Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always To be blest.
-Alexander Pope
Playing this deep in the season has got to be a thrill. For Butler, it means another shot at the national championship after beating Hutch 29-14 in the Region VI title game on Sunday. I’m curious if anyone else sees the irony in the Grizzlies losing the No. 1 ranking in the first game of the season to Blinn, the team that would hand them a shot at the national title by beating No. 1 Navarro yesterday. I guess it all comes around. That Butler is once again going to play for the whole thing really blows me away …. it doesn’t matter who is in there, they just get it done. That Hutchinson was able to make some noise this year, I mean, they led the Grizzlies headed into the fourth quarter Sunday. Watch out for Rhion Rhoades and the Blue Dragons.
For Pittsburg State, all this week means is a shot at redemption. They beat Nebraska-Omaha in the first round of the NCAA DII playoffs last week and now they get another shot at NW Missouri, the only team that beat them this season. And they beat them pretty handily, doling out an early October, 35-10 shellacking at Arrowhead Stadium. Maryville will be a crazy place to be Saturday.
At Friends … what an opportunity for the Falcons. They’re undefeated, ranked No. 5, and get the No. 10 team and an old Monty Lewis nemesis, Northwestern Oklahoma State, on Saturday in the first round. Bear in mind that Friends has never won a playoff game. Ever. I think this is definitely a game they can win … my only concern would be that it has been a long time since the Falcons have played a tight game and this one could go that route. That’s Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Austin-Adair if you’re interested.
I’m out.
-TA