Guess Who’s Back

That’s right, after a three-year hiatus, the Terrell Tigers are back in the playoffs. They’ve come a long way, winning just five games from 2006-2008, but turning it all around for an 8-2 mark this season under first-year coach Chris Gilbert and his awesome staff.

Here’s the playoff game info:

CLASS 4A DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT GAME
Terrell Tigers (8-2) vs. Waco University Trojans (6-4)
2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14 at Midlothian ISD Stadium

It’s 1:48 a.m. so I’m out for now, but much more to come on this matchup Monday.

Breaking down the 15-4A tiebreaker

Josh Winfield (11) and the Terrell Tigers may have beaten Forney, but there is still a way the Tigers could be left home while Forney advances to the postseason.

Okay, we’re just 24 hours from the last game of the 2009 regular season and here’s what we know: Red Oak and West Mesquite are going to the playoffs.

After that, it’s one big muddled mess.

Forney and Terrell can clear it up a little bit tomorrow because with wins over Red Oak and Lancaster, respectively, each team will clinch one of the remaining two playoff berths in District 15-4A. Even if Forney loses to Red Oak, the Jackrabbits would still clinch with a Terrell win, due to its head-to-head win over Lancaster.

So that’s the easy part.

But what if both Forney and Terrell lose Friday? Well, that’s where it becomes messy.

Losses by Terrell and Forney would create a 3-way tie with Lancaster joining the mix, then the tiebreaker comes to point differential. Let me explain.
Each team gains a plus or minus in points depending on each game score between any of the three teams.

Currently the +/- point standings look like this:

Terrell is a +6 thanks to its 21-15 win over Forney.
Forney is a +2 with its 16-8 win over Lancaster, then subtracting the 6-point loss to Terrell.
Lancaster is currently a -8 due to the loss to Forney.

In the event of a three-way tie, the team with the highest +/- gets a playoff berth, leaving the remaining spot to the head-to-head winner between the remaining two schools.

If it is to end in a 3-way tie tomorrow night, the final score of the Terrell-Lancaster game would be the deciding factor. Here’s what would happen:

•• If Lancaster wins by 1-4 points – Terrell would clinch with the highest plus-minus and Forney would clinch based on its head-to-head victory over Lancaster, which would be eliminated.

•• If Lancaster beats Terrell by 5-10 points – Forney would clinch with the highest plus-minus and Lancaster would clinch based on its head-to-head win over Terrell. In this scenario, Terrell would be eliminated.

•• If Lancaster wins by 11 points or more – Lancaster would clinch with the highest plus-minus and Terrell would clinch based on its head-to-head win over Forney, which means the Jackrabbits would be eliminated.

That’s how the system works.

Now, as far as seeding is concerned, that’s a different monster altogether, with enrollment figures coming into play to determine seeds, but here is what it boils down to.

ENROLLMENT
Lancaster – 1,824
Forney – 1,726
Red Oak – 1,702
West Mesquite – 1,648
Terrell – 1,204

If Terrell and Forney clinch:
Division I – #1 Red Oak, #2 Forney
Division II – #1 West Mesquite, #2 Terrell

If Terrell and Lancaster clinch:
Division I – #1 Red Oak, #2 Lancaster
Division II – #1 West Mesquite, #2 Terrell

If Forney and Lancaster clinch:
Division I - #1 Forney, #2 Lancaster
Division II – #1 Red Oak, #2 West Mesquite

Obviously, for the Terrell Tigers, the bottom line is simple – JUST WIN BABY!
If they do that, then they won’t have to worry about any stinking tiebreakers.

Week 9 NFL Picks

Here are my picks for Week 9 of the NFL schedule:

• Atlanta over Washington – I was impressed with how tough the Falcons played after their egg-laying in Dallas the week before. The Redskins are just awful.

• Chicago over Arizona – Two teams still searching for an identity collide in this game. I’ll take the Bears at Soldier Field but wouldn’t be surprised if Kurt Warner had a big day.

• Baltimore over Cincinnati – What a way to bounce back against Denver last week. The Ravens just throttled the undefeated Broncos and that momentum is why I pick them again.

• Indianapolis over Houston – Peyton Manning owns the Texans and although the colts didn’t look spectacular last week against the Niners, they still found a way to win.

• Jacksonville over Kansas City – If this game is televised, I might be sick. Who in their right mind could watch these two horrible teams play for three hours?

• New England over Miami – A week off probably did the Patriots good. Maybe they spent some time getting their running game in order. If so, the Pats could be hitting a high note soon.

• Green Bay over Tampa Bay – I’m still shocked at how fast the Bucs became so bad. Now with Josh Freeman as the starter, they may start to put together something resembling an offense.

• New Orleans over Carolina – Just when I think the Saints may be staring at a loss, they find a way to pull it out. More impressive was Carolina’s win at Arizona last week.

• Seattle over Detroit – I’m not sure what to say here.

• NY Giants over San Diego – The season can still be saved for the G-Men. However, a loss in this game to my second-favorite team, and it’s safe to say the wheels are falling off.

• Tennessee over San Francisco – No reach here, I just have more confidence in Chris Johnson/Vince Young than I do with Frank Gore/Alex Smith.

• Philadelphia over Dallas – I so badly wanted to pick the cowboys this time, but even though these teams are as even as their records, Philly’s big-play potential gives them the edge. Close game though.

