Archive for October, 2012

On the way

Richard Carter

As a follow-up to my last week’s blog about the imprisonment of two female punk rockers in Russia, the leader of the nation publicly defended the two-year imprisonment sentences in hard labor camps.  He also made a comment that they could be doing housework at home had they not chosen to do their protests. It will be interesting to see the reaction from musicians around the world. Of course, the difference is that these punk rockers in Russia do not have a record deal and were sort of real punk rockers.

A lot has happened over the last week. Jeff Catlin of The Affiliation handed me a copy of the band’s new EP, and let me tell you it’s fun and it rocks. Recorded with original guitarist Kristin Mask before he went off to Berkeley for school, the EP features some absolutely blistering leads. Normally, a band would re-record a CD when they lose a member, but they used the original gang of guys and I like that.

Jeff told me that when Tyson Arnold moved to guitar that they had to change everything up, and it’s fun to listen to the dynamic change. Both sets of guitarists are really good, and I look forward to hearing how the band will develop with the current lineup. I understand they will be opening up for Radio Republic on November 23 at the Pub and I suggest attending that show. Radio Republic should be close to having its new CD out and the show should rock.

Speaking of Radio Republic, they have had a new drummer for a while now, Mike Hardison and recently his other band The Minor Prophets called it quits after some time together. I know that their recently added members Aaron Epp and Charles Harlow had been doing a lot of writing, so it’s a shame they didn’t get to play all of those new songs.

I chatted with Stephen Welch tonight and he is putting on the finishing touches to his newest solo project. His last solo EP was quiet and mostly acoustic guitar and him singing. This new CD, due out on November 27 will be him and two other guys (one is Chris Roberson from Dr. Philgood) and will be somewhere in between Philgood and his last solo music. I am looking forward to it and he said there should be something to hear pretty soon. We shall see.

My buddies, Broadcasting on All Frequencies, will be opening up for Josh Weathers this Saturday, so that might be worth a check out, as well. Also, I understand that former Wichitan and current Austin singer songwriter Ali Holder is looking to record pretty soon and is trying to raise money. You might check her out on Facebook.com to see what is going on with that. I hear she might be writing songs about donors, and that would be sweet!

Finally, the December 31^st band at the Pub has been announced and it’s none other than Blue Light Special. Congrats to them.

I’m a stickler for giving playoff berths at this time of year. To get the little “x” by your school’s name in the paper, you have to be 100 percent guaranteed to make the playoffs.

Not 99.999 percent. I know Munday or Graham won’t lose out. I know Archer City or Olney won’t win out. But if I can find a feasible way – however ridiculous – to make a team even have to have a coin flip to break a three-way tie for two playoff spots, I will.

So call me stingy. Most of these so-so-close issues will be resolved by Friday night at 10 p.m. anyway. And while I’ve spent a few hours crunching the numbers, I can’t 100-percent guarantee I have all the scenarios.

But it’s as comprehensive as I can come up with:

DISTRICT 5-4A

IN: Denton Guyer, Rider

OUT: WFHS

IN WITH A WIN: The Azle-Nelson victor

PRACTICALLY OUT: Denton (There’s a scenario where Denton wins out and gets in a three-way tie with Lake Dallas and Nelson for the final playoff spot. The Broncos first would need to beat Rider (not happening) and then max out on points against Nelson to have a chance. But they do have a chance).

HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT: Rider locks up the top seed in Division II with a win. This week’s Azle-Nelson winner locks up a playoff berth as well. If Nelson wins (my pick) and so does Lake Dallas over Brewer, then Azle-Lake Dallas plays a de-facto playoff game for fourth in Week 10.

DISTRICT 5-3A

IN: Vernon (Of the 16 possible scenarios, Vernon will advance in 15, some of them based on points. The other is if a five-way tie at 2-2 happens, which would mean Iowa Park wins out and Graham loses out. I’ll bet a paycheck that won’t happen. Furthermore, if it does, Vernon should have one of the top three +/- points. They’re a +18 right now. That’s good enough for me to put them in).

OUT: Nobody

IN WITH A WIN: Graham and Burkburnett

HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT: Graham knocks off Hirschi and gets in, then beats Burkburnett next week for district title. If Bulldogs beat IP, they are in. If the Hawks win, I really don’t see Graham or Vernon losing next week. Which means a three-way tie for third at 1-3 between Hirschi, Burkburnett and IP. Under this scenario, Hirschi is the third playoff team. No matter how much the Hawks beat the Bulldogs, they can’t win that points tiebreaker. Which means Iowa Park must win out to make playoffs.

DISTRICT 5-2A DIVISION I

IN: No one.

PRACTICALLY IN: Whitesboro (I’ve seen some people giving Whitesboro the nod. They’re about as close as you can get. But there is a scenario where Boyd wins out at 5-1 and Whitesboro, Callisburg and Pilot Point end in a three-way tie at 4-2. If that happens, PP ends as a +1. Currently Callisburg is a -13 and Whitesboro is a +12, but a 13 or 14-point Callisburg win over Whitesboro this week could put Whitesboro in danger. So as long as they lose by 12 or fewer Friday, they’re good. Or if Bowie beats Pilot Point.

OUT: Ponder and Paradise

WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN: A lot of things are up for grabs. Any of the five teams can make it. Realistically, it’ll be hard for anyone to get in with three district losses but a 4-2 mark should be enough. That means this week Bowie-Pilot Point is an elimination game. And assuming Callisburg loses to Whitesboro, then Bowie-Callisburg the next week is another elimination game.

