After going on the road and beating sixth-ranked Ennis, 56-31, Friday night, it would’ve been understandable if the Midway Panthers wanted to crow about it afterwards.

But they didn’t.

Instead, they were more interested in discussing their next opponent — the Waco High Lions.

That’s what great teams do. They always keep their eyes pointed ahead at what’s next instead of bragging about what they’ve just done.

Just take a look at this quote from running back John Hubert, who cemented his status as the front-runner for Super Centex Offensive Player of the Year with a stellar performance, rushing for 226 yards and seven — count ’em, seven — touchdowns.

“This game is passed,” he said. “Now we’ve got to play Waco High and we look at them like district champs.”

“I’m glad (the kids are looking ahead),” added Midway coach Kent Bachtel. “What we can’t do is think we’ve arrived and have a big letdown. We’ve got great respect for Waco High, and we’re really excited about playing them.”

Hubert wasn’t the only one who helped Midway handle Ennis. The Panthers’ defense confused and frustrated one of the most talented offenses around and forced the Lions into six turnovers.

So with the Panthers firing on all cylinders, the question must be asked — just how far can this Midway team go?

Bachtel isn’t biting on that question.

He knows the Panthers still have work to do to wrap up the district championship first, facing a Waco High team that is peaking at the right time this week before closing with a Waxahachie squad that will also be a playoff participant.

“We’ll find out more in the next couple weeks,” Bachtel said. “The good thing is we’re playing two of the best teams in the state the next two weeks, and they’re going to get us prepared for the playoffs. We just need to stay focused on who we play next.”

The way Midway has dominated the district so far is a surprise. The Panthers were expected to have to scratch and claw just to earn a playoff berth. And after they opened with a 17-7 loss to Class 3A Alvarado, I’m sure more than a few Midway fans were ready to push the panic button even though Hubert missed that game with an injury.

But since holding on for a 10-7 win over Crowley in the final nondistrict game, nobody’s been within 25 points — Friday’s margin of victory over Ennis — of the Panthers.

“Going into the season I felt like we could (be really good),” Bachtel said. “But we didn’t get off to a good start. We showed a ray of hope against Vista Ridge (a 38-0 win), and after we played Crowley I thought we had a pretty good defense. I was a little concerned about our offense, but it’s really come around.”

Admittedly, I wasn’t sure if Midway’s domination — the Panthers outscored their first four district opponents 172-21 and hadn’t allowed a point before the fourth quarter of any of those games — was because the Panthers were that good or if their opponents were that bad.

Friday’s outcome erased all doubt. As Chad Conine wrote in his recap of the Ennis game, these Panthers have teeth. Sharp and dangerous ones at that.

After the way they handled Ennis, it’s hard to argue with that.

Breaking it down

With only two weeks left in the season, things are starting to take form. But there are still plenty of playoff scenarios that can play out.

One district that has flown under the radar but that has the potential to be an absolute mess is 25-1A. Goldthwaite is 3-0 in district play and has dominated so far. So let’s assume they finish undefeated and win the district.

OK, that likely leaves three teams, Bosqueville, Chilton and Meridian, tied at 3-2 and only two of them can go to the playoffs.

Bosqueville beat Chilton, 36-16, Chilton beat Meridian, 30-15, and Meridian beat Bosquevile, 30-6. The district puts a 15-point cap on point differential, so there’s no winner there.

The next tiebreaker is a coin flip. The “odd man” will get the second spot, with the winner head-to-head on the field between the other two teams grabbing the third and final nod.

OK, here’s the kicker. Bosqueville and Meridian still face Goldthwaite, which has already clinched a playoff spot. Both of them can finish anywhere from district champion to out of the playoffs altogether.

In 16-2A, nothing is decided, except that Clifton, Moody and Bruceville-Eddy won’t be in the playoffs.

But if you thought 25-1A was fun, check this out. There’s the potential for two three-way ties in this district. Troy is 5-0, while Hamilton and McGregor are both 4-1. If Hamilton and McGregor win out, that would put both of them into a three-way tie with Troy at 6-1, as McGregor faces Troy in Week 10.

But if Troy beats McGregor and Crawford beats Hamilton, Troy would be the district champion. McGregor, Hamilton and Crawford would be in a three-way tie for second if everything else plays out as expected. The big wild card is Hico. The Tigers are 3-2 and haven’t been eliminated yet, but have a monumental task, facing Troy and Hamilton in the last two weeks.

This district puts a 17-point cap on point differential and it doesn’t figure that it would need to go past that. So far, Troy is plus-17, McGregor is plus-14 and Hamilton is minus-14. Just for the record, Crawford is minus-34 against those schools, so it needs to win out and get help.

There are some other districts that could be tough to figure out, but I’ll mull them over in next week’s preview column.

I’ve used the word ‘if’ enough for now.

Looking ahead

Some of this week’s top games include:

* Waco High tries to go into Panther Stadium and knock off district front-runner Midway in their crosstown rivalry.

* District 7-3A’s playoff order could be set, with China Spring hosting Glen Rose in a battle of unbeatens, while Gatesville travels to West in a battle for third.

* The District 16-2A race begins to focus with Crawford hosting Hamilton.