BY NOLAN RUTH
X – @RealNolanRuth
We have but just two more weeks of the high school football regular season. I have been saying it for some time but it has never been more true. We are now at the point of the season where every result matters. Some teams have already been eliminated, some still have to win a game or two to clinch, and some have already clinched. That is the case in just about every county in the state of Texas, but none take it more seriously than those in Parker County! It’s time to break down a very crazy week with another edition of the Parker County Round Up!
DISCLAIMER: This is all my opinion and analysis based on results of the games played in the past weekend, and is not meant to be any kind of ranking, or slam piece on any particular team. It is simply an observation through my eyes.
Finals:
Weatherford 34, Mansfield Lake Ridge 28 / OT
Aledo 49, Richland 42 / OT
Azle 28, Granbury 14
Springtown 48, FW Western Hills 0
Brock 80, Burkburnett 13
Peaster 31, Ponder 7
Millsap 40, Valley View 6
Perrin-Whitt BYE
Willow Park TCA 14, FW Lake Country 20
Weatherford Christian 14, FW Covenant 70
Azle Christian 45, Waco Valor Prep 70
Weatherford Grace Christian 0, Irving Faustina 35
Oh boy, what a week. Blowouts, overtime in two games, and four bad losses. It was a crazy week in the Peach Capital of Texas. Because of the way the results went, I am going to go in a simple order. I will go from bottom to top.
Grace Christian got shut out by Irving Faustina who I admittedly do not know much about. By very simple research it looks like they are good on paper, so I have to believe this is just another point of growing pains for a new program. In a quick statement, coach Rick Smith said “We’ll bounce back.” I still believe something special is growing for the Colts. They have two weeks remaining in the season, and hopefully they can make the most of it.
The Cru finds themselves in hot water in the weeks since I spent plenty of time hyping them up. The injuries have definitely hurt Azle Christian this season, but it is do or die time. After this rough loss to Valor Prep in Waco, the Cru has a must win game this next week against Wichita Christian. This one will not come easy. But if there is one thing I believe about high school football it is this, teams with nothing left to lose are the most dangerous. Do not count out Azle Christian this week. They may just make a case for that last playoff spot. These are the stakes: a win gives them a shot for postseason play, a loss eliminates them.
Weatherford Christian was eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago. I genuinely feel for coach Nick Jones in his first year at the helm. They will likely be facing a loss against Nazarene Academy this week, but I am very much looking forward to their game against Harvest Christian. The final game of the season could be a good game and a very good shot at a win for the Lions to give them some momentum going into the offseason.
I finally got to see Willow Park TCA and I have nothing but good things to say. Despite the loss, the Eagles had me on the edge of my seat against a very solid opponent. This team is very young, and led by many seniors that started as freshman. I have not been this excited about TCA’s future since before COVID. With all of that said, I have always pointed to TCA’s past when referencing their struggles. I am committing now to do exactly what Coach Cody McKenzie and the staff at TCA want. I am going to leave it in the past. This is a new program, with new life, just like Christ promised all of us. The Eagles get a bye before finishing with Lubbock Christian.
Perrin-Whitt got a bye week at a very convenient time. They play Knox City on Thursday, and much like Azle Christian, it is do-or-die for the Pirates. They absolutely have to pull off the upset if they hope to make the postseason. Not just that, but I believe they have to do it by more than 20 points. It is not looking great for Perrin-Whitt, but I have seen stranger things happen.
Millsap got a win against Valley View that I definitely expected, but I did not expect such a lopsided score. This is good, and gives me some hope going into the last two weeks. With the way City View has looked this season, I simply cannot chalk that up as a win for the Bulldogs. But we are right on track to have the game with Henrietta determine who goes to the playoffs! I am definitely excited about this playoff race, but I am also very aware of how young this Millsap program is. If they miss this year, do not hit the panic button yet. Bright days are ahead for the Millsap Bulldogs.
Because of tiebreakers, Peaster is guaranteed a playoff spot this year. The next two weeks will determine seeding. They have Boyd this week, who has already been eliminated. This is a good chance for the Greyhounds to boost their point differential. It will be the final week against Vernon that will truly determine the seeding for Peaster. With their only loss coming to Paradise, the Greyhounds would finish second if they win out, and third if they fall to Vernon. On paper, a win against Boyd should come easy. But never get caught napping!
Brock let out a lot of frustration this week against Burkburnett. Who could blame them? Mineral Wells made them mad by playing the Time of Possession game and doing it well. It does not help Brock fans that the head coach at Mineral Wells has the last name of Worrell. Regardless, that game has passed. Now the Eagles have their biggest test of the district season with Graham. With the frustration of Mineral Wells behind them, and the aggression let out against Burkburnett, I expect a clean and solid game that the Eagles should still win. But who knows? It feels like it is only a matter of time before someone truly initiates Brock into 4A. Could it be the Steers?
Third week in a row, I am not changing this paragraph except for one sentence: What can I say about Springtown? No, really. What can I say about Springtown? This district draw does not help anybody. If the Porcupines can agree with Decatur on one thing, it is this: this was a bad district draw. Springtown dominated Western Hills with almost no fight. Nothing more can be learned until November 1 when we have, what I have dubbed, “The Fight on 51” between Springtown and Decatur!
AND IT IS THIS WEEK!!! That’s right! It is finally time for arguably the biggest rivalry game a Parker County team can claim! If you have the means, make it up to Decatur and root on the Porcupines!
Azle officially clinched a playoff berth with its win over Granbury, although I pretty much already counted it when Brewer beat Fossil Ridge. But now it is official. Next week the Hornets face Aledo, who will likely be coming out angry and ready to run up a score. If Azle can hold its own this week, it could very well compete with Richland in two weeks to take the third seed in the district.
Aledo got lucky. Inexplicably, I was even calling the district win streak over by halftime. I should have known better. Aledo knows how to finish games, even with its back against a wall. I owe many people apologies, and the first is Robby Jones and the Aledo Bearcats themselves. Azle and Denton High wrap up the regular season. Both should be easy wins. But let me still say this: Aledo better not get caught napping in the playoffs like it did this week. Otherwise someone else will be lifting the trophy at AT&T Stadium this December.
Weatherford won a football game! It finally happened! I had high hopes for the Roos this season, and they let me down. But they finally pulled out a win at home against Mansfield Lake Ridge! It is too late to make the playoffs, but this was a good win for pride! They have two more chances this season against Boswell and Mansfield High. I don’t think either one will come to fruition, but we can hope!
Here are the teams that are for sure going to the playoffs: Aledo, Azle, Springtown, Brock, and Peaster. Three have been eliminated and have just two weeks remaining. It was a good week in the public schools as they all won, but bad for the private schools as they all lost. It was a 7-4 record this week with Perrin-Whitt on the bye week. Hopefully we can get one or two more in the postseason! You can keep up with all of it on the Parker County Roundup on GM Sports Media!
Next week I will be at “The Fight on 51” between the Springtown Porcupines and the Decatur Eagles!
