The loss against Andrews on Oct. 22 put the Indian football team in a win-or-go-home situation against the Fort Stockton Panthers on Oct. 29. The Indians rose to the occasion, taking down the Panthers, 32-21, in Fort Stockton.
The Indians, 4-6, face Pecos in bi-district action on Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa. Pecos was district champion of its division, with a 3-0 mark in district and a 7-3 overall record.
For Head Coach Chris Burtch, winning took precedence over everything else at this point.
“I don’t really care about the seeding; I care most about winning,” Burtch said. “I think anytime you can go into the playoffs with wins is better than with losses.”
Indian players thought a win over Fort Stockton was a reality rather than a possibility.
“I think we have a good chance of making the playoffs,” senior safety/wide receiver Alven Klassen said. “We just need to come together as a team and fight to the end.”
For players, the plan was clear.
“All we need to do is bring our ‘A’ game and work hard on every play,” senior linebacker Oscar Hernandez said. “I have faith in our team, we will go to the playoffs.”
The Indians have out-played the Panthers statistically since the Panthers have allowed almost 250 points to opponents and scored less than 100 so far.
“We just need to keep working hard in practice and do our job and it will be an easy win,” junior lineman Kevin Froese said. “We just have to keep working hard…We just have to stay focused and keep giving the glory to God.”
The must-win situation put players under pressure knowing they had to win if they wanted to keep a seven-year tradition of post-season play alive.
“I’m a little bit under pressure since it’s the last game,” Klassen said, “but as long as we stick together, we should come out with a win.”
The pressure of the final game had the coaches talking about players procedure rather than talking of winning.
“I’m sure there’s pressure on the kids themselves,” Swinnea said, “but we don’t talk about winning, we talk about doing our jobs.”
With the injuries and youth on the team, Burtch sees what has been achieved this season.
“I think having a chance at the playoffs is a great accomplishment for the kids,” Burtch said. “I think football mimicks life; you have to overcome adversity.”