An actual date may seem quite arbitrary, especially when you’ve sunk into the habit-forming schedule that is high school sports.
Girls tennis on Thursdays, volleyball on Tuesdays and Saturdays, middle school sports on Thursdays, junior varsity football on Monday and varsity football on Friday. Right?
Not this week.
Even though I correctly have the day written down (the 26th) for this week’s football slate, I still fell into the trap of assumption — you don’t need to remind me of the childhood saying about those who assume. I’m already very much aware.
Nope, for all but one area team this week, the normal Friday night lights will become Thursday night lights as the final week of regular season play is here and the stakes could not be higher.
For all but two area teams, they face a win or go home scenario (or stay home for a couple of the teams who are playing on their own field.)
Iola hits the road to take on Girard (3-5, 1-1 in district play). The Mustangs are fortunate in the sense that the Trojans have won three games and those three teams that they’ve beaten have won a combined two games. Having said that, the Mustangs have also won only three games and those three teams have only won a combined three games.
Needless to say, that sets things up for an interesting Thursday night for Iola football fans as a win over Girard sets up a rematch of last year’s sub-state matchup with Frontenac who’s 5-3 this season with their best win coming last week over 6-2 Columbus to win their district.
Meanwhile, Humboldt is in a very similar win-or-go-home situation after slipping up last Friday versus Jayhawk Linn. The Cubs will travel to Northeast-Arma who has yet to win a game all year and has been outscored 98-374.
Humboldt should survive to take on Wellsville in the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Crest has a shot of advancing on as well but has a much harder task at hand as they face a Pleasanton team that’s 5-3 and 4-1 in district play this season. If they win they will advance on to take on a district two champion that, as of press time, has not been decided.
Last but not least for Thursday, Marmaton Valley at Southern Coffey County both play in their final game of the season after both being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. While a win or loss will have little effect on anything outside of the field that it’s being played on, both teams will want to end their season on a high note.
That leaves Yates Center, whose senior night match-up is the lone area Friday game.
After starting the season 1-6, the Wildcats have a chance for a special end to their season as they host 1-8 Oswego whose only win is the above-mentioned winless Northeast Arma.
There is a very slight chance that due to tiebreakers, a big win over Oswego and a big loss by St. Mary’s Colgan would set up a tiebreak scenario where the Wildcats would be district champions but the more likely scenario is that Yates Center will take on the District Three champion (undecided as of press time.)
Until then, try to remember that we have two days of area football this week (or at least I’ll try to remember.)
PHOTO: Sophomore quarterback Casen Barker throws a pass during the Mustangs’ 33-12 win over Anderson County on Friday. REGISTER/TIMOTHY EVERSON