DISTRICT 5-2A DIVISION II

IN: Nocona, Jacksboro

OUT: Henrietta

PRACTICALLY OUT: Alvord (Henrietta can’t get into a three-way tie at 2-3 with Holliday and City View because it lost to both. But if Holliday lost badly to City View and Alvord maxed out against City View, then there would be a three-way tie at 2-3 with the points tied at 0. Again, this is pretty much 99.99 not going to happen).

WIN AND THEY’RE IN: Holliday.

WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN: Holliday beats City View to make playoffs. Playoff seeding will be determined by Nocona-Jacksboro (this week) and Jacksboro-Holliday (next week).

DISTRICT 3-A DIVISION I

IN: Seymour

PRACTICALLY IN: Windthorst (Olney would have to not only beat Quanah this week but max out. Then Quanah maxes out against Windthorst. That puts three teams tied at 2-2 with 0 as point tiebreaker. This won’t be an issue).

OUT: Surprisingly no one. Archer City and Olney – both 0-8, 0-2 – can conceivably win out to go 2-2 and take third place. But Quanah would have to lose out, which won’t happen. The Wildcats and Cubs are dangling by a thread.

WIN AND THEY’RE IN: Quanah. That would also bump Windthorst (on a bye) into the guaranteed range.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Quanah breezes by Olney and locks up last two playoff spots. Then Quanah-Windthorst decides second-third next week. 

DISTRICT 8-A DIVISON II

IN: None.

PRACTICALLY IN: We all know Munday probably won’t win these last two games by fewer than 45 points. But it’s mathematically possible for the Moguls to lose out, get into a three-way tie with Electra and Perrin-Whitt. If PW maxes out Electra and Electra maxes out Munday, then we’d have three teams tied for 2nd/3rd.

WIN AND THEY’RE IN: Muenster and Electra.

OUT: Petrolia. Maybe there is a way Petrolia can get in a crazy tie at 2-3 but I’m just not seeing it.

WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN: Muenster wins and gets in; the Electra-Perrin winner will take third place.

I took a little good-natured ribbing from some Nocona people after the Indians’ 14-13 victory Friday night because I had picked Holliday.

Having seen the teams play, Nocona winning wasn’t a fluke. The Indians’ defense was very impressive and Holliday’s was stout, too. I’d pick Nocona to win if they played again, but I’d expect another down-to-the-wire affair.

But that’s the thing with me. I have an “I’ll believe it until I see it” attitude. If I had covered another Nocona game this year, I might have picked the Indians. But given Holliday’s tradition and appearance in more big games like this, I sided with the Eagles.

Same with Seymour-Quanah. Felt the Indians could give Seymour a game and thought they could score on Panthers. But I had seen Seymour win its two games by a combined score of 96-7. And I had seen the Indians look really good for 2 ½ quarters and then struggle stopping a Henrietta team that hasn’t scored much since.

So have I learned my lesson? Probably not. Now that I have seen Nocona (and not Jacksboro), I’ll pick the Indians to knock off the Tigers this weekend in what should be another great matchup. Seeing is believing, right?

* Holliday has now lost three games at home this season. Wonder when the last time that happened?

* I will say this about the Eagles. They aren’t ever going down without a fight. Sam Shirley looked like he would be tackled in bounds with just a few seconds left but he fought through a couple tackles and dove out of bounds, which allowed the Eagles to get off a field goal attempt. That play epitomizes Holliday.

* That was a gutsy effort on the road by Rider Friday night. Real gutsy. The Raiders had already received good news Thursday when FW Wyatt edged South Hills (stopping a game-winning two-point conversion in the closing seconds). That’ll send Aledo into the Division I bracket.

But then to go on the road against a Guyer group and hold them to 21 while giving themselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter with their third-string QB. Gotta give it up to the Raiders.

* The biggest developments to come out of Hirschi’s win over Iowa Park, which wasn’t so surprising:

It means Hirschi will win a three-way tiebreaker with Iowa Park and Burkburnett if all three wind up at 1-3. The Huskies are a +8 in that situation and can’t be caught.

Burkburnett can clinch a spot by beating Iowa Park on Friday, but the Hawks have to win out (which includes a win versus Vernon the next week). Considering they are 1-7 right now, I don’t like the odds of IP winning two straight.

* With the really good chance of either Burkburnett or Hirschi making the playoffs, Graham might have been the biggest winner besides the Huskies this weekend. Because now the Steers look bound for the Division II bracket and will avoid Kennedale and Stephenville in the first two rounds. Glen Rose will still be a very tough second-round opponent.

* Lots of seeding left to be determined in 5-2A Division II, but playoff spots are all but locked up. Nocona and Jacksboro are in, with Holliday making it by beating City View this week.

* Henrietta’s playoff streak is now officially over. Nine straight years isn’t easy to do, even if half the teams make the playoffs these days.

* More will be mentioned about it in Wednesday’s 2A/A roundup, but I can’t ever remember a tailback rushing for 500 yards before since I’ve been around. I know it was six-man, but what Northside’s Jody Brandt did on Friday was impressive.

* Besides IP-Burkburnett and Nocona-Jacksboro, there are a couple other big games that will go a long way to determining playoff spots. Bowie has to win out, but must beat Pilot Point on Friday first. And it looks like Electra at Perrin-Whitt will determine third in 8-A Division II.

