkburnett.
"They played poorly all the way around," Henson said. "Against Hirschi, they were really good with their rushing defense. The next week against Burkburnett, they didn't play with the same enthusiasm."
Henson said on film, he has noticed that Vernon has played better at home.
"They are a lot better at home than on the road," Henson said. "I wish we were playing them in Bridgeport."
Bridgeport beat Iowa Park last week 28-21. The Bulls had 454 yards of offense in the victory. Quarterback Cody Henson threw for 304 yards, completing 16 of his 34 attempts with four touchdowns and an interception.
Bridgeport gave up 336 yards rushing to Iowa Park.
