With so many teams making the playoffs these days, it’s becoming more and more rare for one week during the regular season to have an impact, especially in the Class 4A and 5A ranks.

But perceptions sure can change.

Before the season, the consensus was the District 8-4A championship would be decided when Midway hit the road to square off with Stephenville.

That all changed in the first week of district play, when Waco High went on the road and handed Midway a 26-24 defeat.

All of a sudden, Waco High surged into the public consciousness as a team to beat in 8-4A, and Midway-Stephenville became somewhat of an afterthought.

Sure, it’s still a big game, since the Panthers can re-establish themselves as a district title contender with a win over a 10th-ranked Stephenville squad that has shown vulnerability the last two weeks. The Yellowjackets had to hold on for dear life to beat University, 38-36, then had to come from behind to bump off Killeen, 37-33.

But as far as the playoff picture is concerned, nothing will be decided until the following week — the final game of the regular season.

Unless a miracle of the highest order happens — a San Angelo Lake View win over Killeen and a University win over Waco High this week — the four playoff teams will be Waco High, Stephenville, Midway and Killeen.

Waco High and Stephenville will be the district’s Disivion II schools, while Midway and Killen will represent 8-4A in the Division I playoffs.

And that, in a nutshell, is why Week 10 is so intriguing, especially the Waco High-Stephenville showdown.

The winner of that game can avoid seeing record-setting running back Johnathan Gray and Aledo for an extra two weeks.

Last year, the Lions drew that assignment in the second round and were defenseless as the Bearcats hung 70 points on them. Two weeks later, Aledo played a stellar defensive game and took out Stephenville, 18-10.

Sure, the Yellowjackets opened the season with a 48-47 win over that same Aledo squad, but any team would be wise to do everything in its power to avoid the Bearcats in the playoffs.

Aledo will undoubtedly have its sights squarely on a third straight state championship and won’t take kindly to any team that gets in its way of that goal. It’s also never a bad idea to avoid a team that’s scoring 56 points per game for as long as possible.

There are also personal reasons for Waco High to be on the opposite side of the bracket from Aledo.

Running back Darrell Harris was a spectator for most of the Lions’ 71-0 demolition of Lake View on Friday, but he still has 1,834 rushing yards this season.

Former Midway running back John Hubert holds the city rushing record of 2,853 yards, a mark he set in 2008. Harris would need to play five more games to catch Hubert if he keeps up his torrid pace, but that becomes more unlikely with a loss to Stephenville.

Over at Midway, the Panthers will host Killeen for 8-4A’s top spot in the Division I bracket.

Here’s the kicker, though. Last year, being the top seed actually proved to be a detriment to Midway, as it put the Panthers on a collision course with Denton Ryan in the third round. Midway came up short, 19-10, and Ryan went on to play in the state title game.

Defensive end Mario Edwards, viewed by many as the top recruit in the country, and Ryan again loom in the same spot in the bracket for the Killeen-Midway winner.

The loser gets a slightly softer path through the playoffs, but Wichita Falls Rider would be the other third-round foe, and the Raiders only fell by three points to Ryan in district play two weeks ago.

Of course, none of the previous few paragraphs will matter if these teams don’t win the games necessary to reach these postseason showdowns, but it sure is fun to peek down the road.

Break up the Blackcats

Youth has not served Mexia well this season.

The Blackcats were held to 14 points or less in each of their first six games as part of an 0-7 start.

But the season might have taken a turn with an 18-11 win over Madisonville on Friday.

In fact, if Mexia can parlay its positive momentum into solid play for the next two weeks and bump off Palestine Westwood and Groesbeck (combined record 4-12), the Blackcats would find themselves back in the playoffs for the eighth straight season.

Coming this week

University vs. Waco High: As detailed above, the main course in 8-4A comes next week, but this crosstown rivalry is a nice appetizer. The Trojans are hoping to keep their playoff chances alive, while the Lions don’t want any setbacks before facing Stephenville in Week 10.

Gatesville at La Vega: Two straight losses have Gatesville clinging to playoff hopes, and La Vega has no interest in helping. The undefeated Pirates would wrap up the District 19-3A title with a victory, but know how dangerous the Hornets can be after dropping a 30-27 decision to them Gatesville last season.

Lorena at Robinson: The winner likely clinches a playoff berth, the loser must sweat it out until Week 10. Both teams are 2-1 with only a loss to La Vega on the ledger. With the Pirates appeared to be headed to the Division I playoffs, this one could also decide which of these two will be the top Division II representative.

jorts@wacotrib.com

757-5717

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