Who ordered the snow? My wife likes the snow. Me, not so much. At least not in November. Not while the high school football playoffs are still going on.
But a blast of winter is supposed to descend on us. Like 2-4 inches or thereabouts. That followed by temps in the mid to high 30’s Friday makes for a pretty chilly night of football across much of the state.
This means I should probably start the snow blower to make sure it runs. I haven’t done that yet. Actually, I haven’t used it in like three or four years.
Chances are, I won’t this time either. But you never know.
Anyway, get the extras clothes if you’re planning on watching some Friday night football. Hopefully, if you are play-by-play announcer you won’t be sitting on top of the press box. Hopefully, there is room inside. Right, Patrick?
Prep Thoughts
If you’re still playing football now, you’re a pretty good football team. This area has some pretty good football teams. And all four teams left the area have a legitimate shot at a sub state game next week.
Great Bend and Maize presents one of the most interesting match-ups of the weekend. Great Bend has scored at least 30 points in every game but one this year and that was back in week two. Maize has five shutouts and allowed just two points and seven points in two more games.
Now, with that said, Maize started with four straight shutouts and has allowed just nine points through six games. In three of the last four games, the Eagles have allowed double figures. Even if you take away a 35-21 loss to 6A No. 1 Derby, Maize gave up 26 to Salina Central and 15 to Liberal in wins.
For those who can’t make the trip to Maize, I do believe you can watch the game at nfhsnetwork.com. Select Kansas and find Maize High School.
In 2A, Hoisington put some doubters to rest last week with a resounding win at Cimarron. Standing between the Cardinals and their second trip to Sub State in the last four years is a solid Hutch Trinity squad.
Trinity is ranked No. 4 in the 2A. The Celtics only loss is No. 3 Conway Springs, 22-8, back in week four. Trinity runs for more than 200 yards per game. Hoisington runs for more than 350 yards per game. Whoever imposes their will on the ground should win.
Central Plains will get a test this week. The Oilers have shutout every foe since week two and 45ed all eight of those teams. That won’t be the case with Hoxie, the defending state champions. Yes, a shutout is possible, but a 45-point win will not happen.
Hoxie is big across the line. Like 6-5, 325 big. And 6-3, 215 big. Oh, and there is 6-8, 310 that sees snaps off the bench on both sides of the ball. That makes running up the middle and stopping the run up the middle a tough task. Clifton-Clyde found that out.
Hoxie’s only loss was to St. Francis. The Indians have survived close battles with Clifton-Clyde, Hill City and Wichita County. You can catch the match up in Hoxie on openspacessports.com.
Otis-Bison survived a shoot-out with Central Christian last week, 66-52. The game had some unusual numbers. Check this out – Central Christian ran 101 offensive plays and accumulated 496 yards. That resulted in eight TDs. But only twice did Central make its two-point conversion. Whew.
Meanwhile Otis-Bison ran just 35 plays. And scored nine TDs. The Cougars tallied 405 yards – all on the ground – with QB Anton Foust rushing for 291 yards on 19 carries and seven TDs.
Dighton – and its roster of nine players – keeps chugging along. The Hornets lost 38-12 to Hodgeman County back in week one and again to St. Francis, 54-20, in week three. Those two teams are in the quarterfinals of Eight Man I.
Former Barton Athlete/Coach update
Lane Lord gets ready to start his new adventure this weekend. The former Barton women’s basketball coach gets started in the D-I level Saturday when his UT Rio Grande Valley team tips off its season.
The Vaqueros, a member of the WAC, will host Texas Lutheran, a D-III team. The first big contest will take place Monday when fellow D-I school and neighbor Texas A&M-Corpus Christi comes to town for the first game of the South Texas Showdown.
Last season UT Rio Grande Valley, who campus is in Edinburg, finished 14-16 but just 4-10 in the WAC, next to last. We will follow Coach Lord’s progress this season, which includes at WAC game at UMKC on Feb. 2.
And Finally
With age comes wisdom. At least until senility sets in. I don’t think I’m there yet.
There was some doubt about that as I was running up and down the football field last Friday night to a combined 118 points.
The wisdom part was me realizing I needed to stay on the couch as much as possible the following day. Mission accomplished.
Anyway, like I was saying, with age comes wisdom. I tell this to my wife, who is younger than me. She doesn’t believe me, but, again, she doesn’t have the wisdom I have so she just doesn’t know any better.
As I hear about the cold and snow coming possibly coming our way, I think back to my days of less wisdom during the winter months.
It wasn’t sledding behind a pick up down the streets of Glen Elder that was lacking wisdom.
It wasn’t 4-wheeling through the snow in the jeep, getting stuck and rolling down the window to play tic-tac-toe on the snow because it was that deep that was lacking wisdom.
Nor was it playing football in the snow in my shorts.
No, the time which lacked the most wisdom was when myself and a couple friends were walking on the ice in the creek in Glen Elder. I was in grade school. Not thinking twice about it really.
That is when the ice broke. I fell in to about by shoulders. My friends pulled me out. Needless to say I was wet and it was cold. And it was about supper time, so I had to go home.
I knew I probably shouldn’t have been walking on the ice in the creek. So I came up with a grand story. I told my folks that someone sprayed me with a water hose.
Um, yeah, in freezing weather. That is the wisdom part – or lack thereof – I was talking about.
We chuckle about it now. Well, I chuckle. I think my folks still shake their head.
So as you shake your head at the youth of today, think back to your youth. I’m sure we’ve all done few things that made our elders shake their head.
Mike Marzolf is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune and his views don’t necessarily reflect those of the paper. He can be reached at MarzolfM@bartonccc.edu.
