Playoff scenarios in District 22-5A explained
Published 7:27 pm Wednesday, November 8, 2017
As it stands right now, the Nederland Bulldogs and Vidor Pirates are tied for third in District 22-5A football standings, with the Beaumont Central Jaguars one game back.
Vidor (5-2, 5-2 in 22-5A) has already clinched a playoff spot despite losing to Nederland (6-2, 5-2) and beating Central (4-3, 4-3), but the latter two teams need the ball to bounce their way this weekend.
How is that? Here’s how:
- The first thing to understand is that: Vidor beat Central 42-21, Central beat Nederland 21-17 and Nederland beat Vidor 28-21. Because there is a triangle of games in which those three teams could finish in a tie, the team or teams with the larger margin of victory among the head-to-head games would advance to the playoffs. Since a three-way tie for third place could exist and only the top four teams advance to the 5A playoffs, the top two teams in the event of such a tie — Vidor and Nederland — would advance. Vidor won by 21 points, Nederland by seven and Central by four.
Therefore, Vidor is already qualified for the playoffs.
- In the worst-case scenario for each team: Central loses at the Thomas Center on Saturday to Baytown Lee (1-7, 1-6), Nederland loses at home to Port Neches-Groves (8-0, 7-0) on Friday and Vidor loses at Port Arthur Memorial (6-1, 6-1) on Friday. If all three results occur, Vidor and Nederland would have three district losses each and Central would have four, eliminating the Jaguars. That, of course, would send the Bulldogs into the playoffs.
- Nederland gets in the playoffs if: The Bulldogs beat PNG or, with a loss to PNG, Lee beats Central. Even if Vidor loses to Memorial, Vidor has the head-to-head edge over Central, should a tie only involving Vidor and Central exist.
- Central gets in the playoffs if: The Jaguars beat Baytown Lee AND PNG beats Nederland AND Vidor beats Memorial. This, then, would create a tie for fourth between Central and Nederland, giving the Jaguars the head-to-head edge.
- PNG wins the 22-5A championship outright if: The Indians beat Nederland, or with a loss, Vidor beats Memorial.
Remember, in classes 6A and 5A, the qualifying schools with the two largest enrollments out of each district play in their respective class’ Division I playoffs, while the qualifying teams with the two smallest enrollments play in the Division II playoffs.
— I.C. Murrell