HENDERSON – On a chilly night in Henderson, the Woodville Eagles created some history.
The team, which made quick work of area round opponent Grand Saline the previous week, trampled the De Kalb Bears to advance to the next round in the UIL football playoffs last Friday.
The Eagles, who soared to a 49-12 victory over the Bears, will play the Daingerfield Tigers in the quarterfinal round this Friday, Dec. 6. This is the first time in the history of the Woodville Eagle football program that this feat has been accomplished.
Going into last Friday’s contest, the Eagles were attempting something that hadn’t been notched since 1936. It had been 88 years since the team had gotten to the regional round of the playoffs, but now those stakes are higher.
From the first quarter to the last bit of play, the Eagles were firing on all cylinders against De Kalb. Dustin Barlow scored first for the Eagles, with a 20-yard rushing touchdown, within the first five minutes of play, and a few plays later, on an Eagle first down, Zayon Williams scored with a 32-yard rushing TD, resulting in a 14-0 score going into the second quarter.
After several big plays and two more scores in the second, the Eagles held the Bears 28-0 at the half. DeKalb finally got on the scoreboard deep into the third quarter, but not after another TD from Tanner LeDoux.
On Friday, the Eagles will play the Tigers at Wildcat Stadium in Palestine. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, and the Eagles are the hometeam in this match.
The Daingerfield match-up pits a fired-up squad of Eagles against a team with plenty of history behind it. The Tigers have racked up six state championships, most of them as a 2A program.
The school sailed to victories in three consecutive championships, 2008-10. This season, despite a much better overall record for the Eagles, the average scoring per team is close, with Woodville earning 40.7 per game and Daingerfield scoring an average of 39 points.
Daingerfield just eliminated powerhouse Newton from their playoff bid last week. Overall Daingerfield sports an 8-5 record this season, while the Eagles have notched an 11-2 record.
The winner will go on to the semifinals in Dec. 12-14 and take on the winner of the Canadian vs. Wall game.
With excitement palpable in and around Woodville for the Eagles, Woodville ISD has announced that it will release students early on Friday at 1:45 p.m. to accommodate bus routes and ensure that the buses and drivers have enough time to transport student groups to the game.
“We encourage our fans to drive to Palestine and cheer on our Eagles as they continue their playoff journey,” said WISD superintendent Lisa Meysembourg.
