JimThorpe

The Tiger Cubs were just too pesky and didn't give the Wolves any real good chances. The team on the floor tonight was the smallest Silsbee varsity I've ever seen at any point in the last 25 years, with or without the football kids. They really did look like the Tiger cubs. They are hard workers though and that makes up for a lot.

Whoever they are, I want the defense that was on the field in 4th quarter against WOS.

30. United is that good. But the good news for Silsbee is that this is as rough as it will get. We're playing the 3rd ranked 6A team which has a shot at the championship and has size and speed and talent. They could handle any 4A team. We won't face anything worse than this even in the holiday tournaments. This is like being in the ondeck circle swinging a bat with two donuts on it. It's probably a good year to be rebuilding because nobody is getting past basketball magnet school Yates in Region III. The goal will be to get back to the region tourney. If the Tigers can do that it will have to be called a great season. It's a long shot but possible. And if they do make it that far they will end up playing only one less game than the fully loaded Tigers of last year.

In my opinion this is the biggest win in school history. Bigger than last year and even a little bigger than 77. It was the most remarkable 4th quarter I've ever seen in football any time at any level. It was a combination of good decisions, execution, and a heaping helping of good fortune. And the icing on the cake was the never quit quality of the opposition. WOS is of course a remarkable program and their drive from their own 20 something, with only 1:30 left and no timeouts to deep in Silsbee territory speaks volumes about the character of that team. And my player of the game in the biggest game in school history was Diego Gonzalez. The kicker. He should be yours to if you really think it through. The Tigers couldn't have won without his 4 extra points and field goals of 30 and 48. That's 10 indispensable points. And, the Tigers also probably wouldn't have won had he not gotten that zany pass out to Cartwright on the fake punt attempt for a first down on the drive that led to his 48 yard field goal. It's easy to predict that Diego will become just as indispensable at some point in the next two games. It's call FOOTball for a reason.

Silsbee at No. 8? It's fine with me but perhaps reputation is a big part of that equation.

We might limit them, it could happen, but I doubt it after looking at the highlight reels. I'm afraid it's going to be a McCollum to Marshall nightmare all game long. There was one touchdown pass when the defender is practically hanging on Marshall and he still makes the catch for a 21 yard touchdown. Ya'll have probably all seen it. Man! We're not going to get any pressure on the QB, that's a pipe dream. He'll drop back 15 yards if necessary. We may get a coverage sack or two but our defensive front is a bit hobbled anyway. I say just make sure they don't get many running yards to go with the 250 to 300 yards passing they will get. And for goodness sake guys keep them in front of you. We've got to limit the run after catch. Most of receivers (Marshall) aren't terribly fast and they don't have running moves, they just run the route and catch the ball, which is all you have to do in high school to have success. So when they do make the receptions make sure we're in a position to tackle them right away. And that means being aware of the downfield blocking and the picks and fighting through for the stop. But it's okay, we'll make it a Taylor/Martin nightmare for them And then if they get 300 yards passing make sure we get 350 running. I think we can.

But how could they possibly top last year's game!

If Silsbee gets more passing yards than Wimberly gets running yards then the Tigers will win. And visa versa. I really don't think Wimberly can stop Silsbee's running any better than Silsbee can stop Wimberly's passing. The difference has to come from somewhere. So.... I predict that Silsbee WILL get those passing yards and will win the game.

I get it!!! Like "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!" ?

It wasn't 5 TD's, it was 4 TD's and 2 field goals and one very exciting and unusual looking 2 point conversion to tie the game with only a few minutes left. It was a strange 4th quarter. You kind of had to be there. WOS seemed to be in control with a 28 - 17 lead going into the 4th and then the wheels just came off. Big plays, unlikely plays, a 48 yard field goal, a fake punt that shouldn't have worked, a lateral option pass that shouldn't have worked. A Tiger defense that had been porous all night suddenly stiffened into a brick wall. It was just one of those things. Fate took a hand.

