SAUNDERS: Champions and records fall in the six-man football playoffs

Each week, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football six-man insider Leman Saunders offers his thoughts on the six-man weekend that was. -Milford pulled off a huge upset win over Richland Springs, 62-16, to advance to the 1A Division II regional finals. The dominant performance was a shock to many. Taron Smith was stellar once again for the Bulldogs, throwing for 200 yards and five touchdowns and running for 95 yards and two more scores while also returning a kickoff for a touchdown. Corbin Schrotke led the Bulldogs’ defense with 16 tackles. It was MIlfor’s first playoff win over Richland Springs since 1994. -Perhaps more shocking than Milford’s victory was Iredell’s 54-8 thumping of Oakwood. The Dragons jumped on top early, scoring on their first two plays from scrimmage, and never looked back as the Iredell defense stood tall. Morgan Whitfield shined for the Dragons, who will now try to play spoiler again against Milford in the Region IV title final. -Petersburg gave Follett all it could handle in their regional semifinal matchup. Follett trailed 52-38 In the third quarter before mounting a comeback to take down the Buffaloes, 84-74. Petersburg running back Tristin Garza ran for 535 yards — the most in a six-ma game this year — and seven touchdowns on 33 carries in the loss. -McLean marched on to the regional final with a 75-44 win over Knox City as RB Ben Crockett had another huge night, running for 241 yards and seven scores for the Tigers. But the story of the game was McLean FB Chism Henderson, who played through an injury he suffered in the third quarter, even scoring on a long touchdown run. He was later taken to the hospital, where it was discovered he had broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a ruptured spleen. He’s recovering well, and should provide inspiration for his teammates as they battle in the 1A Division I regional final against district bunkmate Happy. -May turned in a dominant effort in a 65-20 win over Zephyr, as both Preston Johnson and Dalton Self eclipsed the 100-yard mark, combining for six touchdowns in the win. Wyatt Mowe threw for 143 yards and a score as well. Now, May will square off with Jonesboro in what may be the six-man game of the week. -Jonesboro found itself in a dogfight with Bryson. Tied at 50 early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles dug deep, outscoring Bryson 22-8 in the final minutes to win 72-58. Wyatt Young ran for 390 yards and eight touchdowns and notched 17 tackles in the victory. -Strawn and Crowell had an old-fashioned Turkey Day game, facing off on Thanksgiving — one of just two such games in Texas. It was a feast for Strawn, who won at halftime via mercy rule, 52-0. Strawn has won its two playoff games by a combined score of 112-0. -Speaking of dominant defenses, Borden County has yet to allow a point in the 1A Division I playoffs. In fact, the Coyotes haven’t allowed a point in their last five games, pitching five consecutive shutouts. They’ll face Garden City for the Region II title this week. -Happy should be pleased with its offensive production this week, soaring past Ropes 94-46 in a game that ended at halftime. Happy did have the ball late in the second quarter with a chance to hit triple-digits in a single half — a rare feat in six-man football — but opted to kneel it out.