“A good team with great tradition.”
That’s how Buc Head Coach Mike Kirtley described this week’s third round playoff opponent -- the fourth ranked Thomas Terriers. The Tonkawa-Thomas winner plays the Pawnee-Colcord winner in the quarterfinals Dec. 4. A Buc win would allow Tonkawa to host.
“They’re good, very explosive and their only loss was to Cashion and that was a good one till the end.”
The Terriers will be in a spread offense and a 3-4 defense.
Tonkawa hasn’t met Thomas in the playoffs since 2002, when they lost to them 14-21 in the quarterfinals. The Terriers went on to win the state title that year.
Tonkawa beat Thomas 24-7 in 2000 and 21-7 in 1999, both Buc state championships seasons. Before that, Tonkawa had beaten Thomas 23-13 in 1993.
On the win vs. Dibble Friday night, Kirtley said “it was good as it gets, crazy fans and crazy kids.”
He continued, “Our kids never gave up and continued to play with relentless tenacity.” Once again, coaches were scrambling to change the lineup with the loss of two-way starters Fireshaker Davis and Clay Massey, who both went down early in the game.
“I don‘t know that I’ve been more proud of a team than I was of this team in this game,” Kirtley said of the come-from-behind effort of the Bucs vs. Dibble.
“A good team with great tradition.”
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