FOOTBALL: Red Devils, Indians face off for district title

Fort Davis has gone three years without winning a district championship in football, and it’s been even longer for Rankin. The Red Devils won a share of a league crown in 2007, and they haven’t won an outright district title since becoming a six-man program in 2006.

One of them will once again hoist a championship trophy, and they won’t have to share it with anyone else.

Fort Davis (7-1) and Rankin (7-2), tied atop Six-Man District 7 Division I at 2-0, meet for all the marbles at 7 tonight at Bart Coan Field in Fort Davis.

“They’ve proved themselves, and we’ve proved ourselves,” Rankin senior Ty Self said. “It’s going to be a good game.”

Rankin, ranked third in Division I by sixmanfootball.com, expected to contend for a district title and expects to make a long playoff run. The Red Devils opened the season by beating then-No. 1 Borden County and climbed to the top of the rankings themselves a few weeks later, and their only losses this season came by a combined 14 points to Ira and Water Valley, which are the teams ahead of them in this week’s rankings.

Indians coach Jess Roberts said his team, on the other hand, is pleasantly surprised to be in this position. Fort Davis returned only a few starters from a team that failed to qualify for last year’s postseason, and its first-year head coach said he thought it might be tough to compete in a district with Rankin and Garden City, which won state titles each of the last two years.

But the Indians were undefeated until a 104-82 loss to Throckmorton, which trailed at halftime and was ranked No. 1 at the time, and they bounced back by edging Garden City in their district opener. Then they steamrolled Sierra Blanca in a game that lasted only a half, and now they’re playing for district supremacy.

“It means a lot,” Fort Davis senior Francisco Perez said. “It would just be a great accomplish for us to come out on top.”

To do that, Roberts said his team needs to “play the perfect football game.” That means being typically productive on offense — the Indians are averaging 72 points per game — and playing as well as they have all season defensively. Fort Davis has allowed 100-plus points in two games this year but has given up only 42 in its two district games combined.

Rankin has two tough running backs in Ryan Thomas and Cory Norwood, who has rushed for at least 200 yards in seven games this season, and a dangerous passer in Dalton Michum. Roberts said the Red Devils also have a sizable size advantage.

“It’s as good a measuring stick as we can have to see whether we’re part of the elite or not,” Roberts said. “Rankin is one of the top teams, if not the best team.”

The Red Devils don’t necessarily expect to roll, though. Coach Shannon Williams said he’s been impressed by Fort Davis middle linebacker Hunter Hurley, who has taken over for the injured Elijah Hernandez in district play, and the Indians’ offensive weapons.

The running back Perez is a big-play threat as a rusher and receiver, and his cousin has been arguably the best spreadback in the area. Steve Enriquez accounted for 300 total yards and three touchdowns against Sierra Blanca last week, and the game lasted only one half because of the 45-point mercy rule.

 “They’re pretty much 90 percent spread, and we haven’t played a team like that,” Williams said. “I think our defense is fast enough that we should be OK, but the spread’s so dangerous because it puts everybody in a bind. We can’t make mistakes and we sure can’t miss tackles against them.”

Williams said the Indians’ 82-point output against Throckmorton proves their offense is legitimate, and he hopes tonight’s game isn’t a high-scoring shootout like many of Fort Davis’ games this season. But he’s already warned Michum — who has thrown only two passes in district play — that his right arm might be used more liberally tonight.

The Indians don’t care if it’s a track meet or a defensive grudge match. They want to keep the game close and have a chance to win.

“We’re preparing for a blood bath,” Roberts said. “Whatever we’ve got to do.”

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