* Still trying to crunch numbers/run through scenarios in some districts, but I’ll post a playoff scenario blog in the next day or two.

This is a week many have been waiting on for a long time. I know I have.

A couple months ago, it became obvious that several district titles would be decided Oct. 26. Sure, there are two weeks left after Friday, but unless you’re following a team battling it out Week 10 for the postseason, there won’t be a bigger Friday until the playoffs start.

I’ll be at Holliday for the Eagles’ matchup against unbeaten Nocona. I’ll also trying to keep tabs on Quanah-Seymour.

I’ll be anxious to see how Hirschi looks against Iowa Park and how bad Munday beats a good Muenster team. And I’ll be curious to see if Rider can hang with Guyer with its third QB having to play.

Here are my predictions on those important games:

Nocona at Holliday – The Indians are one of the few good teams in our area I haven’t seen play this year yet. But I covered pretty much the same guys last year and I know what they can do. And I’ve seen Holliday at its highest (big win over Van Alstyne in Allen) and lowest points this year (Munday 49-7).

That Jacob Cole was finally healthy enough to play some quarterback last week bodes well for the Eagles. His versatility gives teams fits and I expect him to make some big plays.

I also expect Nocona to have some success running the ball with RB Tate Fenoglio and QB Hayden Hill. Not the 330+ yards the Indians are accustomed to, but they’ll be able to move it some.

I think if Nocona can throw the ball well (and the Indians are throwing it better this year), it could open up holes for Fenoglio and company. And I think the Eagles will hit on a couple big plays, whether it’s a Cole run or an Andrew Edgin catch.

To me, this looks like a toss-up. Alvord coach Curtis Enis agreed the other day, too. I’m picking Holliday to win for a couple reasons. First, the home team isn’t a bad way to determine a toss-up tiebreaker. Second, the Eagles played a tougher non-district schedule and just have been in more big games like this through the years. Also, Holliday K Hunter McCain is the one of the best in the area. I can see him hitting a 45-yard field goal that proves to be the difference. So give me Holliday 27, Nocona 24. Hoping it lives up to the hype.

Quanah at Seymour – First, I think this is a winnable game for Quanah. It pits strength vs. strength with the Indians’ offense facing Seymour’s defense.

To pull off the road mini-upset win, Quanah must get to Seymour QB Zach Barton without allowing him to hit big passes when plays break down. I liked what I saw from Seymour RB John Mitchelle last week and I think if Seymour can run the ball some, that will be key.

The Indians turn the ball over more and Seymour forces tons of turnovers. The Quanah offense is probably the second-best Seymour has faced (behind Stamford) and I think it’ll be able to score some points. But I also think the Panthers will be able to find the end zone a few times.

I think the final score will be fairly high. Something like Seymour 35-27 maybe. Or 35-21. When it comes down to it, I think Seymour can match up well enough at the skill position spots to slow Quanah down some. Indians could win if they limit turnovers. 

Iowa Park at Hirschi – Which Hirschi team is going to show up? Is it the one that struggled to get things going offensively against Burkburnett? Or is it the group that racked up 36 points against Vernon?

I’m not sure. I do know that Iowa Park is the better defensive side. And I do know that the Hawks probably won’t be able to run the ball as well as Burkburnett and Vernon did, although it bodes well Garrett Davis is back.

This is a potential shootout like last week’s Hirschi-Vernon game. It also could be a Hirschi win if the Hawks turn the ball over too much. But I think Iowa Park will play well enough to get the win and set up a third-place 5-3A showdown next week versus Burkburnett.

Rider at Denton Guyer – Don’t know much about Johnny Diaz, the Raiders’ third-string QB. He’ll be the man tonight for Rider, but I’m sure the Raiders will run more single wing than anything and try to get Domanic Thrasher the ball as much as possible.

This formula would probably work against anybody else in district and maybe even a couple playoff games. But I just don’t think it’s going to work against Guyer. The Raiders’ margin of error is very slim and I could see this game getting away if they turn the ball over like last week. If Rider can keep score within 10-13 points, I will be surprised.

Munday at Muenster – This will be the Moguls’ toughest test until the state quarterfinals. I know that sounds ludicrous to say, but Region II-A Division II just isn’t very scary. Munday will be favored by 40+ points in its first two playoff games after its bye, according to pigskinprep.com.

I think Munday will probably have to play its starters meaningful snaps in the third quarter. Muenster has some good players, like linebacker Andy Flusche. But the Moguls will have too much speed and win by at least 28, probably more.

Other games:

5-4A
Lake Dallas over WFHS

5-3A
Vernon over Burkburnett

5-2A Div. II
Jacksboro over Alvord
Henrietta over City View

3-A
Windthorst over Olney

8-A
Electra over Petrolia

Music and Change

Richard Carter

There’s always been some sort of protest involved in playing or listening to rock music. I mean, what band or music listener doesn’t see their parents as hopeless squares that want to stop them from having fun, or perhaps having too much fun? And even if their parents don’t actually do that, there are still plenty of people who want to hear bands sing about such things.

The whole teenage rebellion easily dates back to the ‘50s. That protest spread further in the ‘60s when music got political with the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations and so forth. By the time the punk movement hit in the late ‘70s, sensationalized bands like the Sex Pistols were singing songs about anarchy and tunes against the English Monarchy, though often times it looked like they were just trying to shock people. They did not put out an album called “The Great Rock ‘N Roll Swindle” for nothing.