They have a good shot. They just scored 35 points against the best defense in the state. The place where the Tigers had the edge was in the kicking game and that proved to be decisive. Our place kicker scored 10 points and sent most kickoffs into the endzone. Other than that it was a toss up. Clearly it was the breaks and the big plays that decided that game. As Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez said back in the 30's, "I'd rather be lucky than good." Anyway, It's been a great two years. Even if both games had gone the other way it still would have been great. But now Carthage has moved down into Div II and all bets are off. We could both be in for a dry spell. Our last debacle against them still hurts. It was like Pearl Harbor. We had no warning.

Do they still have the coach from the championship year?

Silsbee is going to present all kinds of problems for Wimberly's staff. In preparation they could watch game films and that might help. Or they could get that new Disney streaming service and watch "Son Of Flubber" which would be just about as good. The only problem is that what happened in the 4th quarter tonight at BISD Memorial is a good deal less plausible than what happens in "Son Of Flubber".

It's simple to explain, destiny took a hand? The next two weeks will confirm that one way or another. One thing I know for sure, it was the zaniest 4th quarter I've ever seen. Even though the deficit was never more than 11 the comeback seemed bigger, almost epic. A season full of unlikely plays in one quarter.

I'll just say that the 4th quarter tonight was like the Ben Hur chariot race of thrilling high school 4th quarters.

Big play after big play. They may run out next week but for now.... I agree that WOS got too conservative but it’s a crap shoot on that deal. Neither team was willing to go quietly into the night. A credit to the young men.

See I told you. The Tigers are just a little bit better. But it’s been very costly. The defense is shattered.

Playing with them even without the rain.

Not sure that's the Tiger perspective. Jungle cats like rain. Their prey can't hear them sneaking up. Rain, by all means rain. If it had rained at Legacy last year I think the Tigers would have won state.

I'm choosing to compare. I think it's just as valid as matchups at this point in the season. My contention is that the Tigers have come a little farther than the Mustangs. The Mustangs won the first head to head. That's substantial of course but Silsbee is a late bloomer. They always have been. I'm basing my estimation on 35 unanswered points against the Buffaloes who were having a pretty good night until the Tigers complete shut them down defensively and took off offensively outscoring Giddings 28 zip in the second half. Did anything like that happen in the WOS - Bellville game?

I saw them in October and they beat Silsbee by 8 and it was certainly no blowout. I also saw Silsbee beat Giddings by 21, Giddings who had beat Bellville by 14. By how much did WOS beat Bellville? WOS is good and consistent but by no means overpowering. And I think Silsbee has a little edge right now. But like I said, you can't know what kind of Tiger team is going to show up and you CAN know what kind of Mustang team is going to show up.

Based on what I've seen and read so far in the post season the Tigers are a little bit better team right now than the Mustangs. The trouble for the Tigers is that the Mustangs are always ready, always prepared, always sharp, you know what you're going to get. (unless there's a tropical storm or cold front downpour). Late blooming teams like Silsbee are just wildcards. Like a box of chocolates, you never know exactly what you're going to get.

That's interesting because the TABC poll has them at No. 8 in the state and no other team in the district is in the top 20. I have a feeling they are both wrong. Silsbee will certainly be no worse than 2nd in district and there are probably some teams ranked lower that are better. AFter all, a good number of the comments over on the Silsbee vs WOS football thread have the Silsbee kids ready to play basketball as soon as next week.

It is 4A after all. A small team can make headway if they play smart and with confidence. I wouldn't be that surprised to see Silsbee make it back to the Region Tournament. They may not make it through district undefeated but that will just make the next couple of months more interesting and more fun.

Yes they do. You've got Silsbee and Wimberly and then 6 top ten ranked teams. But really it's anybody's to win. They are all good games. The best out of the 4 looks to be No. 1 Pleasant Grove vs. No. 6 Gilmer in a rematch of the district game which PG won 37-24. Gilmer played well against Carthage in a 24-15 loss and and beat Newton 16-0 in preseason. And you know what Newton did to Silsbee in preseason - is was a blowout. But Silsbee is not a good early season team. It's like two different programs, one before Halloween and one after.