Miami spread back Haiden Thompson totaled 510 yards with nine touchdowns during the Warriors 81-31 blowout win against Silverton on Thursday. [Bobbie Brown/ Texas 1A Fan]
1. Follett proving a point
It was not the offensive showcase we have come to expect from Follett, but instead fans got something better.
The No. 6-ranked Panthers (5-0) used a hard nosed, gritty, grind it out, 38-29 win to beat Paducah on Thursday night. The Panthers continue to press the issue on why they should be considered the Region I favorites moving to 4-0 against Six-man Division I opponents.
The Panthers jumped ahead early with a 22-0 lead in the first, backed by a great defensive effort. Although the Dragons hung around this game was never in doubt.
2. Hedley keeps it going
The Owls continue to impress this season as their undefeated record improved to 5-0 on Friday night with a 72-40 win over Lazbuddie. Hedley is one of only six unbeaten Texas Panhandle teams left standing.
The last time that Hedley surpassed a five win total was in 2010 when the Owls finished at 6-5. This Hedley team continues to be one of our surprises in 2021. The Owls try to make it 6-0 at Guthrie on Thursday.
3. Nazareth takes a step
Last week in this article I wrote about Nazareth facing an “identity crisis”. The Swifts were coming off a loss to Paducah, and didn’t seem like a team that had found their way. Nazareth has seen sparks of something special this season, but just haven’t caught fire.
That changed somewhat Friday night as the Swifts went on the road and came away with a 30-28 victory at Valley. Nazareth’s offense doesn’t fit the mold of ordinary Six-man offenses. The Swifts are more methodical, grinding out for yards as well as building their time of possession. The defense was matching the offensive intensity as junior Brett Heitschmidt showed. The defensive end was the difference maker in this one picking up nine tackles, and batting down a big 4th down pass attempt in the closing seconds to finish off the Patriots for good.
4. Wayside Warriors
I’ll admit when I’m wrong. I have fallen victim once again to underestimating one of our local teams.
This time it was the Miami Warriors. After a less than stellar 0-3 start to the season, the Warriors are turning it around. In the past two weeks they have claimed road victories over San Jacinto (53-36) and then Silverton 81-31 on Thursday.
This week’s win came off the back of an impressive showing by sophomore Haiden Thompson. The lead back compiled 510 total yards and nine touchdowns. He wasn’t done with his performance as defensively he led the defense with 12 solo tackles on the night.
5. Wolverines are real deal
Springlake-Earth has been the talk of Region I all season long. The Wolverines continued to show why that is the case. On Friday night, the Earth delivered another impressive shutout win as they handled White Deer in a mercy-rule 47-0 win by halftime. With the three-headed monster of Evan DeLeon, Keshan Holmes, and speedster Braxton Ethridge, this team will be the cause of nightmares for many weeks to come.
6. Defending Champs roll on
The sixth spot in this weekly recaps are to showcase the happenings across the state of Six-man football. Happy got a not so great glimpse of one of the best this week when facing Division I defending state champion Sterling City. This is their second matchup in as many years with the Eagles, but this one wasn’t near the game as the first meeting. Sterling City out matched the Cowboys in a 58-8 blowout, compiling 380 total yards. Happy was able to get the ball moving, finishing with 214 yards before half, but turnovers wreaked havoc giving the Eagles a leg up.