Photo by Joe Duty

By Richard Greene
The Boyd Yellowjackets are hoping Friday the 13th is not a night of horrors, but the start of dream title run.
Boyd, which closes the regular season Friday, has set its Class 2A Region II Division I bi-district tilt with the Pilot Point Bearcats for Nov. 13 at Springtown’s Porcupine Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The game will be a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff game, which Pilot Point rallied to win 32-28. Pilot Point scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to earn the victory.
Both teams said last year’s game will help during next week’s preparation.
“It won’t give any more advantage to us, but when we start breaking down film next week we will spend some time looking at last year’s film,” said Boyd coach J.G. Cartwright. “They have a lot of the same people.”
Pilot Point coach Blake Feldt added: “We’ll prepare a lot like we did last year. We both have a lot of the same guys. It’ll be an interesting matchup.”
Pilot Point enters the final week of the season undefeated and ranked No. 5 in the latest Class 2A Harris Poll. The Bearcats play undefeated Aubrey this week in a showdown for the District 10-2A title. Pilot Point is coming off a 30-20 victory last week over Callisburg, the league’s other playoff team.
Including next week’s showdown with Boyd, Feldt said it’ll be a tough three-game stretch for his team.
“No doubt it’s a tough stretch; but at the same time, we’ve played good teams all year,” Feldt said. “We beat Lake Worth, which beat Dallas Madison. We beat Ferris, which beat Kennedale. Sanger also has a good team.”
Pilot Point is led by running back Jarmen Johnson, who has 1,581 yards on 132 carries. Pilot Point’s quarterback Seth Tilley has added 1,256 yards through the air, completing 89 of his 143 attempts with 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
“Pilot Point will be a really tough game,” Cartwright said. “When you get in the playoffs, you are going to play some good teams. Pilot Point is one of the top teams in the state.”

Boyd closes the season with Millsap Friday. Boyd can claim the District 9-2A title outright with a win. After losing four straight games against Gunter, Glen Rose, Godley and Grandview just before the start of district play, Boyd has rolled to four straight victories. Cartwright said the team is playing better.
“We are peaking, but I’m not sure if we have reached our peak,” Cartwright said. “That non-district schedule was tough, but helped us.”
Boyd quarterback Tim Fleming is nearing 1,000 yards rushing. He has 839 yards on 138 carries. He has thrown for 724 yards, completing 50 of his 111 attempts.
The Boyd defense has allowed only 29 points during district play.
“Cartwright always does a great job,” Feldt said. “They’ve won two state championships and in the playoffs they always pick it up a notch.”

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. Photos by Joe Duty

By Richard Greene
Paradise’s Hannah Runnels watched anxiously to see which way the ball she served would fall after hitting the top of the net Tuesday night.
“I was terrified,” Runnels said. “I said to myself that I cannot miss this serve at game point. Luckily it went over.”
Runnel’s serve sealed the Paradise Lady Panthers’ four-game victory over the Bowie Lady Jackrabbits. The Lady Panthers won the match 25-14, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22.
It is the Lady Panthers’ first playoff since 2003.
Paradise will now get a bye through the area round. It will play the winner of the Colorado City and Nocona match in the Class 2A Region I quarterfinal Monday or Tuesday.
When Runnels went to the service line in game four, Paradise was trying to hold off a late Bowie rally. Paradise had led 17-12, but Bowie closed within one, 23-22. Meg Arthur kept Paradise in the lead with a kill to send Runnels to the service line at game point, 24-22. Her low serve tipped the top of the net and took dive to the floor. Three diving Bowie players could not keep it off the floor.
“Her serves have been like that all year,” said Paradise coach Susie Burt. “I’m glad it fell the right way this time.”
Paradise stayed on the offensive most of the match. Four different Lady Panthers finished with double-digit kill totals. Casey Fletcher led the way with 19. Hannah Johnson added 16. Setter Meg Arthur finished with 53 assists.
Paradise cruised through game one, building a 12-4 lead and never looking back. Fletched paced the Lady Panthers with four kills. A Runnels ace started a three-point run to close the 11-point win.
Paradise jumped out to a 12-5 lead in game two. It would not be able to hold the lead. Bowie tied the game at 18 and took a lead on a block for a kill by Rachel Austin. After back-to-back kills from Fletcher, Paradise knotted the game at 23. A Paradise service error and serve-receive error gave the game to Bowie.
With the match tied at one, Burt told hitters Fletcher and Johnson to keep hitting at the Bowie blockers. Johnson broke a deadlock at 12 in game three with a kill. It was the second of six kills for Johnson in the game. Her kill off a double block put Paradise up 24-21. Fletcher then ended the game with her 15th kill.
“I told them to start putting it into the block and see where it would fall,” Burt said. “They both hit the ball hard.”
Paradise jumped out to an 11-3 lead in game four before Bowie rallied to set up Runnels’ dramatic match-ending serve.
Paradise had a solid match defensively. Candice McDaniel finished with 39 digs. Baleigh Newman added 21 and Gabbie Von Heuvel 19. Fletcher finished with seven blocks.

The Decatur Lady Eagles volleyball team will begin the playoffs Saturday against Burnet.
The Class 3A Region I area match has been set for 5 p.m. in Glen Rose.
Burnet, the runner-up in District 8-3A, advanced to the area round by defeating Whitney Tuesday night in four games. Burnet dropped the first game and then rallied to win games two, three and four.
“It should be a good matchup,” said Decatur coach Claire Rose.