Opinion

Hard work pays off in playoffs

Monday, October 29, 2001

Once again, high school football teams in Southwest Nebraska have demonstrated their superiority, with five qualifying for the Nebraska state playoffs.

Wednesday night, the five teams will begin their quest for championship honors when they square off against other playoff contenders in first round, quarterfinal contests.

Representing this area in the playoffs are the McCook Bison in Class B, the Chase County Longhorns of Imperial in Class C-1, the Eustis-Farnam Knights in Class D-1, and the Culbertson Bears and the Hayes Center Cardinals in Class D-2.

McCook, which has won six straight games, will travel west to take on Ogallala, the team which edged the Bison, 6-3, in the opening game of the season.

Ogallala had better beware, however, because the Bison have greatly improved as the season has progressed. As in all playoff competition, it will be do-or-die, with the winner advancing to the second round against the Scottsbluff-Lexington winner.

Chase County, with a 7-2 win-loss record, will travel to Geneva Wednesday to take on Fillmore Central, which boasts an 8-1 record. The winner advances to challenge the Hastings St. Cecilia-Adams Central victor in round two.

Undefeated Eustis-Farnam, the Number 1 seed in Class D-1, will host Harvard, which has an 8-1 record, in the first round Wednesday night. If the Knights win the game, their second round foe will be the winner of the Bloomfield and Bruning-Davenport contest.

In Class D-2, Culbertson, with a 7-2 record, will be on the road for the first round of the playoffs, traveling to Sargent to meet the undefeated Bulldogs. Hayes Center, with an 8-1 record, will also be traveling for Wednesday night's game, motoring to O'Neill to take on St. Mary's.

If Culbertson and Hayes Center both win their first round games, they will play each other Monday, Nov. 5, for the right to advance to the Class D-2 finals.

The second round, semi-final games will also be Monday, Nov. 5, in Classes B, C-1 and D-1, and third round is Saturday, Nov. 10.

Finals will be Nov. 15 in Classes D-1 and D-2 and Nov. 17 in Classes B and C.

It is an outstanding accomplishment to qualify for the playoffs. Teams must commit themselves to rigorous practice and conditioning schedules, and dedicate themselves to a team approach to excellence.

Congratulations to all the area qualifiers, and best wishes for success in the playoffs.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: