Perrin-Whitt still has playoff chance

BY NOLAN RUTH

X – @RealNolanRuth

It was previously reported that the Perrin-Whitt Pirates had missed out on postseason play. However that is not the case. In a strange set of circumstances, the Pirates once again control their own destiny in district 6-1A DI. They are scheduled to play Vernon Northside tonight in Wilbarger County. If they win by any margin, they will clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2019.

How did this happen?

As it stands, the top three teams in the district are Knox City, Newcastle, and Perrin. Only two can make the playoffs. In early October, Newcastle beat Perrin 77-36 and then fell to Knox City in a close one 50-48. It does not take a math whiz to find out that the Pirates were well behind on points as they went into last week’s game against Knox City.

There is only one problem. Nobody knew the district’s official ruling on the points. Perrin thought it was in with a win over Knox City, but others thought they had to win by a certain amount. In the fourth quarter with 30 seconds left, the Pirates had the ball at the 10 yard line and took a knee instead of adding one more touchdown for good measure.

That extra score would have made it a lot easier, as it would have made Newcastle the district champion and Perrin the runner-up, effectively ending Knox City’s season. Instead the district had to go to the books and make an official decision.

The many different rule possibilities turned out to be so convoluted that they decided to flip a coin about which rule to use. It is unclear what the two options were exactly, but the two results were pretty easy to understand.

Newcastle is in if it beats Bryson tonight. Perrin is in if it beats Northside tonight. Knox City is already done with its regular season, so it all comes down to the other games. Here are the possibilities:

If somehow both Perrin and Newcastle fall tonight, that adds Bryson into a three way tie for second that will be determined over the weekend.