WINNFIELD – With four members of District 4-2A currently sitting between No. 18 and No. 28, the final three weeks of the regular season is going to be dog eat dog.
Two of those dogs will face each other Friday as Winnfield (4-3, 1-1) hosts Many (2-5, 1-0).
No. 21 Winnfield enters at No. 21 with No. 27 Many just inside the playoff picture in Week 8.
Winnfield is at the beginning of a three-game homestand as both Tigers try to improve their playoff position in the 28-team field.
Both teams have dropped three of their last four games, but Many topped Red River (43-22) to snap its three-game slide this past week.
Winnfield couldn’t complete its comeback in the final minutes of a 20-14 loss at Lakeside, dropping their third game in four tries after a 3-0 start.
“Lakeside played well – they had a plan and executed it well,” said Winnfield coach Byron Keller. “We started off slow. We have to start quickly and put pressure on our opponents.”
A quick Winnfield start allows the Tigers’ running game and offensive line to chip away at the defense, whereas clawing back from a deficit decreases that effect.
Many has similar ideas in wanting to lean on its power running game behind the shoulders of stud running back Daniel Thomas, who has 1,250 rushing yards and topped 3,000 for his career.
But Many found a bit of a passing game with freshman Luke McCarty throwing for 61 yards on 3-of-4 after completing just nine passes (with seven interceptions) through his first six games.
They found a way to bounce back from an overtime loss on the road at Avoyelles to club Red River, 43-22, to open district play.
“They are a tough, physical, gritty football team,” Keller said. “They played a tough pre-district schedule and have played well as of late.
“We have to be the most physical team and limit the mistakes.”
Winnfield’s 45-player roster is deeper than most Class 2A schools – but Many coach Tyler Hassell has hunted his halls to rebuild a roster (66 players) of a program that suffered through a winless season in 2024 despite a championship pedigree for the last decade.The battle in the trenches will likely be the tipping point of this clash, but Winnfield has an ace up its sleeve in special teams.
The Tigers mauled their way back against Lakeside thanks to a Gabe Wren kickoff return for a touchdown. Winnfield also blocked a punt and had another scoring kickoff return wiped out by penalty.
Winnfield just has to avoid mistakes and finish drives.
“(Special teams) is really important to us, and it’s one of the most overlooked phases in the game,” Keller said. “We played well in the special teams portion except for the touchdown called back.
“That one return would have switched the momentum of the game in our favor.”
Mansfield (6-1, 1-0) appears to be in the driver’s seat in this district as they host Red River on Friday, but the Wolverines have to travel to Many and Winnfield to close out the season.
A Winnfield win over Many means the Tigers can win at least a share of the district title without having to leave their home stadium again.
The Tigers step out of district play to bring in Jennings in Week 9 and finish with Mansfield in Week 10.