Friday, October 24, 1997

Championship probably on the line

By MARK WILSON / Abilene Reporter-News

Last year, the District 6-3A football championship and runner-up slot came down to the last game of the regular season.

This time, judgment day for Wylie and Ballinger comes on the eighth weekend.

Ballinger travels to Wylie for tonight's key contest, and the winner will stay in control of its playoff destiny (likely as the runner-up to fourth-ranked Breckenridge). Both Ballinger and Wylie are 3-1 in district, each with a loss to the Buckaroos.

Both Wylie and Clyde were undefeated entering their 1996 showdown game at Clyde. Wylie won the game and the title, and Clyde went into the playoffs as the No. 2 team.

As Clyde did last year, the District 6-3A runner-up is likely to face District 5-3A leader Vernon in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

Since both Ballinger and Wylie have already played the other two top teams -- Breckenridge and Brady -- the remaining games aren't likely to have any affect on the playoff race because two-way ties would be broken by head-to-head results.

This marks the third straight week the Bulldogs have faced one of the top teams in the district. Wylie is coming off its 32-26 loss to Breckenridge, followed by a 28-7 win over Brady.

"I don't think it's been tough to keep up the intensity, when you know what's on the line," said Hugh Sandifer, who is 5-6 against Ballinger in his first 11 seasons as head coach at Wylie. "It's just that time of year, the eighth week of the season. If you're in the playoff hunt, they're all going to be big games."

Ballinger, in its first year under head coach Dan Slaughter, is rebounding after a 4-6 season in which key injuries were the sad, dominant theme.

"It's pretty much the same kids -- we just got them healthy," Slaughter said. "It's just a matter of getting over the injuries and lining up and playing well."

Sandifer said it has been a difficult week, having to deal with recent injuries affecting his own squad as the Bulldogs strive to become a better team.

"Our kids have fought all year and have competed well all year," Sandifer said. "At this stage of the season, you've got to continue that. That's our big key this week, trying to improve our level of play. It's been a difficult week, with the number of injuries we've had. But overall we've had a really good week."

Among the casualties:

-- Scott Bull, who has been kicking off and is backup to quarterback Grant Gregg, is out with a strained knee ligament. Bull may miss several weeks, so Gregg will add kickoffs to the punting, extra point, field goal and punting chores he performs when not serving as No. 1 quarterback.

-- Leading tackler Scott Unger missed all but four downs on defense against Brady after suffering an ankle injury, but is listed as probable.

-- Wide receiver-defensive back Adam Kitchen has a cast on his right arm after fracturing a bone in his wrist, but is also probable for tonight.

Ballinger's Guerrero has bounced back from last year's injury problem with 702 yards rushing, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

"No. 1, he's healthy, and he's running exceptionally well," Sandifer said. "No. 2, their offensive line has improved. They've got some big kids up front, and they're opening some holes for him to run. They're having a lot of success running the football."

Slaughter said, "Our running game has been our strong point, but we're getting better at throwing the ball. Lance Gallant (the quarterback) has been steadily improving.

"Defensively we've seemed to be coming up with the right play at the right time."

Ballinger's defense had given up only 27 points in its first three district games.

"They have tremendous team speed on defense," Sandifer said. "Their defenders don't stay blocked very long. They run to the ball very well. Getting Jerry McGee back at linebacker has helped.

"They stunt more and give you different looks more than a lot of teams in our district do. We've seen their secondary with several interceptions (on film). We've seen them change the complexion of a couple of games."

The Ballinger coach is also aware of Wylie's stout defense, which has allowed 17 fewer points than Ballinger overall in the first seven weeks.

"They're as solid a ballclub as I've seen, and their offense has gotten better every week," Slaughter said. "Their offense is starting to click for them, and their defense has been very solid from the word go."

-- Where: Bulldog Stadium

-- When: 7:30 p.m.

-- Radio: Star 98.1 FM

-- Last week: Breckenridge 43, Ballinger 13; Wylie 28, Brady 7

-- Records: Ballinger 5-2, 3-1; Wylie 6-1, 3-1

-- Last meeting: Wylie 25, Ballinger 21

-- Injuries: Ballinger -- QB Lance Gallant (shoulder), probable; FB-LB Jerry McGee (shoulder, knee), probable; CB-TE Johnny Binder (separated shoulder), out; Wylie -- LB Scott Unger (ankle), probable; K-DB Scott Bull (knee), out; WR-DB Adam Kitchen (broken wrist), probable; WR-DB Scott Sharp (hyperextended knee), probable; WR-DB Andy Penn (back), probable.

-- Scouting Wylie: The Bulldogs didn't turn the ball over in their 28-7 win over Brady last week. Of its 279 yards of total offense, Wylie accounted for 155 on the ground and 124 through the air. Sean Bailey had a game-high 81 yards and increased his team lead in rushing to 343 yards on 77 carries. He scored two touchdowns, giving him four in the last two weeks. Quarterback Grant Gregg completed 7 of 18 passes, including one for a 30-yard touchdown. Senior nose guard Justin Scott had a huge game against Brady, posting four tackles, four assists, two behind the line and two quarterback sacks. He also hurried two passes. Jason Allen also performed well, with three tackles, four assists, two hurried passes and one sack. Linebacker Scott Unger, who played only four downs on defense last week before leaving with an ankle injury, continues to lead the squad with 55 tackles and 38 assists. Linebacker R.D. Hussman is second with 44 stops and 29 assists.

-- Scouting Ballinger: The Bearcats led fourth-ranked Breckenridge 14-13 at intermission, but were outscored 29-0 in the second half. Ricky Guerrero led Ballinger with 130 yards rushing on 26 carries and now has 702 yards on 124 carries for the season with seven touchdowns. Quarterback Lance Gallant has completed 60 percent of his passes for 403 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions. On defense, linebacker Jerry McGee leads the team with 47 solo tackles and 17 assists and linebacker Aaron Workman has 39 tackles and 24 assists.

What the coaches are saying

"Wylie's not as big as they've been, but they have a lot of quickness. In some areas, it's made them better. They're running the ball quite a bit better. Their defense is playing outstanding. This is one of the best defensive ballclubs I've seen them have."

-- Ballinger head coach Dan Slaughter

"They (the Wylie players) know the importance of this game, and they have had a great week of preparation. Now it's a matter of going out on the field and performing."

-- Wylie head coach Hugh Sandifer