But, there were plenty of other English bands in the ‘70s and later American bands and French and German and Australian and so forth who were starting to seriously address what they saw to be political, social and economic inequalities. Whether they were just playing punk to sell records (a sort of oxymoron) or they were revolting against the status quo kind of depended on the band.

By the ‘90s, it seemed like the whole punk thing had become a meaningless sort of phase most kids seemed to go through. Whether they were genuinely angry about something serious or just upset that their parents were not giving them two Xboxes or whatnot.

But considering the last 70 years of anti-establishment pop music in Western Europe and America, it’s particularly hard to imagine anyone ever being arrested and going to court or punished for writing lyrics critical of leaders or the government or their culture.

That said, two members of a Russian punk band were sentenced to harsh work camps this week for music critical of the present Russian leader. The band had also gone into a church and asked the Virgin Mary to free themselves of said leader. It’s kind of scary to think that a single act like that could lead to two people being sentenced to hard labor many miles away from their children and families.

Yet, whatever international protest there has been against the judgment against the two punks has pretty much fallen on deaf ears.

It’s hard to imagine any band would risk their lives to play music to change something. For the record, the women in Russian were not recording that music or selling it.

The most surprising development over the weekend wasn’t an upset pick or even Hirschi scoring 36 points against Vernon.

No, it came at Memorial Stadium on Friday night when Rider had to work much harder than expected to edge Azle, 29-22.

To be fair, the Hornets could be a playoff team in 5-4A. The most damaging news was the Raiders lost another QB in Chase London – who left with a strained hamstring.

It depends how bad it is, but it goes without saying the Raiders are going to be hurting at the most important position in football. Hamstring strains could last anywhere from 10 days to three months. This on the heels of J.T. Barrett’s ACL injury.

However long London is out, the Raiders must play a near-perfect game against Denton Guyer to come out with a win and district title.

* This season seems like a bunch of firsts for me. First time I’ve seen Windthorst (68-7 to Munday) and Holliday (49-7) lose as bad as they did.

First time to see a game with no punts (Quanah-Henrietta). First time I can recall one team (Quanah) throwing 8 INTs in a game. And then I almost saw Henrietta come back from a 30-point deficit in the last 18 minutes.

Add what Munday accomplished Friday to the list. The Moguls didn’t give up a first down to Petrolia.

Not a silly personal foul penalty or a busted run by the backups. The closest the Pirates got was a 3rd-and-3 they didn’t convert. And two of their punts were returned for touchdowns. That’s just plain crazy. 

* WFHS and Hirschi are currently a combined 0-6 in district. Hirschi has the only real chance at a win the rest of the way this weekend.

* If Hirschi can score 36 points against Vernon, then the Huskies have the capability to beat Iowa Park. Not thinking the Hawks can run the ball on Hirschi as well as Burkburnett and Vernon did.

That being said, I’m going to go with Iowa Park. I think the Hawks will make enough plays to win.

* A wide gap has been drawn between the three probable playoff teams in 5-2A Div. II (Nocona, Holliday, Jacksboro) and the 0-2 squads (Henrietta, City View, Alvord).

* After hearing about all the guys who were hurt for Bowie before the Whitesboro matchup, I’m not surprised the Jackrabbits lost. Bye week comes at a great time.

* Windthorst’s margin of error is pretty slim against good teams. The Trojans pretty much have to not turn the ball over and must convert every fourth-down chance like Windthorst had on its opening drive.

The Trojans moved up a couple freshmen to play in the secondary and sophomore QB Chandler King has lots of upside. But when you can’t bust any big plays – Windthorst didn’t score on any of its 72 plays it ran and only had six of them go for 10+ yards – it’s tough to win against a quality opponent.

* The last four times I’ve covered Windthorst – last year against Munday in playoffs plus Munday, Throckmorton and Seymour this year — the Trojans have committed more than 20 turnovers. No surprise Windthorst is 0-4 in those games.

* Big slate of games this upcoming week. Rider-Guyer, Nocona-Holliday, Quanah-Seymour and Munday-Muenster all should decide district titles.

I say that, but Jacksboro very well could have something to say about 5-2A Div. II. I think the game I’ll be at (Holliday-Nocona) will be the closest of the four.

Open mic

Richard Carter

Last week, I attended the first Spot open mic in months. When I walked in about 30 minutes in, it was only Chris Roberson playing guitar and Steve-o Welch playing drums and there was no one else, and I thought it was going to be a long night.

Luckily, a pic got posted on Facebook.com, which is far better than any street sign and it leaves less of a ecological footprint, if you know what I mean, and soon people were bursting through the doors. Thirty minutes later, there was at least 30 people there and Welch was cranking out a Leadbelly tune and it was all pretty awesome.

Needless to say, I like the late night atmosphere of the Spot—whether it be empty or filled. But, it’s probably better musically when there are a lot of people.

At one point, Phil—also of Dr. Philgood and the Let’s Get It On’s, was playing guitar—sort of fingerpicking and stuff–and Chris was singing all the way from the kitchen and it sounded good. It’s just a healthy atmosphere for music, and a continuation of the Vincent’s open mic—despite the fact David Thompson is long gone to the Metroplex.

I recently received an e-mail from Gellert Domany which said that his new band (former members of Jac Damsel) will be playing the first ever live show at Fat Alberts (4011 Rhea Rd) on November 3.  The band is called OUTSPIRE and should be interesting. The lead singer is new to the area, so we shall see.

