Flashes still in prime playoff position|[10/17/06]

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 17, 2006

The St. Aloysius Flashes took a beating Friday night, but their playoff chances did not.

Despite a one-sided 69-7 loss to No. 3 Puckett, St. Al is still in third place in Region 3-1A and still controls its own destiny heading into the season’s last three games.

St. Al, Nanih Waiya and Pisgah are all tied for third with a 4-2 record in region play. Of the three, St. Al has the most favorable schedule. It has already beaten Nanih Waiya, hosts Pisgah in the final game of the season, and plays weak teams from Edinburg and Sebastopol the next two weeks.

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Both Pisgah and Nanih Waiya also have a game remaining against second-place Lake.

Because of that, St. Al coach Jim Taylor didn’t seem too concerned about the final score after Friday night’s loss. In the grand scheme of things, he pointed out, it didn’t matter whether the Flashes lost on the road to the No. 3 team in Class 1A by six points or 60.

&#8220We would’ve had to win the game for it to be anything different from that, and even then it may not have been,” Taylor said of St. Al’s playoff possibilities. &#8220Going in, I was worried more about playing well, more than winning the game.”

If there was one thing Friday’s game proved, though, it was the vast gulf between Puckett and everyone else in the region. Puckett looked like a team that hopes to win a state championship and made St. Al look very much like a group that hopes to make the playoffs.

Puckett scored 41 points in the first half, with four scoring drives that lasted only one play. Another went three plays and 36 seconds just before halftime. Puckett scored on runs of 74, 52, 99 and 62 yards in the first half and set up its two shorter scores with a 54-yard pass play and 30-yard run.

Nearly every time a Puckett back hit the edge, they were able to either break a tackle or simply outrun St. Al’s defense to the end zone. On Matthew Willis’ 99-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, he went right up the middle to where the linebackers should have been, only to find nothing but green grass in front of him.

Puckett used its speed advantage to roll up 396 rushing yards and 465 total yards in the first half. For the game, the Wolves outgained the Flashes 690-65.

&#8220Coming in, I knew they were real good, but they were better than I thought they were,” Taylor said. &#8220They had a tremendous amount of team speed. In any league, that hurts you. Against us, it’s double trouble.”

The victory all but guaranteed Puckett at least a playoff spot. The Wolves’ remaining games are all against teams in the bottom half of the region standings and they’ve beaten everyone in the top half. With a one-game lead on Lake and a two-game edge on everyone else – plus the tiebreaker advantages, if it comes to that – Puckett can wrap up the division title by winning two of its last three games.

The Wolves finish with Sebastopol (2-4 in region play), Noxapater (3-3) and South Leake (1-5).

&#8220At 6-0, we’re definitely guaranteed some spot. I don’t know what yet, but we should have something,” Puckett coach Jaris Patrick said, adding that he believes St. Al will also find its way into the postseason. &#8220St. Al should have a place in there somewhere, too. They’re playing good enough and have the worst schedule of the teams in it.”