Water Valley or Veribest, Who Will Win the District?

VERIBEST, TX-- Last year, Water Valley and Veribest battled it out for the final playoff spot in District 8-1A D1. The Veribest Falcons came out on top in that 105-60 shootout. The win booked Veribest's first trip to the playoffs and left Water Valley prepping for basketball season.

This year, both teams are in the playoffs but the district championship has yet to be decided. Both Water Valley and Veribest come in with 2-0 records in district play. Veribest has the better overall record at 6-3, while Water Valley comes in with a 4-5 record.

The Falcons have won three of their last five games. The Wildcats are on a two game win streak after breaking a three-game skid.

On paper, Veribest has had a better offense, scoring an average of 47.7 points per game. But Water Valley has seen a resurgence in their offense over the last two weeks, putting up 120 points in mercy-rule victories over Paint Rock and Santa Anna.

Heading up Water Valley's attack is Jeremy Jackson. The senior running back has carried the ball 115 times this season for 1,713 yards and 29 touchdowns for an offense averaging 36.8 points per game.

Flying high for the Falcons has been junior quarterback Hayden Barnes. Barnes has thrown for 633 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Barnes' favorite target is Jayton Warren, who's tallied 383 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Warren also has a modest 279 yards and five touchdowns on the ground this season. Leading the rushing attack for Veribest are Angel Marquez and Isaac Oviedo. Marquez leads the team in rushing yards with 740 while Oviedo leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 19.

Defensively, Veribest has been better throughout the year, allowing an average of 28.8 points per game while Water Valley is allowing 40 points per game. 

There's also Veribest's 3-1 home record. Aside from a loss to Rankin, who also beat Water Valley, Veribest has made their home field a fortress. Water Valley has one loss more on the road than Veribest's home record so this game could be evenly matched. The teams will square off in Veribest tonight at 7:30 pm.

This game will go to the team with more stops defensively, an area Veribest has done well in this season.

Prediction: Veribest 86, Water Valley 54