Playoff fever, catch it

I'm going out on a limb and say Pampa head football coach Heath Parker was not doused with Gatorade following the Harversters clinching a Class 4A playoff berth Friday night -- even if it was Pampa's first playoff berth in five years.

Pampa gave up nearly 500 yards rushing in losing at home to Palo Duro, 35-13, to finish the regular season with a 2-8 record. But in a weak six-team District 3-4A where four teams get into the postseason, Pampa qualified fair and square. Beat 1-9 Randall and 4-6 Caprock to get in. Strike up the band.

Two of the other four playoff teams, PD and Dumas, are 4-6. In all, 20 teams in the Class 4A playoffs have losing records. Manor joins Pampa as two teams with 2-8 marks.

The thing is, most people aren't fooled by this. Pampa fans know what's up, and to a large extent, so do the Pampa coaches. They're 2-8, losing 80 percent of their games. There shouldn't be any playoff feel or atmosphere. It would be hard to have any real sense of expectation or postseason excitement. It is what it is.

Sure, you put your best foot forward and go play a bi-district game, in this case, against 9-1 Hereford Friday night at Dick Bivins Stadium.

As was said last week, if four teams are going to advance from each district, try to get as many 8-team or more districts as possible. Pampa is only playing by the rules, but playoff berths aren't supposed to go to 2-8 teams.