Already one game out of a playoff spot entering tonight's 7:30 matchup against Academy at Eagle Stadium, a loss could all but end the Eagles' postseason hopes in District 25-2A.
So Salado's looking at this one as its last stand, a chance to keep its hope for a fifth straight playoff trip alive for another week.
"No doubt it's must-win for several of us," Salado coach Jeff Cheatham said. "There's several teams that if they don't take care of business, it could pretty much be over with the next couple of weeks."
The bad news is the Eagles (2-6 overall, 2-2 25-2A) face a group of Bumblebees coming off its best win of the season two weeks ago against Lago Vista. Academy (5-2, 2-1) kept that momentum rolling through the bye week as it chases its first 25-2A title since 2005.
"Our guys' attitudes are real good right now," said Academy's Royce McAdams, who is three wins short of 200 in his 26 seasons as a head coach. "If we're ready to play, we play pretty well. We've got to get ready for Salado. We haven't beaten them in a while."
Indeed, Academy hasn't beaten Salado since 2005 - losing the last three by a combined score of 120-27 - but the Bees feel confident that streak will end tonight.
A big reason why is a defense coming off its best effort of the season. Academy held Lago Vista's run-heavy attack to just 100 yards.
Tonight the Bees face a Salado offense that's had trouble moving the ball in any fashion the last two weeks. The Eagles were held to 17 rushing yards last week against the Vikings and just 114 overall. Against Lexington, they managed 153 yards, only 12 in the second half.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
