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Graham's district foes prove strength of District 6-4A

Tue, 05/31/2016 - 1:32 pm
Brownwood advances in softball, Abilene Wylie in basebal
  • Photo By Kyle Borne  
    Graham takes on Wylie in Abilene during the district portion of the regular season. Wylie is playing in the regional finals, one round from the state championship game.
sports@grahamleader.com

Graham’s district opponents have fared well in the 2016 baseball and softball playoffs. In baseball, Abilene Wylie is scheduled to compete in the state regional finals, and Brownwood is scheduled to compete in the softball semi-finals.

Brownwood has played strong throughout the 4A softball playoffs. The Lady Lions are set to face La Grange on Thursday at 9 a.m. The winner of that game will face the winner of Paris North Lamar and Needville in the state softball finals on Saturday at 10 a.m. The softball tournament games are being played at the University of Texas in Austin.

The Lady Blues fared well against state semi-finalist Brownwood this season. Both games were close. Graham lost a tough 8-6 decision the first time to Brownwood and then 5-3 in a second close decision. District 6-4A was tough all year in softball and the success of the Lady Lions is proving that on a state level.

Brownwood’s march to the state semi-finals included victories over Iowa Park, Godley and district rival Abilene Wylie. Brownwood defeated Big Spring in the regional semi-finals and Snyder in the regional finals to advance to the state semi-finals. The Lady Lions are battle tested and the strength of District 6-4A has contributed strongly to that result.

In baseball, Abilene Wylie has been on a warriors march through the 4A playoffs. Graham is very familiar with the strength of the Bulldogs in baseball.

The Steers opened the district season against Abilene Wylie with a 10-0 loss. The Steers bounced back to play closer against the Bulldogs. Graham only lost the second game 5-2. Wylie has been the top-ranked squad in 4A baseball for several weeks now.

Wylie’s march through the playoffs has been in dominant fashion. Wylie defeated Wichita Falls Hirschi 23-0 to open the first round. The Bulldogs then beat Venus in two shutout victories. Wylie then defeated Midlothian Heritage in two games, 12-1 and 5-1. Midlothian Heritage is the team that knocked Graham out of the playoffs in the area round. 

In the regional semi-finals, Abilene Wylie defeated Snyder in two games, 6-1 and 9-3. The Bulldogs are now set to play Godley in the regional finals on Saturday. Godley knocked 6-4A rival Mineral Wells out of the playoffs earlier. The winner of Wylie/Godley will play the winner of Little Cypress Mauriceville and Robinson in the state championship June 10-13 in Austin.

Graham can take some solace in the success of their district 6-4A opponents. The district is represented in softball and baseball at the highest levels, and the competition Graham faced this year was top-notch. Graham will head north to a different district for the 2016-2017 school year, and the competition will not get much easier. Iowa Park and Burkburnett had strong teams, as well.