For quite a while we have pretty well known that Branson was almost assuredly locked into the #4 slot in the district standings. What we did not know, for sure, is who would finish fifth in the six team field.
We knew there was a good chance that Waynesville and Springfield Central would both go winless. We also knew that Waynesville would receive bonus points week 9 for playing Kickapoo, which is a Class 6 school. Still all signs pointed to the Pirates getting the Bulldogs. Taking a quick look at it the week before, I even realized Central only needed a few of their opponents for earlier in the season to win in order to hold on to that spot. Well, at the end of the night they didnt get enough to keep the spot. Reeds Spring, Jefferson City, Lighthouse Christian, Nixa, all went down, just to name four. Had any one of them won or any single one of the other opponents that lost last week got the decision this would be a different preview…. but as they say “thats why they play the games”
So instead of a team they had played the past couple of years, the Pirates get an unknown in Waynesville. As you would expect from their 0-9 record the Tigers have struggled mightily this year. They have had trouble scoring and even more trouble stopping others.
Offensively they have scored a TD or less in more than half of their games this season. They have a total of 92 points this year, or an average of only 10.2 per night. On the flip side they have given up at least 30 points to every single team and on an average night they give up 42.55 points. They are a long way removed from the State Championship they won back in 2007. That being said the Tigers have made of history recently out of struggling in the regular season and coming alive in the playoffs. Despite not winning more than 3 games in any of the past three seasons they were only eliminated in the first round of districts ONE time. In that time they have made the second round and played for district Title in 2013.
Branson has lost two in a row after back to back victories over Marshfield and Republic. If the Pirates can just play their game. Get back into the same groove they showed in those two Ws; its a game they should be able to take care of going away. A victory would send them to face Springfield Glendale and the video game numbers their offense as been able to put up this season. But that is a challenge the Pirates will gladly except. Because that means they would still be playing football.