Fat Alberts is next door to the old Brickhouse, which was one of the premiere all-ages clubs in the area for quite some time. Fat Albert ‘s already has good business with pool and is good at carding people to keep the under 21’s out, so there is no trouble. I am happy to hear there is the possibility of a new live venue, which is so well located.

There is a new owner of The Office and rumor has it that live music may be a thing of the past there. It’s sort of a shame because when Frank Goff moved his bar, Frank’s Place, there in the early ‘80s, it was for live music, and their jazz jams were pretty legendary. Also the area band formed by Steve Stout and Chris Whitlock called Take two, which was really popular, used to play at Franks all of the time. Let’s hope that those rumors are not true.

By the way, speaking of rumors, there was some talk a month or two ago about reforming Take Two to play an area show. That would have been a blast from the past and I think sort of a healthy music event for the younger folks to hear.

I got to talk to Dustin Fike earlier this week and he told me that he would be singing with X at the Iron Horse Pub on Saturday, October 27. He also said they would once again be doing a Lady Gaga song, so I think that’s going to be massive fun. Also, the trio of guys It Hurts to be Dead will be opening up for them, and I hear there will be bands earlier in the day during the zombie run. Lots of blood, loud music and happenings.

Saying that it’s a must-win might be a stretch. But not much of one.

Whether it’s a 7-8 team district and you’re right in the thick of things or this weekend marks your second district game, there are some teams who are needing a win badly.

Bowie, for example. Sure the Jackrabbits are 2-1, but those two wins came against teams that most likely will finish as the bottom two in their district. Everyone will probably beat Ponder and Paradise.

A Bowie loss at Whitesboro makes them 0-2 against the other four solid teams in its district. Which would mean the Jackrabbits would need to win out and even then it still might not be enough if there’s a wacky tiebreaker.

Same thing goes for Henrietta. Losing to Holliday last week wasn’t a killer. But losing to Jacksboro to drop to 0-2 and still have to play Nocona would make things extremely difficult. The Bearcats would likely need to upset the Indians to make it.

So like I said, we’re starting to get down to the gritty part of district now, even though some districts just started.

Since you don’t need me to tell you Munday will beat Petrolia or Rider will take down Azle, here are my picks on this week’s biggest games:

* Graham at Iowa Park – I know, picking this game isn’t difficult, but Iowa Park is a probable playoff team in top-heavy 5-3A. If the Hawks play their best game and don’t turn it over, then it could be competitive in the fourth quarter. But the Steers’ defense thrives on forcing turnovers and the Hawks are pretty turnover-prone. That leads to a bad combination.

* Bowie at Whitesboro – Whitesboro might have the better offense and is the home squad, but I really like the Jackrabbits’ defense. If Bowie would have gotten one last stop against Boyd in its opener, it would be 7-0 and atop the district. That’s why I’m going to give Dylan Stark’s team a slight edge, although this is a game Bowie can easily lose, too. 

* Jacksboro at Henrietta – We had three blowouts in this district last week, and I know we’ll possibly have another two this week in Holliday-Alvord and City View-Nocona. This could be a third, but Henrietta is one of those teams that fights till the end and is usually pretty tough at home (see Henrietta’s 28 straight points late vs. Quanah). Still, I think Jacksboro is going to be able to score enough to pull out a solid win.

* Seymour at Windthorst – I’m going on record as saying this will be low-scoring. I think Windthorst will try to suck up the clock, and I think it may have some success. But Seymour’s defense will make some stands and the Panthers are more dangerous offensively. I like Seymour by 7-10 points.

* Throckmorton at Crowell – What I know: Throckmorton doesn’t usually lose these type of district games. And Crowell’s Lex Bond didn’t play last week. What I don’t know: If Bond will play this week. What that means: The Greyhounds will win a game that will decide the district title, and if Bond is out, it could be a rout.

5-4A
* Rider cruises by Azle
* Nelson beats WFHS

5-3A
*Vernon runs all over Hirschi

5-2A Div. II
* Holliday whips Alvord
* Nocona takes down City View

3-A
Quanah handily defeats Archer City

8-A
* Munday routs Petrolia
* Electra wins decently over Era

Well, it was at least an exciting week for this sports writer. I saw a bunch of Burkburnett-Hirschi on Thursday night and then covered a thrilling Vernon-Graham contest the next night.

Although they were played at different levels, those 5-3A games were probably the most dramatic of the weekend.

The other district openers….. Not so much. There were three blowouts in 5-2A Division II and both 3-A Division I games were big routs (not a surprise there). 

Rider cruised to a double-digit victory, WFHS lost to Denton in a game that will probably mean the Coyotes are headed for last place.

District 5-3A probably won’t be real dramatic most weeks, but it sure was pretty good last weekend.

* Not a ton of surprises, but Burkburnett coming out in the Wing-T raised some eyebrows. It’s a great call by the Bulldogs, who really had to win that game to think about the playoffs.

It was a great call. They don’t have their starting quarterback and they need to shorten the game. And they know if they can win and maybe Bryan Lewis is back after the bye week, things will look a lot better.

* Hirschi isn’t out of the playoff chase, but it’s going to need some help. I don’t believe anyone is beating Graham or Vernon, so the Huskies are going to need to beat Iowa Park and then hope the Hawks beat the Bulldogs.

The good news is that Hirschi is only a -3, so the Huskies could be in good shape in the tiebreaker.

