The Bangs Dragons continue their quest in the playoffs after capturing the 2A Division I Area title Friday night after defeating Idalou 23-6 and ending their 8 game winning streak.
Bangs High School has an overall record of 9-3 and district record of 5-1. They head into the Regional playoff game against Eastland (9-2) this Friday night. The Dragons hope to continue their 6 game winning streak to clinch their place in the quarter finals of the state playoffs. For the season, the Dragons have averaged 35 points with 337 yards of total offense per game this season as compared with Eastland’s 37 points and 416 yards of total offense going into this week’s matchup.
Bangs Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Chuck Lipsey stated that the Dragons have to stay focused on winning one game at a time; defeating Eastland is their main focus at this point.
“Each week you get closer (to the state championship game) if you play well,” said Lipsey. From the beginning of the season we said we were going to stay focused, like climbing a ladder, get each rung of the ladder one at a time,” explained Lipsey. “The team put themselves in the situation to be in the third round of the playoffs and I think that is huge. Now we have to stay focused on each week’s game. It’s everyone’s goal to win a state championship. You just have to play hard enough and leave everything on the field each week, that’s all you can do. Everybody left has a good football team. Both teams are going to play lights out for four quarters. I can’t say who wants it most.”
Being at this stage of the playoffs is a great opportunity according to Lipsey, but the team has to want more. He said the team has 22 seniors but that it’s not just the seniors who have to want to win a state title, but that the whole team has to realize that being in the playoffs is not something you can take for granted.
“We have 22 seniors, so we do have a good group of seniors, not all are starters but they all contribute. I told the team that a lot of people want to be where you are at this week, in the playoffs. Don’t be satisfied because these opportunities don’t come along often,” said Coach Lipsey. “When it comes up you got to take advantage of it, even the lower classmen, sophomores and juniors. You don’t know when this kind of opportunity will come around again. You have to give it your best.”
At this late part of the season, Coach Lipsey stated that Bangs’ team was fortunate to be in good health and that some teams are beat up by playoffs.
“We are as healthy as we have been all year and that is a great thing. We went thru some injuries during preseason but they got healed up by the regular season,” Lipsey said. “You worry about injuries and players being tired at this time, after 17 weeks of the season and two-a-days. I’ve seen teams that are happy to be at this point in the playoffs. It’s the teams that continue to keep working, practicing that get to the championships. They know they have to play ‘lights out this week’ and that is what is neat about this bunch.”
The Dragons will take on the Eastland Mavericks at 7:00pm Friday at Abilene Wylie Bulldog Stadium in Abilene. Adult tickets are $7, student tickets $4. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
