by Steve Dunford 

I was holding the antenna out the window to pick up WFRX in the last few minutes of the game tonight.  I was heartbroken.  I might get ran out of West Frankfort for saying this, I am,  heartbroken for whom the late Bruce A. Fasol used to refer to as, the team six miles to the north.”

The Redbirds picked up playoff points from Nashville, A-J, and Herrin, which has them at 33.  It was known they had to pick up a win to get in.

The Rangers are sitting at 36 points.  They picked up three points as well from Carterville, Herrin, and AJ.  They needed a lot of help.  I was looking good in the “early returns.”   Murphy was hanging around with DuQuoin.  Harrisburg was beating Carbondale, and the Redbirds lost a heart-breaker.

Of all places, it was looking possible that both Benton and WF might get a point from Pinckneyville.  The Panthers were tied with Carlyle at halftime.

One win between Pinckneyville and Sparta really hurt both the Redbirds and the Rangers getting at large bids at 5-4.

I will be writing two stories in the morning.  I will be writing a season in review for the Redbirds, as well as the C-Z-R Bearcats.

I will also be writing an extensive breakdown for what could take place around 8:00 p.m. when the playoff parings are announced.  I will mainly focus on Class 3A.  There is one team that is for sure alive, the S-V-W-W Red Devils, who suffered their first loss tonight to the Fairfield Mules.

For what was supposed to be a rebuilding year in West Frankfort, the Redbirds were 15 seconds away from making the playoffs.  Even though the results were not what we wanted tonight, it is a great day to be a Redbird.

by Steve Dunford 

First of all we need to continue prayers for Zeigler-Royalton head basketball coach Matt Morgan, who suffered a heart attack this evening.  He is resting comfortably in an area hospital.  Lets pray for a speedy recovery and that he will be back on the sidelines at the Christopher Turkey Tournament.

In something that I have been looking at being a possibility since week three,  The Sesser-Valier-Waltonville-Woodlawn Red Devils and the Fairfield Mules will be facing off against each other at the Train Yard, undefeated, with a conference title on the line.

For 3A, I was looking at the possibility of quadrants.  I found out today they were a thing of the past.  So the south will be seeded 1-16.

Going into tomorrow night’s game there are four undefeated teams in 3A from Springfield, south.  Along with the Devils and The Mules, the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats and Carlinville.

If Carlinville beats Greenville (6-2) tomorrow night, there will be a tie for the Number one and Two seed for the south half of the bracket between the winner of the Train Yard Showdown.

The Number one seed will then have the possibility of drawing Vienna-Goreville, Mt. Carmel or Harrisburg, all with 4-4 records.  If the Eagles beat Carmi-White County on Saturday, they will be in the best playoff point shape with 40.  Harrisburg is sitting at 36, as they face Carbondale.  Mt. Carmel has 33 and they face win less Mt. Vernon tomorrow night.

There is a chance that Harrisburg and V-G could be bumped up to 4A, as the cutoff line has been dropped  to 548 which is the Eagles enrollment.  Harrisburg is six below the cutoff at 542.

For West Frankfort it is as simple as this, they have to beat Nashville to get in. They are sitting at 30 playoff points, which if they beat the Hornets tomorrow night, would be the lowest 6-3 seeded team in the south.   If all the 4-4 teams do not get in and the Devils win tomorrow night, there is a very good possibility you could see the Redbirds and the Devils match up at Carroll Kelly field a week from Saturday.

I have had a gut feeling for a couple weeks that however things turn out, the Redbirds would end up facing the winner of the Train Yard battle.

If S-V-W-W would lose and the teams on the bubble at 4-4 would get in, West Frankfort still could be a possibility.  There is also an outside chance they could end up with the DuQuoin Indians.  They have been bumped up to 3A, and that could be whether they win or lose to Murphysboro.

I went local with this.  There are numerous possibilities from the Metro East.  We can start breaking them down more around 9:00 p.m.

Now onto the Rangers.  They have a task of facing an undefeated team in A-J on the road.  They are in similar but better shape than their arch enemy’s the West Frankfort Redbirds.  Win or lose the Rangers will be Redbird fans tomorrow night, for one thing, playoff points.  They will get one if WF leaves Washington County with a win.

They will be rooting for the Harrisburg Bulldogs to beat Carbondale.  They will be rooting for Murphysboro to beat DuQuoin.  Carterville vs. Massac they will get a playoff point either way.  They will also be rooting for Pinckneyville and Sparta to pull major upsets.

If they go down to A-J and lose they will be at a lot of teams mercy.  The Rangers will be in a unfamiliar role, being underdogs. However, it is a very winnable game for Benton.  It would be well worth taking the drive to Union County tomorrow night, enjoy the scenery on the way down, and watch what I would believe to be a whale of a football game.