Correction update made 11/15/2018?
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The Kennedale Wildcat football team starts their 18th straight post season playoff run this week on Thursday, November 15. Kennedale will meet the Brownwood Lions in a bi-district round game at the Glen Rose ISD Tiger Stadium. {{more: continue …}}??
Game time is 7:30 p.m.is game. (Directions are below)
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Records can be deceiving …?
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Brownwood was a fourth seed out of District 5-4A with an overall record of 4-5. However, the record can be deceiving. Brownwood played Sydner (8-2), Graham (7-3), Brock (9-1), 5A Wichita Falls Rider (5-5), Stephenville (6-3), Waco La Vega (8-2) and China Springs 5-5. Seven of their nine opponents had winning records and of those seven all but China Springs will go into the state playoffs as a first or second seed.
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Kennedale at 8-2 comes in as the favorite in this game. Besides being a top seed, Kennedale has history on its side. This will be Kennedale?s 18 straight playoff appearance.?(Note: In first posting the Kennedale News stated incorrectly that Kennedale had made 14 straight playoffs under Coach Barrett and identifying the 2004 season as the one miss. 2004 was a shortened season with only eight games played, one of the 8 was a bidistrict playoff game. 2004 ended the? season at 7-2.)?Once in the playoffs, the Cats tend to stick around. Kennedale has made at least the third round region finals the last four years. The Wildcats have not lost a first round bi-district game in ten years.
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Kennedale will come to play …???
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| Kennedale has a number of
big play makers, pictured are just four of them -? senior quarterback Evan Jowers and?senior running back DJ Kirven,? (front row) along with defensive backs senior KadeStephenson and sophomore JD Coffey (back row) photo WFAA |
The good news is that Kennedale is probably the healthiest it has been since early season. And, while suffering a couple blowouts early in games against Midlothian Heritage and Springtown, Kennedale?s offensive line and defense has matured. The return of running back DJ Kirven to the line-up has ignited the offense and have looked like one of the teams of old.?
The defense?s aggressive play has caused havoc to the game plans of opposing teams as the season has progressed. The downside of their aggression has been seen in the recent spate of penalties The penalties are always worrisome but going into the playoffs it can make up for inexperience besides throwing the other team off their game. While being overly aggressive can allow an occasion big play to be made by the other team, the Wildcat defense has shown that more often than not they play in the other team?s back field.
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From the very first game, this year’s playoff run will not be easy. Reputation and guts can carry you only so far. Actually, Kennedale is not favored to last long in the playoffs. It definitely will be an uphill battle each week and the 2018 Wildcats will have to fight to prove that they remain among the best.
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Planning to make the trip?
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Glen Rose is a little over 60 miles away and located on Highway 67 east of Cleburne. The simplest way to go is south on US 287 to Midlothian and then west on HWY 67 to Glen Rose. There are shortcuts, and if you don?t mind tolls, the Chisholm Trail Pkwy is an easy way to get to HW67 via Cleburne and cut off a couple of miles.?
