The FWCD varsity football team qualified for a second straight SPC Playoffs on Friday night. The Falcons clinched a playoff berth when the Casady Cyclones lost to Trinity Valley Trojans by a final score of 31-7. Casady only had two losses going into the Trinity Valley game, and if they would have won their last three games would have secured a berth in the playoffs.

Now that Casady is eliminated, the Greenhill Hornets and the Cistercian Hawks are the only other two schools attempting to secure the other playoff berth. The Falcons will learn of their opponent on Friday night, when Greenhill hosts Cistercian. Cistercian has two losses going into the game, and Greenhill only has one. If Cistercian wins the game, both teams will have two losses and Cistercian will hold the tiebreaker, with the head to head victory. If Greenhill were to win, they will clinch a playoff berth.

The Falcons have already defeated both Greenhill and Cistercian. On September 16, the Falcons beat Greenhill 51-32. Quarterback Brad Chilcoat ‘17 scored three touchdowns, two passing and one rushing. Also, middle linebacker Spencer Pergande ‘17 tackled nine Hornets in the victory. Drew Chilcoat ‘19 had the highlight of the game when he ran back a kickoff return for 84 yards to give the Falcons a lead in the second quarter. After Chilcoat scored, the Falcons ran away with the game, outscoring Greenhill 37-13 from the beginning of the third quarter to midway through the fourth. One week later, the Falcons travelled to Irving to face off against Cistercian. The Falcon running game stole the show. As a team the Falcons rushed for 318 yards, led by Ross Biggs ‘17 with 114 yards on 20 carries. The Falcons started strong, flying to a 27-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Then, the Hawks were able to string together a rally and in the fourth quarter have an opportunity to bring the game within one possession. The Falcon defense bent but did not break, and the Falcons left Irving with a crucial 34-25 victory.

“The offensive line is the unsung heroes of the team, our running game cleary has been doing well, and it has a lot to do with the hard work and discipline of the offensive line. When practice is largely repetitive or monotonous for others, it is because the offensive line is grinding away at hard work. It is definitely not a coincidence that we are both have been successful and our offensive line has been healthy and strong” Assistant Coach Colin Douglas ‘06, said.

Along with the victories over the other two SPC schools with playoff aspirations, the Falcons have won six straight games. They start their season losing to the reigning TAPPS Division II Champion, Fort Worth Christian. But the Falcons rebounded with a win in the Battle of Bryant Irving, and since have not looked back. During this six game win streak, the Falcons are averaging 41.5 points per game, and only surrendering an average of 19 points per game.

With the win against John Cooper Dragons, facing off for the first time since conferences realigned, FWCD secured a spot in the championship game. Cooper was 3-4 on the season, and 2-3 in SPC counter games. Cooper was currently on a three-game losing streak, as they have lost to Oakridge, Casady, and Trinity Valley the past three weeks. This Friday, Oct. 28, the Falcons will celebrate Senior Night against Casady. The Falcons have 16 seniors on roster and will be honoring all 16 at halftime. Along with the football team, FWCD will honor senior cheerleaders. The game will kick off at 7:00 CST. Casady defeated the Falcons last season and the Falcons are seeking revenge. Last season, Casady picked off Brad Chilcoat ‘17 twice and only surrendered 163 yards to the Falcons. This year, the Falcons are averaging 353 total yards per game, excluding return yardage.

Last season, the Falcons were eliminated in a preliminary round by Episcopal High School in Houston. This year, the Falcons will not be playing a preliminary round, due to SPC rule changes over the offseason. The Falcons are hoping to win their first SPC Football Championship since 2010, when the Falcons defeated Trinity Valley at Amon G. Carter Stadium on TCU’s campus.

Update

The SPC Championship Games have been set.

SPC 4A games on Friday, November 4:

Episcopal (Bellaire) at All Saints Episcopal at 7:00 p.m. at Vandergrift High School

Greenhill/Cistercian/Trinity Valley at Fort Worth Country Day at 7:00 p.m. at All Saints Episcopal School