Editorial

Area towns show quality across board

Tuesday, November 2, 2004

For the towns of Southwest Nebraska -- just like communities throughout the state and much of the nation -- high school football is a rallying point ... a place where townspeople and rural residents can come together in pursuit of a goal requiring teamwork, focus and preparation.

And, so it is this week that the supporters of five area teams are bursting with excitement as they enter the first and second weeks of Nebraska's annual autumn march through the playoffs.

"In a town of 250 population, the playoffs are huge," says Tom McMahon, superintendent of the Hayes County School District. The community will be nearly deserted Wednesday evening during the playoff game at Stapleton."

The Hayes Center Cardinals, at 9-0, are one of three undefeated Southwest Nebraska teams entering Wednesday's playoff games.

At this lofty level, the Cardinals join the high-scoring Arapahoe Warriors and the mighty McCook Bison, who possess the longest winning streak in Class B history at 35 games.

McCook will start down the 2004 playoff trail at 3 p.m. Wednesday when the Bison host 5-4 Crete at Weiland Field, while Arapahoe travels to Elm Creek for a 6 p.m. game against the Buffaloes, who have an 8-1 record.

Joining the undefeated area teams in playoff action will be the Chase County Longhorns of Imperial, a perennial power in Class C-1, and the Southwest Roughriders, a gritty group of competitors who are making their mark in the first year following the consolidation of the Republican Valley and Twin Valley districts.

Southwest, with a 7-2 record, travels to Oshkosh to take on the Garden County Eagles in a 2 p.m. (CST) game, while Imperial hosts Broken Bow for a 2 p.m. battle in the Mountain Time zone.

In an area rich in football talent -- as shown by the number of Southwest Nebraska athletes who go on to college success -- the accomplishments of area teams are no surprise. Yet, the playoff success is still thrilling, giving area communities justifiable pride in their young athletes' achievements.

Wednesday's games cut across the classes, with the five area teams competing in five different classes: McCook in Class B; Imperial in Class C-1; Southwest in Class C-2; Arapahoe in Eight Man-1; and Hayes Center in Eight Man-2.

That is across-the-board evidence of the quality of football coaching and play in this region. Let's show the state as we join in support of the area's best as they continue their march through the playoffs.

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