TAKING ON THE REAL DEAL

CLASS 1A SIX-MAN ROUNDUP: As last season’s Cinderella squad, Kopperl faces surprising, undefeated Three Way in key 11-1A, DII showdown; 7th-ranked Iredell hosts Bluff Dale, No. 3 Oglesby visits Cranfills Gap, DI’s Walnut Springs travels to Covington

With Bosque County’s five six-man football squads spread out across three districts in two divisions for the first time since 2014, as many as four county teams could possibly advance to the state playoffs. So as district races opened last week, attention turned to positioning for a postseason berth.

Coming off their second open date in the last three weeks, the Kopperl Eagles (4-1) will begin District 11-1A, DII competition by hosting the undefeated league-leading Three Way Braves (1-0 in district, 7-0 overall) on Senior Night at 7 p.m. Friday. The Braves are coming off a convincing 45-0 district opening victory over the Bluff Dale Bobcats last Friday night.

“Three Way is the real deal,” Kopperl head coach Ken Davis said. “And to make it back to the playoffs, we have to get past them. They are quick and aggressive on defense, and it will take our best game this year to beat them. Offensively, they will come right at you. So, we have to wrap up and hold on to make tackles, while making sure they don’t beat us with deep passes.

“We used this week to kind of recuperate from some bumps and bruises, while trying to correct some mistakes that have been popping up during games. It should be a good game for both teams, and the winner will have a leg up on securing a trip to postseason.”

Coming off an overwhelming 60-0 victory over Bosque County rival Morgan, the Class 1A, Division II’s seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons (1-0, 5-2) will play host to the Bluff Dale Bobcats (0-1, 4-3) in a key District 11-1A, DII matchup at 7 p.m. Friday. The Bobcats will be coming off a disappointing 45-0 home loss to the undefeated Three Way Braves last Friday night.

“Bluff Dale is always going to be ready to play,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “They played hard and gave us a tough game last year. I expect the same effort from them, and we will have to make sure we are on point to get another district victory.”

The Morgan Eagles (0-1, 2-5) will get on open date in the district schedule this week before resuming against Bluff Dale at home Oct. 25.

In a District 14-1A, DII matchup at 7:30 p.m. Friday, the Cranfills Gap Lions (0-1, 0-7) will play host to the third-ranked Oglesby Tigers (1-0, 5-2). Struggling to overcome injuries all season long, Cranfills Gap lost their district opener to Priddy, 56-28, last Friday night, while the Tigers will be coming off a convincing 42-0 victory over Mullin.

“We have small goals to accomplish in our game against Oglesby,” Cranfills Gap head coach Josh Raulston said. “And we know they will prepare us for a dog fight with the rest our district. As long as we survive it, will gain important experience.”

Hoping to keep their postseason hopes alive, the Walnut Springs Hornets (0-1, 3-4) will hit the road to take on the Covington Owls (0-1, 0-6) in a key District 9-1A, DI matchup at 7 p.m. Friday. While Walnut Springs lost to the Blum Bobcats, 66-18, last Friday night, the Owls will be coming off a hard-fought 43-28 loss at Milford.

“Blum is a good team,” Walnut Springs head coach Richard Dye said. “And they played very well Friday night. I think we’ll bounce back against Covington, but they’re hungry to win, too. I think it will be a good game.”

IREDELL 60, MORGAN 0

Junior Cole Heutzenroeder ran for three touchdowns and threw for another score as the Class 1A, Division II’s seventh-ranked Iredell Dragons burned the Bosque County rival Morgan Eagles, 60-0, last Friday in a game that ended at halftime by virtue of the 45-point mercy rule.

“Getting that first district win is always a good way to start off and gain some momentum for the rest of the year,” Iredell head coach Luis Guereca said. “It was great to see the work we have been putting in practice show on game day.”

Four different Dragons found their way into the endzone as four separate players — Heutzenroder, Corter Sweat, Caleb Garland and Brennon Smith — completed passes to three different receivers as Iredell featured a balanced attack that scored at will. Zach Mitchell led the Dragons with two catches for 47 yards, while Heutzenroder led the ground game with 66 yards on only three carries.

“Our offense ran smooth due to our offensive line and backs doing a great job blocking,” Guereca said. “Big lanes were made, and I know the running backs enjoyed that.”

The Dragons called only eight running plays in the game, scoring on six of them as Heutzenroder broke off touchdown runs from 31, 23 and 12 yards out. Junior Caleb Garland added two more rushing touchdowns, while Landen Keel got into the act with a 42-yard scoring run.

Defensively, Heutzenroder led Iredell with 11 tackles and a fumble recovery, followed by Garland with six, Smith with five and Corter Sweat with four, while Caden Sweat came up with a fumble recovery. “Defense has been doing a great job, and last night was no exception,” Guereca said. “We were able to create some turnovers, and the offense took advantage of it.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS