Who Will Make it Out of The 3-6A District?

SAN ANGELO, TX — The 3-6A District kicked things off last week as six of the seven teams battled it out for an early lead in the standings.  San Angelo Central, Trinity, and Richland are tied at 1-0 while Abilene, LD Bell, and Weatherford each have some ground to make up. The odd man out last week was Haltom.  The Buffalos have an extra week to prepare for their district opener against Weatherford this Thursday.

Take a look below for a recap of last week’s games and how each team is looking as the season approaches its halfway mark.

3-6A District Standings

Trinity 5-0, 1-0

SA Central 3-2, 1-0

Richland 1-4, 1-0

Weatherford 4-1, 0-1

LD Bell 2-3, 0-1

Abilene 1-4, 0-1

Haltom 2-2, 0-0

Weatherford 38 (4-1,0-1) at 45 SA Central (3-2, 1-0) 

When Central is clicking, they look like a force to be reckoned with in this district.  The Bobcats made it out of a tough non-district schedule 2-2 before jumping to the top of the 3-6A rankings Friday.  In the game against Weatherford, QB Malachi Brown played some of the best football of his high school career. He was responsible for all of Central’s touchdowns, three rushing and three passing, and completed 70% of his passes for 281 yards.  In addition to his great performance through the air, he picked up another 131 yards on the ground. Brown’s ability to keep the defense guessing on how he will hurt them is an invaluable asset. Defenses cannot try to take one part of his game away because the other will be just as dangerous. 

Another key factor to watch as the season plays out is the growth of running back Kris Jackson.  He has separated himself as the number one option in the backfield and ran for a season high 108 yards against Weatherford including a 71 yard run to put the Bobcats in position to take the lead with just over five minutes to play.   

Despite the loss, the Kangaroos are in good position to make a run in the playoffs.  The explosive offense is humming along behind quarterback Ken Seals and junior running back Dez Forrest.  They were stymied early on in the contest but became in sync as the game progressed. Weatherford was down 31-10 at halftime before reeling off 21 points in the third quarter to tie things up.  

Central will look to move to 2-0 in district against the undefeated Trinity Trojans in Euless while Weatherford goes back home to take on Haltom.

Trinity 42 (5-0, 1-0) at LD Bell 7 (2-3, 0-1) 

The Trinity Trojans have looked like a powerhouse so far this season.  They are the favorite to win the district and for good reason. With three offensive linemen over 400 pounds, Trinity wears down opposing defenses early and often.  Against Bell, Trinity rushed for 388 yards between several contributors, four of whom picked up at least 69. The leading rusher, A.J. Barnett, claimed only 91 of the 388 which shows just how well they spread the ball around.

Although the passing game is not the primary focus on offense, they can still toss it around when needed.  Senior quarterback Marcus Ervin is a great game manager that only throws a handful of times a game but adds another dimension with his ability to run.  In their closest game so far, a 21-19 win against Sachse, Ervin lead the team with 105 yards rushing on only 11 attempts.  

As for Bell, the Raiders have had an up and down start to the season.  They are now 2-3 with losses to 2-2 Coppell (Coppell lost to #3 ranked Allen by 7 and Sachse by 3), 4-1 Mesquite, and, of course, Trinity (for the 22 time in a row).  Their only wins are against 0-4 Macarthur and 1-4 Plano East. It is definitely not a great resume so far, but they have shown flashes of a team that could shake things up in this district.  Against Trinity, Bell struggled to move the ball. The Raiders’ only points of the game came in the first half after Trinity fumbled and gave them the ball at Trinity’s 26 yard line.  The struggle offensively could be credited more to the vaunted Trojan defense than to Bell’s offense, so writing them off as an easy win is not accurate. They will have a hard time earning a spot in the playoffs, but they could be the deciding factor in another school making it if they snag a couple wins.  

Trinity will return to Euless and face 3-2 Central during homecoming, and Bell will hit the road to face Abilene.

Abilene 34 (1-4, 0-1) at Richland 35 (1-4, 1-0)

Before last Friday, Richland was down and out.  The Rebels were winless and averaged just under 11 points while allowing 43.25 per game.  1-3 Abilene gave them an opportunity to turn their luck around and they took advantage. Barely.  Abilene fought back from a 14 point halftime deficit to go up 6 in the fourth quarter only to give it back on a last minute touchdown on a trick play by Richland.  

The 35 point showing was the offense’s best performance of the season by far, but they still struggled at times.  28 of the 35 were scored in the first half and the other 7 were from a reverse pass to win the game. Junior wide receiver C.J. Baskerville had a breakout performance with 8 receptions for 179 yards and 2 TD’s.  Before that, he had zero touchdowns and his season high was 71 yards. It was only one game, but if the Rebels are successful giving him the ball, then the rest of the offense will follow suit. 

Abilene is also 1-4, but their losses have been much closer than Richland's.  The average point differential in their losses is 7 points. The only win for them so far was a 28-7 victory at Midland.  In that game, starting quarterback Eric Abbe was moved to running back in place of an injured Phonzo Dotson. Abbe, who is a talented passer, showed off his athletic ability and rushed for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns on 16 carries.  Against Richland, he was back under center where he accounted for 268 yards (195 passing, 73 rushing) and three scores.  

Defensively, Abilene has played very well.  They were able to hold 4-1 Tascosa to 19 points and 10th ranked Cooper to 23.  For some perspective, Tascosa and Cooper averaged 42 and 41 points, respectively, in their four other games.  If the Eagles offense can capitalize on its defense’s play, then they may be able to sneak into the playoffs.  

Friday, Abilene will have a great chance to earn its first district win as they return to its home field to face a struggling Bell squad.  Richland will have a chance to enjoy its win with a bye week before heading out to play Bell on October 11. 

Haltom 2-2 (0-0)

We did not get a chance to see Haltom play last week as someone has to have a week off in the 7-team district.  The Buffalo will have had two weeks to prepare for the offensive minded Weatherford Kangaroos and will put up a great fight on the road.  

The defending district champions did not start the season off like last year’s 13-1 team, but they easily could have. Their two losses were by a combined four points.  The two wins were by 17 and 28. Several important players from last year are now gone, but the young bucks have stepped up and will be ready to challenge Trinity for the top spot again. We will know more after October 11th when those two teams play each other, but for now Haltom should be viewed as a top team in the district.