* I liked what I saw from both Graham and Vernon this weekend. Both really got after it defensively. It definitely lived up to its billing, although seven turnovers are a bit much for a big game like that.

* Lots of Graham people are hoping Burkburnett or Hirschi makes the playoffs over Iowa Park. Going Division I will likely give the Steers an easier first game but sets up Stephenville in the second round. No one at Newton Field who was talking about it wanted that. And for good reason.

* I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Bowie’s district race is by far the most interesting. Boyd lost to Callisburg 48-46, which means Whitesboro is the only undefeated team. And its two wins were against the two worst teams.

Bowie heads to Whitesboro in a toss-up. Really, I could see the Jackrabbits winning out and taking a share of district, or they could lose this game and be in danger of missing the playoffs.

* I know it’s early to look at it, but if Henrietta loses to Jacksboro on Friday, the Bearcats’ chances of making the playoffs a 10th straight time will take a huge hit. Henrietta would be 0-2 and still have Nocona on the schedule. I may be wrong, but I think Henrietta-Jacksboro is for third place.

* Ran into Coach Wolf out at Memorial Stadium on Thursday. He’s been enjoying retirement and still staying busy working with some baseball kids in the Metroplex. He’s popping up at a few games across the area and even went to an 8-man game in Oklahoma.

* The list of unbeatens stands at three: Munday, Notre Dame and Nocona. Don’t think anyone is in danger of losing there.

And now that Burkburnett won, we’ve got two winless teams: Archer City and Olney, which very well could carry 0-9 records into their Week 10 meeting.

* I’ll be covering Seymour at Windthorst on Friday night. I can’t see this being a high-scoring game, although I could be wrong. Wondering how well the Trojans will move the ball on the Panthers’ defense.

Isaiah the Mosaic

Richard Carter

Last Thursday, a group of five Austin-ites—four of whom are from Wichita Falls—played their first ever show in Wichita Falls as the band Isaiah the Mosaic, a pretty cool psychedelic band with keyboards, djangly guitars, a strong rhythm section and relaxed, dreamy  vocals.

The band is made up of second-generation musicians and brothers, Eric and Phillip McClung, whose late father Randy was a percussionist for an early Wichita Falls band called Phosphene. Bassist Brandon Mallonee is also involved along with drummer Ryan Heath. Tyler Delaune plays keyboards. Heath and Eric McClung used to play in an area instrumental band called When We Dance, We Dance for Reason.

The group played on a Thursday night, and Attebury Blueprint played its last show, for a while at least, as a quartet. By the way, Attebury Blueprint will tell you that their show rocked, and it did. The night before keyboardist Kory Rogers emceed his last open mic, before moving to San Angelo. We should all wish him luck. But then he will be way close to Dallas and also Austin, and San Angelo is a great music town.

It was one of the better Thursday night crowds at the Pub that I have seen in a while. The back of the club was pretty much filled with family and friends of family. There was actually a very healthy contingent of people from Austin who came to cheer the band on. That, and the fact there were quite a few friends from the area there to check them out.

They told me that their band will start recording once they get back to Austin, and there should be a lengthy EP before too long. I look forward to it.

It’s interesting how a band that has always been very prog in a sort of immediate way has come to psychedelia, but I think that’s grand. And they also seem to have a touch on it. One friend suggested that they definitely have some recent influences like the Gazelles, and I can sort of hear that.

The band had synched a laptop with video visuals for the backdrop, which they played to, and I sort of wished the visuals had been larger. I think that the sounds of psychedelic bands from the past were saturated with the visuals and it sort of amplified the effect of the visuals and the sounds.

The songs were well written and the attitude and the mood for the music were right. I would like to see the band perform again, because the first time you hear something that you’re not expecting, part of the experience is getting over (or getting used to) the shock of the newness. They said there was a possibility pf coming back again in six months, but then we shall see. Douglas Boyd said the Sweetness would return and that no longer looks like it’s going to happen.

If you wish to hear something by the band, check them out at www.reverbnation.com/isaiahthemosaic. There are also some places to see videos and stuff. I think they’re onto something, and it will clearly be something that will play better in Austin.

Next Friday and Saturday, the Wichita Theatre is opening their new production of “Nunsense,” which is a funny show, and the gals playing the nuns are kind of brilliant. I plan on checking it out, and you might want to consider it.

Also, on Friday October 19, a Christian performer named Brandon Heath is playing at the Evangel Temple. I interviewed him a while back and really enjoyed chatting with him. Check out the story that day and consider going to hear some live music.

Much like Throckmorton and Windthorst last week, I’m going to go with a mixed blog today that will give some of my thoughts and some of my predictions from the biggest games.

First, what a tough blow to Rider, which loses QB J.T. Barrett for the year with an ACL injury.

Not saying the Raiders were going to win state with him. But it’s going to be really hard to get there without him.

To me, Rider and Munday are pretty similar. Both have Division I quarterbacks are surrounded with really good supporting casts. If Dee Paul were to go down, I think Munday could still make a deep playoff run. But the Moguls’ chances of winning it all would depreciate.

Really, Rider should be able to beat the remaining 5-4A opponents with the exception of Guyer. That game will be very, very tough to win now, but I’m sure the team has a lot of faith in Chase London. The Raiders have a chance of seeing Aledo in the second round, and that game would have been a toss-up even with J.T. playing.

I guess we’ll see if Rider can continue its wining ways tomorrow against Lake Dallas.

