Season-Deciding Coin Flip Looming for 3 Concho Valley Football Teams

SAN ANGELO, TX — A coin flip could determine the fate of three football teams in our area this weekend.

Ozona, Forsan and Christoval have the potential to finish in a three-way tie for third place Friday in District 4-2A Division I.

With only four teams advancing to the playoffs, the three head coaches would have to meet for a coin flip that would send two teams to the postseason and one team home.

First things first, here are the conditions for the third-place tie:

• A loss by Ozona to Ballinger
• A loss by Forsan to Sonora
• A win by Christoval over Colorado City

If those three results occur, then Ozona, Forsan and Christoval will all have 3-3 records in district play. 

In most cases, the tie would be broken by teams’ point differential in games against one another. In this instance, however, the teams all had big wins against each other that exceeded the district’s 17-point cap.

Here’s how it broke down:

• Ozona beat Christoval 44-6
• Forsan beat Ozona 46-22
• And Christoval beat Forsan 33-13

Because of the unusual round robin of blowout wins, the teams all finished with a point differential of 0, so the coin flip is the next tiebreaker.

Perhaps the most famous instance of a season-deciding coin flip was the 1988 district-title coin flip at a truck stop immortalized in the book “Friday Night Lights” between Odessa Permian’s Gary Gaines, Midland High’s Doug McCutchen and Midland Lee’s Earl Miller.

McCutchen, who later became the athletic director for San Angelo ISD, lost the coin flip, sending Permian and Lee into the playoffs. Permian wound up advancing all the way to the state semifinals before losing to Dallas Carter.

Gaines later became the head coach of the Central Bobcats.

The three-way tie this weekend is certainly plausible, though anything could happen in this wide-open district. Here’s a look at the standings:

District 4-2A Division I

        District   Overall

Sonora   5-0   8-1

Ballinger   4-1   7-2

Forsan   3-2   7-2

Ozona   3-2   4-5

Christoval   2-3   3-6

Colorado City   1-4   4-5

Reagan County   0-6   2-8

The only thing certain for now is that Sonora will be the No. 1 seed. Because the Broncos have nothing to play for — aside from an outright district title — it leaves the door open for them to rest their starters on the road in Forsan and give the Buffaloes an easier path to victory.

Ballinger needs a win at home against Ozona to lock up the No. 2 seed. If the Bearcats falter, it could cause a two-way or three-way tie for second place.

If Sonora and Ballinger win, however, then that gives Christoval the opportunity it needs, though the Cougars still have to take care of business on the road against a capable Colorado City team, which will be no easy task.

This has certainly been the most entertaining district race in the Concho Valley so far, and it could get even crazier by the end of Friday night.