It’s playoff time for many Palo Pinto County area teams, in both volleyball and football.
At the time of this article, volleyball playoffs have already begun, with football playoffs just ahead. Five area volleyball teams, Millsap Lady Bulldogs, Garner Lady Longhorns, Perrin-Whitt Lady Pirates, Graford Lady Jackrabbits and Strawn Lady Greyhounds each got it done during the regular season to get the opportunity to keep playing in November in the UIL State Playoffs.
Graford and Strawn each found themselves victorious in the Bi-District round on Monday night. Graford swept Trenton in three sets to move on to the area round, and Strawn defeated Newcastle 3-1 and stamped their ticket to the area round. The Graford area game is still TBA, but Strawn will be facing off with Harrold on Saturday morning in Windthorst, a neutral site for both teams, beginning at 11 a.m.
Millsap and Perrin-Whitt each took the court against their respective opponents on Tuesday evening, with Millsap facing Holliday and Perrin-Whitt taking on Ranger. Millsap unfortunately saw their season come to an end against a tough Holliday squad, in three straight sets, but Perrin-Whitt will advance, claiming the bi-district title in three sets over Ranger. The Area round game for the Lady Pirates will be in Decatur on Thursday evening, where they will face Saint Jo.
Garner is scheduled for their round one game on Thursday evening, which will have not been played by the time this goes out. Check out our website or Facebook page for any possible updates on games happening between Wednesday and Friday.
On the football field, the Gordon Longhorns claimed the district championship in 13-1A having held their opponents scoreless in every single district game, and winning every game played this season by the 45-point “mercy” rule. The district champs clinched their playoff spot by claiming the title and will make a run for a second consecutive state title.
Strawn also claimed their spot in the postseason, with their third straight shutout win last Friday. They hit a couple of bumps in the road early on in the season, but is a team that knows how to bounce back and be successful. Under head coach Dwaine Lee since 2003, the Greyhounds have earned four state titles in five appearances and are no stranger to adversity during the season, so those two early losses in the season didn’t shake them a bit. They are rolling with some momentum in to the final week and into playoff football.
Mineral Wells and Perrin-Whitt on the hunt for playoffs as well with one final game each.
Mineral Wells has a great chance at claiming a spot with a win over Burkburnett, so long as there are no major upsets in the district. A win over Burk and a playoff spot would heal some wounds from last year, when the Rams were in a three-way tie going into the final game, which they won, but that wasn’t enough. The Rams needed to score one more time to break the tie and clinch their spot but fell just short of that final score and was left with a sour ending to the season. This year, the Rams have shown a new side, with more fight, more depth, and more buy-in to the coaching staff on the sidelines. They have proven they can play with some of the best, despite falling to Brock and Graham in district play.
Perrin-Whitt has been quiet, but victorious, going 7-2 overall, and 2-1 in district play so far in 6-1A action. They dropped two back-to-back games which were a blow, one being homecoming and the other their district opener but have since recovered and proven that they can play football. With one more matchup ahead, a win could shake up the district standings and move the Pirates into a playoff spot. With a strong junior and senior class, the Pirates are mature and have set themselves up for success.
We are excited for all these teams and the successes they have had this season and look forward to getting to watch them keep playing in their playoff journeys.
