Your Coleman Bluecats have successfully advanced past Bi-District and Area rounds of play, and will now be venturing into the regional round of the playoffs.  Bluecats fans were pleased by a solid 23-7 win last week over the Ozona Lions, thanks mostly to a hefty fourth-quarter effort that allowed the Cats to run up 16 unanswered points.  This win in San Angelo left the Cats hoisting an "Area" trophy above their blonde heads.

The previous week held a much more frightening game, which ended in the third overtime when the Haskell Indians turned the ball over on a fumble, and therefore were unable to answer Coleman's overtime score.  The 9-3 Elks of Stratford will travel south to convene with the Bluecats in Lubbock for a Regional match-up in the third round of the playoffs this Friday night.  Coleman ISD representatives indicate the game time is 7:30 p.m.  The match will take place at Lowrey Field in Lubbock.  Stratford celebrated a state championship in 2005 in class 1A ball before moving up to 2A this season.  They kept 16 starters from their championship team in 2006, including Senior Offensive Tackle Rodolfo Portillo (6-3, 300, 5.5, first-team all-state).

The Elks, representing district 1-2A, knocked off the Childress Bobcats last Friday 33-27 in Canyon's Kimbourgh Stadium to secure the Area title.  Jr QB Hunter Buckles will lead the offensive effort, with the help of Jr RB Craig Kautz (5-8, 165, 4.7), who rushed for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns against Childress, and Sr RB Jonathan Licon (5-8, 160, 5.0), who rushed for 115 yards and scored three touchdowns against Childress.  Buckles completed only four of 11 passes for 52 yards against the Bobcats, but the Elks ran up over 300 yards of rushing in their 33-27 win last Friday.  In fact, Stratford has basically relied on their rushing efforts all year.  The Elks will throw the ball a few times, but their sizeable and experienced offensive line has allowed for a dominate running game.  Five of Stratford's offensive linemen are over 200 pounds, with the heaviest topping out at 300.

The Bluecats survived the playoffs until the third round last year, which was the first time they had advanced so far in 59 years.  A third-round Regional meeting with Childress in Sweetwater ended in a Bluecat loss, but Coleman fans had experienced the excitement associated with a winning season.  Fans will certainly be hoping for a win Friday night to improve on last season's efforts, and continue to establish and build a tradition of Bluecat football excellence.