PITCHIN WITH PRITCH: Patience, patience, patience
The high school football season is heading into the playoffs and eventually there will be State Champions crowned in seven divisions. It should be a thrill to get into the state playoffs but again this year as in years past, I wonder if some of the teams are really looking forward to getting into the elite part of the year. I realize that it isn’t easy coming up with a foolproof playoff situation but how many of the teams that are under .500 during the regular season really look forward to playing a team that is 8-0 in the first round of the playoffs?
I am sure as a coach I would approach that as motivating tool to make the season more of a success than being 4-5 going into the playoffs and coming out 4-6. It is interesting to look at the different classes and see how the playoffs play out going into this first round.
In Class A there are 32 class A teams in the state and 16 of them get into the playoffs. This year there are only four of them that have losing records and they all have the same 4-5 record.
Pius is one of the 4-5 teams and they get Millard West at 9-0 and the top seed in Class A. Millard North is another 4-5 team and they get #5 seed Omaha Burke and the last 4-5 team in Class A is Omaha North and they get the number 2 seed Lincoln Southeast.
I wouldn’t say none of the 4-5 teams have a chance but it will be a battle I think but I also think the Class A teams are the most likely to a 4-5 team win their first game.
In Class B, 16 teams get in and there are 5 of those teams that have losing records and I am guessing here none of the under .500 teams will defeat their opponents.
In C1, all of the teams have winning records. In C2, all of the teams have winning records.
You get to D1 where you have 51 teams in the division and 32 of them get into the playoffs and now of the 32 teams still playing four of them are .500 teams and eight of them are under .500.
So in a division where the teams score a lot of points, I think you will see some really lop-sided first round games. In D2 there are 32 teams in the playoffs and eight of them are .500 or less.
Basically my thoughts are that there are too many teams in the playoffs in those two classes. There might be some upsets but there might be some games that it will be 100 to a fumble also.
Still I am sure all the teams will show up and play because there is always that chance where all the stars will align and the underdog will win the day and that game will be the one that the team, the coaches, and the community will always remember.
Husker Football
I still have hope that the Huskers can get 6 wins this season. It would qualify them for a bowl game and hopefully the extra practice and extra game would help them in getting where the coaches, players and all the football fans in Nebraska would like to see them and that is back in the National Limelight in Big Time college football.
This is the same guy that wrote the first part of this article saying there are too many teams in the playoffs and sometimes I think there are too many Bowl Games also, but in the high school playoffs I am sure it isn’t going to change very much and I am sure that the same is true in the Bowl Games of the College situation.
I am not sure we can win two more games or not. I thought after listening to Coach Frost’s press conference we were selling AT&T stock when I heard we are just OK, but just OK isn’t good enough.
Patience, Patience, Patience! Rome wasn’t built in day, and all those sayings are correct. I don’t think we have the same level of talent that some of the other Big 10 teams have, but we should be able to line up on offense correctly by now especially when it was such an important play and we could stop making so many mistakes that are mental lapses etc.
Get better with the little things and that usually takes care of the big things. So we now have a four game season left with Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Iowa left to play.
We need to get people well and then just for fun set our goal at four more wins this season. Go Big Red!