* Regarding last week’s Throckmorton/Windthorst hybrid game, I thought it was a really neat one-time deal. I’m sure there are a few from Windthorst who didn’t think so, but I thought it was cool. I think the basic premises from that game is it’s easier to pick up the 11-man game than the six-man. And that Throckmorton is a heck of a team. 

Read my story in Thursday’s paper about all the preparation that went into the game.

* District action starts this week and I think there are a couple neat races: Who will emerge from Jacksboro-Henrietta-City View to grab a playoff spot in 5-2A Div. II? And who between Seymour-Windthrost-Quanah will finish atop 3-A?

MY PREDICTIONS

Vernon at Graham – Before the teams stopped playing in 2008, all four games of this rivalry I covered were won by the visitor. And all four were low-scoring affairs won by eight points or less.

In fact, I went back and looked. According to pigskinprep.com, Graham was favored at home by 16 in 2005 (lost 23-20) and 12 in 2007 (Lost 17-10). This year Graham is favored by 9.

So will the trend continue (The teams didn’t play in 2009-10 and the past two years, Vernon hasn’t been real competitive). I think the Steers have the better offense (barely) and the Lions have the better defense (barely). I think Graham has had a tougher non-district schedule (barely) and I think Vernon has the better kicking game.

In a toss-up like this, I say go with the home team. I’ll pick Graham by 7. And if Vernon barely wins a low-scoring game, I won’t be a bit surprised.

* Burkburnett at Hirschi – The Huskies are the team I’m leaning with in this one. Not sure which offense is better, but I think Hirschi is playing better defense. The teams are a combined 1-11 so who knows what will happen. But I think the Huskies will score enough.

* Rider at Lake Dallas – I don’t know if Lake Dallas is a playoff team, but I do know the Falcons aren’t as potent as the last couple seasons. Raiders win this one by double digits.

* Jacksboro at City View – The Mustangs are kinda hard to figure out because they beat three mediocre teams with their best player and lost the two hardest games without their best player.

Jacksboro could be the toughest team they’ve played to date. I like how the Tigers are playing now and I think they’ll do just enough to earn a road win.

* Henrietta at Holliday – I think Holliday wins. If this game is close for Henrietta, then that’ll bode well for the future (the Bearcats host Jacksboro next week). If the Eagles run away with it, that will be a good win for them. I think we’re somewhere in between. Holliday by 14.

A Wet Weekend

Richard Carter

This past weekend was supposed to have been my first since moving back to Wichita Falls where I wasn’t going to be at Fallsfest. But around noontime on Friday, I was asked to review one of the evenings and I chose Marshall Tucker Band. I have met Kevin Fowler before and even reviewed his show, and I wasn’t sure what other adjective besides zany I had to describe him.

Anywho, it was a choice that returned me to the local live music of my teens. The first time I ever heard Marshall Tucker was by an area band called Sneet Gibbons (as I recall) which featured my then neighbor drummer Richard Gaines and a guitarist Jim Gideon who my brother bought his first guitar from, an old Kalamazoo—that would now be worth significantly more than he paid for it, had he not blown it up for some Old High Howdy assembly program or some such.

Anywho, my neighbor friend’s band used to play the song “Can’t You See” which was off the first Marshall Tucker Band album, but really kind of sounded more like the Allman Brothers. Their band was super fans of the Allman Brothers and that was sort of the way that I discovered Southern Rock—by way of a more progressive jam band sort of sound than Lynyrd Skynerd would later make famous.

Trust me, the 30 to 45 minute version of “Whipping Post” was a badge of honor for bands to perform. The longer the version the better, and I would not doubt that the Allman Brothers could play the song for days. It was a good riff with plenty of room for some deep bluesy singing, a strong organ riff, a very prog sort of progression and drums galore—at least two drum sets.

Anywho, I think it’s still more than acceptable to appreciate the older Allman Brothers no matter how old or young you are. The newer version of the band still appeals to a lot of people, but I still prefer the Allmans of the Dwayne Allman and Dickie Betts variety.

I spent most of Saturday morning re-familiarizing myself with old Marshall Tucker Band songs, and I was surprised that I recognized so many of the songs the band would likely play that night.

It was also going to be fun because from what I understood from Dwayne Kinnett, that area guitarist Don Chance was going to get to sit in and play with Marshall Tucker Band. And, that’s a cool thing, because I am pretty sure Chance grew up listening to the same music, and he could definitely play guitar with them, no problems.

The rain last weekend however never let up. If it let up long enough for Kevin Fowler to get his set in on Friday night, it kept going on that night, Saturday morning and then into Saturday evening. By 6 p.m. I had heard they might cancel the FallsFest, so I went out there to say hi to people and see what I could discover. The cool thing was that bands had played the city stage that day and I saw Eli Cash guitarist Eric Priolo helping out with the sound.

The sad thing was that they were taking down the huge stage and there was mud everywhere. It was raining and no one was smiling. I never got to see the band or say hi or whatnot. But there are next years and such, and I suspect they will return at some point. Later that evening, I went to the Pub and saw a guy there who had driven 700 miles to see Marshall Tucker. At least he got to see Jonathan Tyler that night, whose guitar playing is probably as good as anyone’s.

It’s hard enough to pick games every week that involve both teams playing the same type of football they’re familiar with.

So how do you pick a winner between Windthorst and Throckmorton?

I’ve talked to both coaches involved in Friday’s 11-man/six-man matchup and I can see the game going this way:

Windthorst will win the 11-man portion and will be able to pound the ball some against the Greyhounds. But I expect Throckmorton would come out ahead in the six-man portion.

