Eastland and Cisco meet for the district title in the DQ Big Game of the Week

[caption id="attachment_20062" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Russell Peables Photo by Russell Peables[/caption] It’s a bittersweet week in Texas high school football. Some seasons will end, others will begin again and big games with district championship and playoff implications will take center stage. Friday’s District 2-3A matchup between the Eastland Mavericks and Cisco Loboes has all the fixings to go down as a classic. It’s a rivalry game between neighboring towns that will determine playoff seeding. Cisco sits atop the district with a 6-0 record and is followed closely by Eastland and Henrietta at 5-1. A victory for the Loboes will clinch the district title and put Eastland into the playoffs as the third seed, but a win for the Mavericks will make the title come down to points and possibly a coin toss. All complicated scenarios aside, this is a football game that both teams need to win before heading into the postseason. “It’s hard to downplay this game,” Eastland head coach Cliff Watkins said. “The kids know what’s on the line, the whole atmosphere this week has been different and we’re excited to play. We’re going to have to tunnel that energy, take it to the field and stay under control.” This will be the 79^th meeting between Eastland and Cisco, but just the second since realignment caused a four-year hiatus in the rivalry. The Loboes handily defeated the Mavericks last season and lead the all-time series, 50-26-2. However, there’s no way to determine what will happen when they clash at Chesley Field Stadium in Cisco. Eastland comes into this game armed with a fast offense led by senior quarterback Josh Gosnell that can hang a lot of points on the scoreboard. The Mavericks defense has been consistently strong but will have a tough job containing a Cisco offense that has big play ability as well. Cisco’s offense is anchored by a slew of productive rushers, including senior quarterback Taylor Massey. The Loboes will look to challenge Eastland’s run defense and stop the Mavericks with a good defense of their own. Both towns have been buzzing about this game for weeks. The crowd is expected to be big, rowdy and give the teams an early taste of the playoff atmosphere. “You can’t let the atmosphere get the best of you,” Watkins said. “We want to come out fast, but we have to maintain the energy for 48 minutes. I expect both teams to play the best we have to this point.”