By Tom Halliburton
Everyone in these parts figures to load up the playoff buses and head out next weekend. They're all going.
Port Arthur Memorial and Beaumont West Brook are top seeds in Class 5A. Port Neches-Groves is an undisputed 4A league champion. Nederland amazingly has battled through to its customary Division 1 playoff berth. Beaumont Central may be poised for another deep playoff run. Bridge City is back in the 3A post-season where it belongs with a familiar playoff name known as West Orange-Stark. East Chambers is an undisputed 2A league champ and Evadale is too in 1A.
To go to the head of the class, one should turn a shade of PN-G purple after the Indians would splash together a remarkable 10-0 regular season for the first time in 32 years.
Brandon Faircloth and the Indians still had to rejoice on Saturday after a 25-22 double-overtime rescue mission at Beaumont Central last Friday night.
"It certainly was great for the kids to be a part of something historical like that," the first-year Indians' coach said. "The players fought back and they hadn't been down by nine points all year."
Now here's the problem with the post-season. None of the opponents care about your favorite team's regular-season accomplishments.
"Everybody's 0-0 right now," Port Arthur Memorial first-year head coach Kenny Harrison said. "But I'm happy and proud that all our teams around here were able to win and make it to the playoffs."
Harrison is right to an extent, except that Nederland, Memorial and PN-G all may feel as if each is 1-0, not 0-0. Those Friday night road victories felt as if they were playoff-type atmospheres for the Bulldogs, Titans and Indians.
subhed: PN-G/Barbers Hill
PN-G gets to turn around and begin its post-season the same way as its regular season -- against Barbers Hill.
The Indians get to be the home team again and they even play on home-like field turf when they meet the Eagles (5-5) on Friday night in Baytown's Stallworth Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Faircloth's group should be able to focus this week, because Barbers Hill would play PN-G a closer final score -- one point (21-20) -- than any of the Indians' 10 opponents in the season opener. Coach Don Price's Eagles went 4-3 in District 19-4A, producing a balanced offense. Barbers Hill ran for 1,875 yards and threw for 1,942 in 10 games.
Ticket prices for PN-G's bidistrict game will be $7 at the gate with pre-sale prices of $4 for students and $6 for adults. Faircloth was not certain in regard to pre-sale ticket plans Saturday afternoon, but the tickets will be available during the week at PNGISD administration office.
subhed: Nederland/Crosby
The new Woodforest Bank Stadium off I-45 in Conroe will serve as Saturday afternoon's venue for the Nederland/Crosby Class 4A bidistrict battle in Division I.
Coach Kevin Flanigan's Cougars (8-2) lost two opening affairs decisively with Ennis and PN-G, but went unbeaten through an undisputed District 19-4A championship run of seven league wins.
Crosby will serve as the home team in its red jerseys.
The Nederland team (5-5) rolled to three straight wins over Livingston, Vidor and Lumberton behind its season's fourth starting quarterback to secure the Division I runner-up berth.
"We had to overcome so much just to get here but our players were really excited when we came back home on the bus after the game," said Bulldogs boss Larry Neumann.
Ticket prices for Nederland's bidistrict game will be $7 at the gate with pre-sale prices of $3 for students and $7 for adults. The pre-sale will begin at the Nederland high school main office Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pre-sale will conclude Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
subhed: PA Memorial/La Porte
The Titans have a score to settle here. La Porte ended Port Arthur's playoff bid quickly a year ago, 56-28, in bidistrict. The Bulldogs relied on powerful runner Kendrick Perkins for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, La Porte's defense muzzled Port Arthur's ground game to a miserable 36 yards on 20 carries.
La Porte is the runner-up team from 22-5A, going 6-3 overall and 5-2 in its district. Perkins leads LP's run-oriented attack with 1,212 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Coach Jeff LeReau's squad has clobbered its last two opponents (Pasadena High and Pasadena South Houston) by a combined total of 95-0.
Memorial (6-4) will be the 21-5A top seed in Division 2 and will be the home team in the black jerseys for Saturday's 1 o'clock kickoff on the Pasadena Memorial Stadium turf field.
Harrison indicated all tickets will be $7 at the gate with pre-sale prices of $3 for students and $5 for adults. Those tickets will go on sale starting Monday at Port Arthur's Memorial Stadium north end zone ticket office.
AREA PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
Class 5A Division 1 Bidistrict
Beaumont West Brook (7-3) vs. Deer Park (7-3), 1 p.m. Saturday, Stallworth Stadium, Baytown
Class 5A Division 2 Bidistrict
Port Arthur Memorial (6-4) vs. LaPorte (6-3), 1 p.m. Saturday, Pasadena Memorial; PAM is home team
Class 4A Division 1 Bidistrict
Nederland (5-5) vs. Crosby (8-2), 2 p.m. Saturday, Woodforest Bank Stadium, Conroe; Crosby is home team
Beaumont Central (7-3) vs. Goose Creek Memorial (7-3), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Zaharias Stadium, Beaumont; Central is home team
Class 4A Division 2 Bidistrict
Vidor (7-3) vs. Dayton (7-2), 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Bowers Stadium (SHSU), Huntsville
Port Neches-Groves (10-0) vs. Barbers Hill (5-5), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Stallworth Stadium, Baytown; PN-G is home team
Class 3A Division I Bidistrict
Silsbee (6-4) vs. Huffman Hargrave (5-5), 7 p.m. Saturday, Stallworth Stadium, Baytown
Jasper (8-2) vs. Gilmer (10-0), 3 p.m. Saturday, Rose Stadium, Tyler
Class 3A Division 2 Bidistrict
West Orange-Stark (8-2) vs. Coldspring (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Falcon Stadium, Huffman-Hargrave
Bridge City (7-3) vs. Cleveland (9-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Pasadena Memorial Stadium, Pasadena
Class 2A Division 1 Bidistrict
Anahuac (7-2), bye
Kirbyville (8-2) vs. Corrigan-Camden (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Abe Martin Stadium, Lufkin
Class 2A Division 2 Bidistrict
Buna (6-3), bye
East Chambers (8-2), bye
Newton (9-1) vs. Buffalo (7-3), 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Indian Stadium, Groveton
Woodville (5-5) vs. New Waverly (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Friday, Bowers Stadium (SHSU), Huntsville
Class 1A Division I Bidistrict
Colmesneil (7-3), bye
Class 1A Division 2 Bidistrict
Evadale (10-0), bye
Hull-Daisetta (5-5), bye
