Friday, October 31, 1997

District more balanced than ever

By Lance Fleming / Abilene Reporter-News

The late commissioner of the National Football League, Pete Rozzelle -- a fan of parity if there ever was one -- would love District 4-5A this season.

Perhaps never before has the league been so balanced from top to bottom. Of the 30 district games played entering tonight's action, only four have been blowouts. Of the other 26, the largest margin of victory was Cooper's 17-3 win over Abilene High.

San Angelo Central, which will play host to Cooper tonight at San Angelo Stadium, has been involved in more close games than any of the other six teams. Its four district games have been decided by a total of 17 points with its two losses coming by a total of seven points.

The Bobcats' four district games have been decided by six points (a loss), six points (a win), four points (a win) and one point (a loss).

Even district co-leaders Cooper and Odessa High have had close games. Cooper beat Odessa Permian by three points and last-place Midland High by just two points, while Odessa beat Permian by three, Abilene High by seven and Central by one.

And for one final piece of evidence that parity has invaded the league, chew on this: Even with Cooper and Odessa High having already clinched playoff berths, four teams -- Abilene High, which is open this week, Midland Lee, San Angelo Central and Permian -- are still alive for the last playoff spot.

Case closed, send home the jury.

"It certainly appears that parity has hit the district," Central head coach Gary Gaines said. "There have really been some pretty close games throughout the schedule. It's kind of exciting for those of us that are trying to move into that upper echelon. But you still have to be ready every week, or the blowouts will occur."

The playoff situation sorted itself out somewhat last week with the Cougars and Bronchos clinching playoff berths. But the final spot will come down to the final two weeks, because all four teams play each other in the next two weeks.

Tonight it is Permian and Lee, while next week it's AHS-Permian and Lee-Central. So don't expect this thing to be a done deal until around 11:30 p.m. next Friday.

When looking at the district, it's interesting to note that AHS, Central, Odessa High and even the much-improved Midland Bulldogs are in their second full seasons with a new head coach. Before the season most coaches around the district expected that fact to help those teams, and it has turned out that way.

"I'm sure that has something to do with it," Gaines said. "You just don't know how much to contribute it to the program or the group of athletes. It's probably some of both, because a program without athletes still isn't where you want it to be. You still win with athletes and athletic ability."

And while there's not the abundance of great athletes this year as in years past, everyone has a few, and that has made for an exciting district race. Maybe one of the most exciting in years.

"It probably is," said Gaines, who has been around the district for more than 10 years. "I couldn't compare it to any other year. From top to bottom it's probably closer than any year I can remember."

Still a big one

Permian and Midland Lee once pre-empted the first game of a World Series; that's how big of a game it usually is.

Most of the time, however, it's for the district championship.

Not this year, though.

But it's still a big game with huge playoff implications for both teams.

A Rebel win at Ratliff Stadium would knock the Panthers out of the playoffs, and the Rebs would rather do that than beat anybody else 100 times. A Lee win would also keep them in line for a playoff spot, needing only a win next week over Central to clinch a playoff berth.

Permian, however, needs a win to stay alive in the playoff chase. The Panthers would have to win tonight, beat AHS next week and then hope Lee beats San Angelo Central next week. That would put Permian and Lee in a tie for third place at 3-3 in district, and Permian would go to the playoffs by virtue of its head-to-head win.

Permian will be out of the playoffs if it ends up tied for third with either Abilene High (which is idle this week) or Central, because both teams would have wins over Permian.

And now you know why tonight's tilt in the Permian Basin is still a big one.

This week's picks

I said last week when I picked Abilene High to beat Midland Lee that I wasn't sure how healthy Lee running back Josh Norman was. He was plenty healthy, as evidenced by his 181 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries.

Anyway, on to this week's picks:

-- Odessa High at Midland High: The Bronchos won't get caught napping in this one, even though the Bulldogs are fully capable of pulling off the upset. OHS, though, wants to make next week's showdown with Cooper for all the marbles. ... Odessa High 24, Midland High 13.

n Midland Lee at Odessa Permian: This one is tough to call, but I think Permian -- even at 1-3 in district -- is just a little bit better than Lee. The Panthers can throw the ball, and Lee can't, and that'll be the difference. Watch for Permian sophomore receiver Roy Williams to have a big night against a suspect Lee pass defense. ... Permian 27, Midland Lee 20.

-- Cooper at San Angelo Central: The Bobcats can move the ball and they can score, but they can't stop other people from doing the same. Cooper can score and they can stop other people from scoring. Cooper's offense is just too good for the Bobcats' defense to slow down. Then throw in the fact that Central's best defensive player, middle linebacker Rich Coffey, might not play and things get even tougher for the Bobcats. ... Cooper 42, Central 20.

-- Last week: 2 right, 1 wrong (.667 percentage). Season: 29 right, 10 wrong (.744 percentage).