Series record: Westbrook 4, Section 2
Last meeting: 2011 Westbrook 17, Section 7
Last week: Westbrook 31, Sand Rock 20; Section 28, West End 6
By Gene Stanley/Messenger Sports Correspondent
Fyffe and North Sand Mountain have clinched playoff berths in Class 2A, Region 7, while Gaston and West End have been eliminated from consideration. But the other four teams – Westbrook, Section, Sand Rock and Ider – are in a thick race for the other two slots.
With only one game’s difference in the standings of those four teams, any two of them can still qualify. There may wind up being two clear-cut winners and there could be a two- or three-way tie among them.
One thing’s for sure, though. The winner of this game is in the driver’s seat for third place and will definitely have a berth in hand.
“If Fyffe wins this week (against North Sand Mountain) and we win these next two (next week against NSM), we’re back in the No. 2 slot,” Warriors coach Tony Osborne said. “After we lost to Ider, we told the kids that we pretty much had to win out to make sure we were in the playoffs. So far, we’ve done that.”
Section comes in on a roll after eking out a one-point win over Ider two weeks ago.
“They’ve got a lot of confidence right now,” Osborne said. “They’ve got a lot of good depth at their skill positions and some runners who are really good.
“They’ll spread it out some plays and bring it in tight some plays, so our defense has to be on its toes.”
Against Sand Rock, quarterback Jonathan Ford completed 18-of-24 passes the air for 277 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 53 yards and a score on 12 carries.