For the first time in history, the Richardson ISD might send four teams into the football playoffs.
Lake Highlands (7-2, 5-1) has already locked up second place in District 9-5A, and J.J. Pearce (6-3, 4-2) will finish no worse than fourth in District 10-4A. Should Richardson (6-3, 4-2) beat Carrollton Creekview (4-5, 3-3) and Berkner (5-4, 3-3) beat W.T. White (4-5, 2-4 ) in 9-5A action, the four Richardson schools would sweep into the playoffs for the first time.
Making the situation even more enviable for other districts, RISD just sent four teams to the postseason in volleyball -- the first time the district has enjoyed the honor in any sport.
"We're really very proud of all of our kids," RISD athletic director Bob Dubey said. "Part of that is attributable to our coaches doing the little things right and going out to get the kids in the programs. Our participation numbers have increased across the board."
Dubey suggested there's another reason RISD has seen sudden sports success at all its schools. The district decided to re-align its high schools five years ago, moving freshmen into high school from junior high. The current crop of seniors is the second in the district to have started high school as freshmen.
"I think this allows our kids to mature a little faster, figure out expectations quicker and see the speed of the game sooner," Dubey said. "They can adjust and contribute sooner as well."
Also, the ISD couldn't have put four teams in the playoffs the last time Richardson made the postseason in 1992 -- only two teams made the postseason from each district back then.
Should Richardson, Berkner and Creekview end up tied at 4-3 in district, the tiebreaker is point differential with a 14-point cap per game. Berkner is in great shape in this scenario, since it reached the 14-point cap against Creekview but only lost to Richardson by three. Creekview, however, would need to beat Richardson by nine points or more to make the playoffs due to Creekview's blowout loss to Berkner.
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Contributors
Jeff Andrews
Jeff Andrews covers north Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. He covered high school sports for four years at the Denton Record-Chronicle. Andrews is a graduate of UNT.
Randy Jennings
Randy Jennings covers south Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. His 34-year career as a sports writer includes eight years at the Dallas Morning News. Jennings is a graduate of UT-Arlington.
Mercedes Mayer
Mercedes Mayer covers west Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. Mercedes has covered DFW-area sports for the last six years, including a 5 1/2 year stint with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mayer is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.
Ethan Szatmary
Ethan B. Szatmary covers east Metroplex high schools for ESPNDallas.com. Ethan covered colleges and high schools for the Denton Record-Chronicle for eight years and graduated from Emory University.
