Cowboy's Six-Shooter — Six thoughts on Week 7 of six-man football

Photo by Brandi Parks

With two of the biggest six-man rivalries in Texas happening in Week 7, we knew there would be at least a couple of good games — and we weren’t disappointed. 1: The Strawn and Gordon rivalry goes back to 1923 — fifteen years before six-man was introduced to Texas. With such a long-standing feud, an epic battle is almost always likely. Fans were treated to a nail-biter this year, as Gordon lead the game 22-8 at halftime — on their own field — only to see Strawn fight its way back and tie the score midway through the fourth quarter. With 36 seconds left in the game, the Greyhounds scored a final time, winning 28-22. 2: In what is arguably the second biggest rivalry in six-man — one that began in 1967 — Abbott defeated Aquilla, at Aquilla's field. This was an old-school slobber-knocker that kept fans on their feet. What impressed me the most about this game wasn't Abbott's 28-20 victory, or the battle that lead up to it. The most impressive thing was the show of sportsmanship after the game. The teams intermingled, talking about how good the game was. The friendly discussions and banter were a testament to the coaches of both teams. 3: The Gorman Panthers entered their game as 45-point favorites over Stephenville FAITH. I am unsure if they were overconfident, or if they have been overrated, but the Panthers suffered their first loss in six-man. The Knights’ 40-point victory should humble Gorman. 4: I expected the Meadow vs. Motley County matchup to be a barn-burner — in fact, Sixmania's system predicted a one-point Meadow victory. The Broncos must not have gotten the memo, because instead of a close game, Meadow made a mockery of our prediction and thumped the Matadors 58-12. If the Broncos continue to increase their level of play, District 3-1A Division I will get a lot more interesting. 5: In most levels of high school football, scoring 60 points in a game will almost guarantee a win. But in six-man, that may not even be enough to avoid a mercy rule loss. The White Deer vs. Whiteface game was proof of that, as White Deer outscored the Antelopes 107-62. It's games like this that have caused the widespread belief that there is no defense in six-man. 6: We haven't shown the private schools much love this season, but it's hard to ignore Houston Emery-Weiner. The Jaguars won the TAPPS Division I title last season and are once again the top-ranked team in their division. The Jags have only lost one game this year — an 85-65 loss to powerhouse Calvert. Only two TAPPS teams appear to be strong enough to challenge Emery, and the Jags have already defeated one of them. Cowboy's Top 5DIVISION I 1. Happy 2. Jonesboro 3. Borden County 4. Ira 5. Zephyr DIVISION II 1. Richland Springs 2. Calvert 3. Balmorhea 4. Crowell 5. Milford