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October 17, 2008

TVCC (4-2) at KILGORE (3-3) - Trying to get the feeling again

Cards looking to halt 2-game skid, stay in playoff chase

By Benny Rogers Sports Editor

A two-game losing streak may have halted the Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals’ momentum, but it has not dashed their hopes of a Southwest Junior College Football Conference playoff berth.

The Cardinals still control their own destiny in that regard.

“We are in good shape (to make the playoffs),” second-year Cardinal head coach Brad Smiley said Thursday. “We are in a four-way tie for third place right now.

“We have beaten one of the teams (NEO) and have the other two (Kilgore and Tyler) left on our schedule.”

TVCC, which started the season 4-0 and moved to a No. 12 ranking nationally, is coming off losses to No. 1 Navarro (35-6) and No. 6 Blinn (55-20).

“We lost to two very good football teams,” Smiley said. “One was number one and the other was the previous number one.

“No one here is panicking. We are continuing to work to put ourselves in the same position (as Navarro and Blinn.”

The Cardinals are scheduled to travel Saturday to Kilgore to face the 3-3 Rangers. Kilgore, after leading 14-7 at the half, dropped a 24-21 decision to Tyler last week.

In the Kilgore loss, Tyler back-up tailback O’Bryan Bell came in to rush for 259 yards— 232 in the second half — and a touchdown.

“Tyler came out in the second half and really pounded them running the football,” Smiley said.

Smiley said he has been impressed with what he’s seen of Kilgore on film.

“In the two years I’ve been here, Kilgore plays harder than any team in the conference,” Smiley said. “They knocked off Blinn (20-17 in triple overtime) a couple of weeks ago, so that goes to show they are capable of beating anyone.”

Being in control of their playoff fate, has the Cardinals motivated going into the final three games of the regular season, Smiley said.

“Our goal has been to make the playoffs,” Smiley said. “We still can do that.

“We know if we win all three we will be in, and two might.

“We’re not going to be the number one seed ... and probably not the second. But all we want is to get in and have a one-in-four chance to winning the conference championship.”

In Saturday’s other conference games, Cisco is at Navarro, NEO is at Blinn and Tyler is at Arkansas Baptist. All kickoffs are 3 p.m.

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