I’m going to go with Throckmorton only because I think it’ll go down by 21 or so in the 11-man and that a deficit like that can be made up more easily in the six-man portion. But Throckmorton coach Mike Reed did make a good point to me: His Greyhounds will be worn down physically in the second half, and more mistakes can happen when you’re tired.

Really, I have no idea what to expect Friday. But it sure will be fun to find out.

Now onto other games:

Rider at Brewer – Pretty crazy every Rider game to date, it has played a team that doesn’t have a loss. Just like the Raiders did to Nelson last week, they’ll steamroll the Bears in this one.

WFHS at Azle – Can the Coyotes go on the road and claim a much-needed district win? Certainly. But I don’t believe QB Zack Murphy is going to play, and I think the Hornets will be able to run the ball enough to come out ahead.

Carrollton Ranchview at Hirschi – It’s another toss-up. Hirschi is probably the pick to make, but I want to see the Huskies put four good quarters of football together first.

Krum at Burkburnett – Bulldogs could be getting a win soon (faces Hirschi in 5-3A opener next week), but I don’t believe it will happen on Friday vs. undefeated Krum.

Iowa Park at Amarillo River Road–River Roadis going for its first four-game winning streak since the late ’90s, but the Wildcats haven’t played anyone as tough as the Hawks. Give me IP with a close win.

Graham at Bridgeport – The Bulls have played Graham tough the past couple times (even in the Steers’ 2009 title game run), but I expect at least a 10-point Graham win here, maybe more.

Vernon at Gainesville – If I wasn’t at Throckmorton-Windthorst, this is where I’d like to be. Two old-school, run-the-ball teams are going to see who can grind it out in a game coached by friends Mark Bateman and Keith Hall. I like the Leopards just a bit more since they’re at home.

City View at Haskell – Mustangs are welcoming back RB D.J. Coursey, who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury. Not saying he’d be the difference, but the junior could have big day in Mustangs’ win.

Bowie at Ponder – Jackrabbits’ chances at winning district title took hit last week, but Bowie will bounce back nicely in one of its few 5-2A Div. I games that won’t go down to the wire.

Archer City at Jacksboro – The Tigers are quietly putting on the wraps on a 4-1 non-district season.

Quanah at Wellington – Quanah is probably looking forward to a Class A opponent after three straight tough 2A games. But I think Wellington will probably end up being too much.

Stamford at Seymour – Not sure if Stamford QB Hagen Hutchinson is going to play – he missed the second half last week with a thumb injury (although he did play defense). But I do know the Bulldogs still beat Cisco without him in the second half. AnotherSeymourupset is a possibility, but I’m going withStamford.

Olney at Electra – Tigers should cruise to a win in this one. Another big ground day from QB Michael Bishop should be expected.

Santo at Petrolia – This is a tough one, probably a toss-up. I know Santo whipped Olney by 48 a couple weeks ago and I’m going to lean on that score to give the Wildcats the edge.

You’ve probably seen all the highlights of Munday’s 49-7 dismantling of Holliday. All the Dee Paul long touchdown runs and probably a couple nice defensive plays.

But the biggest thing I took away from the rout was how stout the Moguls’ defense is. They were dominant when I saw them against Windthorst, but that was a fellow Class A program breaking almost an entirely new group on offense.

The pressure that Munday brought was relentless. The Moguls blitzed linebackers at the last second and shot through gaps that Holliday had no chance of covering. When Holliday QB Brennan Whitaker did complete a short pass (which wasn’t often; he was 11-for-26), a Munday defender was there to make the tackle.

To hold a team the caliber of Holliday – and this is a pretty good 2A team – to 99 total yards is more impressive than anything the offense did. I wrote about Munday winning state in this morning’s paper, and I stand by it.

More Week 4 thoughts:

* WFHS and Bowie are in the same situations after dropping tough district openers at home by narrow margins.

Only difference is I think the Coyotes are in more trouble. Brewer isn’t one of the projected 5-4A playoff teams, meaning WFHS will probably need to pull off multiple upsets. Last year after they lost the opener to The Colony, the Coyotes upset Little Elm but couldn’t get that second upset they needed.

Bowie, on the other hand, should take care of business against Ponder andParadise. If the Jackrabbits win two of three against Whitesboro, Callisburg and Pilot Point, they’ll still be in.

* Sounds like Quanah and Seymour didn’t play well in their first losses of 2012. What’s tougher is both of those teams get state-ranked teams this week going into district.Wellington and Stamford could send those 3-A Division I schools into district with two straight losses.

* Two things that you can read more about in this week’s 3A roundup in Wednesday’s paper: How the Vernon-Gainesville game will be special considering Bateman and Hall will be coaching against each other. And how Graham managed to pull off a huge third-down conversion on its game-winning drive.  

*Iowa Park didn’t win Friday night, but by playing Decatur within seven points (28-21), the Hawks made me think they’ll be a third-place team. Hirschi and Burkburnett lost to the Eagles by more than 40 each.

*Vernon is obviously the most improved team in the area this year, but Jacksboro isn’t far behind. If the Tigers beat Archer City this week, they’ll head into district with a 4-1 mark that includes a solid win over Lindsay.

* Looking forward to seeing Throckmorton play 11-man and Windthorst play 6-man. Won’t be a game that counts in standings, but it’ll draw more interest across the state than a lot of others will.