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Bluecat quarterback Austin Buzzard scans the field for an open man in the Cats' victory over Ballinger Friday.

Bluecat linebacker Chris Culpepper hurries Ballinger's quarterback as the Cats improve.

COLEMAN - The Coleman Bluecats entered Friday's game clawing for a final playoff spot in the murky District 3-2A race.  They left it practically assured of a postseason slot and eyeing a district championship following a 40-32 win over their rival Ballinger Bearcats.  ''This kind of win gets you respect from other towns,'' Colemnan running back Carlton Brown said.  Brown rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns to secure a win that was in doubt until the final seconds.  Down eight points with 3:30 left to play, Ballinger's high-octane passing game took flight in a desperate rally but ran out of gas in Coleman territory.  With 1:29 to play, Coleman's Curtis Yates found himself on the receiving end of Ballinger quarterback Wes Vanicek's fourth interception of the night to seal the win.

Coleman (5-4 overall, 3-1 in district) heads to Early next week for a possible District 3-2A championship game. Ballinger (6-3, 2-2) needs a win at Jim Ned to improve its playoff possibilities.  ''We've got to take care of business there and bounce back from this loss,'' Ballinger coach Brent Brevard said.  The team's offenses were nearly polar opposites.  Brown led Coleman's traditional rush-first offense along with an offensive line stacked with seniors. 

Ballinger's strategy seemed to be bailing itself out of trouble with its passing game. As backward as it sounds, it worked.  Vanicek and receiver Logan Newsom connected for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone.  The longest was a 60-yard bomb down the Coleman sideline that opened the scoring with 8:01 left in the first quarter.  Coleman responded with its quick-strike offensive weapon, Brown, who took the next snap through the center of the line for a 61-yard touchdown run.  Brown returned to the end zone a second time with 10:47 remaining in the second quarter. The senior running back's 6-yard touchdown finished a 12-play, 51-yard drive that ate seven minutes off the clock.  The Bearcats would not let Coleman build momentum, however. Vanicek and Newsom again connected for a 59-yard touchdown pass on the following play.  The Bearcats pulled within two, 14-12, following the missed two-point conversion. 

The teams traded touchdowns once more before the end of the half, and Coleman led 20-18 heading into the locker room.  Austin Buzzard pushed Coleman's lead to 28-18 with a 1-yard dive late in the third quarter for his second touchdown of the night.  Then Brown scored his third touchdown, this time on a 62-yard tackle-busting scramble about three minutes later.  Ballinger re-entered the contest early in the fourth as Vanicek capped off an 85-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.  Brown again dazzled on Coleman's first play of the ensuing drive.  The 53-yard touchdown run was only his third-longest of the night but put the Bluecats up for good.  For the second time, Brown followed a Bearcat touchdown with one of his own.  ''I told myself that every time they scored, I was going to score,'' Brown said.  ''So I went to coach and asked for the ball.''  Brown averaged more than 9 yards per carry on the night.  His season average is more than 7 per carry, according to the Bluecat coaching staff.  ''He's really developed into an outstanding back,'' Coleman coach Rusty Buzzard said.  ''I've seen some good backs, and he's definitely one of them.''

Vanicek threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night following Brown's final touchdown.  The senior quarterback finished with a combined five touchdowns and 367 yards passing on the night.  About 200 of those yards went to Newsom.