9-6A Football: Playoff field is set

This has been anything but an ordinary season, so it is somewhat fitting that the 9-6A standings have a very unorthodox look.

Sachse and Wylie had already secured two of the four playoff berths two weeks ago with victories in their pod play-in games.

Naaman Forest, the No. 1 seed out of is zone, punched its ticket on Friday with a 51-0 win over North Garland.

The final berth was scheduled to be settled on Saturday when No. 2 Lakeview faced off with No. 3 Garland.

However, a positive COVID-19 case in the Patriots program on Friday forced them into quarantine for 14 days. The district rules state that Lakeview, as the higher seed, would advance to the playoffs.

But because the UIL district certification is on Dec. 5, there is not enough time to reschedule the game, and because Lakeview would still not be ready to play in the first week of the playoffs, the Owls were awarded the final postseason berth.

So, looking at the standings, Naaman Forest is alone in first place at 5-1. Lakeview sits in second place with just one district loss at 3-1 and Rowlett is the only other team with a winning record at 3-2, but neither of those teams will be in the playoffs.

Wylie’s 17-14 win over Sachse lifted them into a tie for fourth place at 3-3, while Garland, who is 2-3 in games played, is tied for sixth place, but playoff-bound.

The Mustangs grabbed an early 7-0 lead over Wylie on Friday, but were unable to put any more points on the scoreboard until the final two minutes, allowing the Pirates to claim a 17-14 victory.

Naaman Forest, meanwhile, had no such problem scoring in its rout of North Garland.

Austin Valdez threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Devean Deal and a 34-yarder to Tommy Dunn to open a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The defense chipped in with a safety and then Kingsley Bennett broke free for a 43-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 23-0.

It would get no better for the Raiders, as Valdez threw touchdown passes of 43 and 4 yards to Deal, Francisco Beltran hit Brison Huey on a 30-yard scoring strike and Kasen Rideau tacked on a scoring run to provide the final margin.

Sachse and Wylie will be the Division I representatives, with Naaman Forest and Garland in Division II.

Despite the head-to-head win, the seeding is based on the pod results, meaning the Mustangs will be the top seed in Division I, with the Pirates the second. The Rangers are the top seed in Division II, with the Owls as the No. 2.

Sachse will meet Skyline in the bi-district round, while Wylie draws 10-6A champion Rockwall.

Garland is set to face Rockwall-Heath, while Naaman Forest awaits to see its opponent as Mesquite, Tyler Legacy and North Mesquite battle it out for the final spot.