District play has 15-2A, Division I teams prepared for playoffs
Friday, November 27, 2015
compiled by Mike Forman, Advocate Sports
Victoria Advocate Sports Article | Shiner Comanche Football | Shiner Comanche Sports
The regular season ended three weeks ago, but for all practical purposes the District 15-2A, Division I campaign is still in progress.
We Meet Again
REMATCHES FROM THIS SEASON
Class 3A, Division I
Goliad vs. Mathis (district)
Rice Consolidated vs. Hitchcock (district)
Class 2A, Division I
Shiner vs. Flatonia (district)
Refugio vs. Weimar (district)
Class 2A, Division II
Yorktown vs. Bruni (non-district)
REMATCHES FROM LAST SEASON
Class 4A, Division II
Cuero vs. Navarro (playoffs)
Shiner emerged with the district's championship trophy, but the final ballot won't be determined until the quarterfinals.
Shiner, second-place Refugio, third-place Weimar and fourth-place Flatonia have advanced to the regional round of the playoffs, making the district the only one in the state in one division to have all of its postseason teams in the third round.
The Shiner (12-0) - Flatonia (7-5) rematch is scheduled for Friday at El Campo's Ricebird Stadium.
Refugio (10-2) and Weimar (9-3) play for the second time Friday at Victoria's Memorial Stadium.
"This is what everybody talked about when they put this district together," said Shiner coach Steven Cerny. "Your top four are going to be good. Last year, it didn't quite work out. This year, it just goes to show you how good everybody really was."
The district's six teams had a 23-7 record in non-district games, and the four playoff teams have been dominant in the first two rounds of the postseason.
The district's representatives have defeated their opponents by a combined score of 385-80, and the smallest margin of victory was 17 points.
"We faced Weimar, Shiner and Refugio in district," said Flatonia coach Chris Freytag. "Just playing those type of teams, other teams don't look quite as big and quite as fast. They're not quite as physical. We played Junction and it had a fine team and a really quick quarterback. The whole game kind of slowed down. Just playing that kind of competition gets you ready."
The district features four coaches - Shiner's Cerny, Refugio's Jason Herring, Weimar's David Husmann, and Ganado's Keith Wright - who have each won a state championship.
Shiner, Refugio, Schulenburg have won state titles, and Flatonia has played in a state championship game.
"I think there's great coaches in the district," said Herring, who won a state title at Refugio and Sonora. "Top to bottom, there's not a weak coaching staff. After that, I think there's tremendous tradition. It's a district where football is important. Everybody's got pride and everybody's got really well-coached kids and everybody's got tradition."
"Probably the biggest thing is tradition," agreed Husmann, who won two state titles at Schulenburg. "Everybody's got really good football tradition in the last 20 or 30 years. Tradition has a lot to do with it. We're the only one who doesn't have a lot of football tradition. I think tradition and expectations mean a lot."
The players came out of district play well prepared for the competition they have encountered in the playoffs.
"Our district was pretty tough," said Shiner senior Marcus Rodriquez. "You always had to be prepared and you couldn't underestimate them. You can't take them for granted."
"They were all competitive," added Refugio junior Robert Frazier. "We had to go 100 percent and do our thing. It helped us focus on what we were doing right and wrong. It got us ready for the playoffs."
The teams emerging from Friday's games will face another rematch in the quarterfinals, and at least one team from the district will advance to the semifinals.
"It's a lot of athletes and a lot of good coaching staffs," Cerny said. "Everybody had a program that has won. You put them all in one district and everybody talked about it's like the SEC and it's true. The sad thing is only one can come out of this. It's going to get real interesting now."
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