• Pittsburgh over Denver – Think the Steelers weren’t licking their chops when they saw how Baltimore’s blitz destroyed the Broncos last week? Part 2 of that massacre comes Monday night.

Last Week: 10-3
Season: 70-46

*Games behind Jim = 6

A Year to Remember

The Terrell Lady Tigers huddle for the last time Monday during their bi-district playoff loss to Waco Midway. The 2009 team set a program record for wins in a season (25) and made the playoffs for the first time in 24 years.

While their trip to the 2009 volleyball playoffs may not have lasted as long as they’d like, the Terrell Lady Tigers did make one thing clear this season – a little hard work goes a long way.

In the case of the Terrell girls, it may have been more than just a little hard work but it still paid dividends, lifting a program that has been a stranger to success out of the basement and among the contenders.

It had been 24 years since the team last saw the postseason, and in those 24 years, many dreadful seasons and last-place finishes kept most folks around town from even bothering to catch a game in person.

However, a rather loud audience in attendance Monday at Ennis High School was proof of just how high these girls have lifted the program.

If you didn’t see it for yourself, then you missed something almost majestic.

On the floor were a group of girls not intimidated by a superior opponent and not cracking under the pressure of the playoff intensity.

Instead, there was a group of kids so happy to be rewarded for their hard work that many had a hard time not smiling, even in the face if defeat as if to say nothing would ruin this moment.

It will be something special they will have for the rest of their lives, a season to remember.

Week 8 NFL Picks

Once the noon portion of last week’s NFL schedule had ended, I was thinking it might be the week I bust through with a great record on my picks. After all, I was a perfect 6-0 though the first half of the day and only one of my remaining seven picks seemed to be a toss-up.

But, as fate would have it, the rest of my week was pretty bleak and I finished with a putrid 2-5 mark in the final seven contests.

This weekend there are far too many close matchups to feel that confident, so hopefully I will be rewarded by staying humble.

Here are the picks:

• Baltimore over Denver – I don’t care that Denver’s undefeated, the Ravens have dropped three straight and know their backs are against the wall.

• Houston over Buffalo – The first thing I did when I saw this matchup was check the weather forecast in Buffalo. 60 degrees and clear equals a win for the Texans.

• Chicago over Cleveland – The Bears were embarrassed by the other Ohio franchise last week, but are 2-0 at home this season. Make it 3-0 against the Browns.

• Dallas over Seattle – The Cowboy offense looks to be gaining steam and the Seahawks have so many injuries they might have to promote players from the UFL.

• St. Louis over Detroit – The Lions are dealing with injuries to Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, so I’ll bet on Steven Jackson to carry his teammates to their first win.

• Indianapolis over San Francisco – The Colts are unbeaten but not getting the respect they deserve. Alex Smith gets the nod for the Niners, but he’s no Peyton Manning.

• NY Jets over Miami – The Fins haven’t been good away from home this season, which leads me to believe the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets will escape with a narrow win.

• NY Giants over Philadelphia – My heart tells me to take the Eagles because of their history at The Linc, but I can’t see the Giants unraveling and dropping three straight. It’ll be close.

• San Diego over Oakland – Dear Roger Goodell, Please don’t televise this game, or any future game involving the Oakland Raiders. Sincerely, NFL Fans.

• Tennessee over Jacksonville – Vince Young gets the start, but it’ll be Chris Johnson who steals the headlines with a 150-yard effort, putting the Titans in the win column for once.

• Minnesota over Green Bay – Very impressed with the way the Vikes played in Pittsburgh. I came away from that game thinking they were one of the top five teams in the league.

• Arizona over Carolina – Why is Jake Delhomme still starting? that’s a question I’m sure a lot of Carolina fans are asking, and for very good reason.

• New Orleans over Atlanta – Before their ugly loss to Dallas, I would’ve taken the Falcons in this game. But that was then and before the Saints mounted a huge comeback last week.

LAST WEEK: 8-5
SEASON: 62-45

Terrell playoff info – Football & Volleyball

It was previously reported that the Terrell Lady Tigers last appearance in the volleyball playoffs was in 1983.

Terrell High School also made the playoffs in the 1985 season and lost to Leander in the area round, which was the first round of the playoffs in that year.

The Lady Tigers clinched their third playoff berth in program history Friday and will finish with either the third or fourth seed in District 15-4A.

With a win Tuesday in Mabank, the Lady Tigers will face Forney in a tiebreaker contest to determine seeding. If Terrell loses to Mabank, the Lady Tigers will be the No. 4 seed.

Also, in Friday’s football game story against Mesquite Poteet, it was reported that the Tigers would clinch a playoff berth with a win in either of their last two games.

This was later found to be incorrect as some tiebreaker scenarios are still in effect.

There is one scenario in which Terrell could clinch this week. If Terrell wins at Forney and Mabank beats Lancaster, Terrell would clinch a playoff berth. The Tigers last qualified for the postseason in 2005.

Please accept my apologies for these errors.

Terrell runs away with win

The Tigers explode for 20 points in the final period and beat Poteet 47-24.

Kennedy strikes again!

Guy Kennedy throws his third TD pass of the night, this one a 28-yard strike to Jherrod Stiggers, giving the Tigers a 34-24 lead with 6:55 to play.

The fourth quarter has begun

The final period has started and Terrell has a 27-17 lead.

Tigers go ahead 27-14

Jaylon Kennedy’s 4-yard touchdown run puts Terrell ahead early in the third by a score of 27-14.