Coaches weren’t really fired up about having a full week off between games. But Byron Nelson girls soccer coach Phillip Salyer actually liked the way spring break worked out for his program.
He brought his players back for workouts on Friday and Saturday. He didn’t do anything special with them, but Salyer’s goal was to simply keep everyone connected with each other before the final week of the regular season resumed Tuesday at Birdville (played after the print deadline).One wrinkle he did have was scrimmaging 11-on-11 because he could play some junior varsity players who showed up.“It was just a way to keep everything sharp and maintain some fitness,” Salyer said. “I didn’t want to spend a lot of time about talking about the gameplan against Birdville. It’s been a long season. A lot of girls were playing both club and high school. It probably was their first week off in a long time. So I think it came at the right time.”Nelson (20-2-1, 6-2 in 11-4A) needed a win over the Lady Hawks on Tuesday to secure second place. The Lady Bobcats had 12 points, while Birdville had 11. A tie would have done no good other than keeping them one point ahead.Salyer said he really wasn’t concerning himself with the bi-district playoff opponent until after Tuesday’s match. Still, District 12-4A features the likes of Aledo, Saginaw Boswell and Azle. There’s the possibility that Nelson would play Azle, the team it beat in the bi-district round in 2012 as it went to the state tournament. The bi-district playoff round is next Monday and Tuesday.As for Region I, 12-4A will feature the top teams between Nelson and Denton Guyer. Other powers should be Amarillo, Canyon Randall and Wichita Falls Rider.Notable …Friday’s regular season finale against Argyle will be Senior Night for the program. It could be a game that the Lady Bobcats have to win in terms of their playoff seed.Senior forward Lynnsey Brim, who suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-1 loss to Denton Guyer, returned to practice last week and didn’t show any major setbacks. Still Salyer wanted to be sure how she was before playing her against Birdville.“She was feeling a lot better,” Salyer said. “I think it helped when I gave her that Friday off against Lake Dallas. I think she looked sharp [Saturday]. I don’t know if we’ll need more time, but I want to be sure because we need her for the playoffs.”Northwest updateLincoln Hunt’s girls program suffered a really tough loss on March 11, a 3-0 setback to Keller Timber Creek. It didn’t officially end the Lady Texans’ playoff hopes. But it certainly put a major dent in them.Northwest (4-15-3, 4-7-1 in District 4-5A) pretty much had to win out in order to have a chance. Anything less ended the Lady Texans’ hopes. It had to start Tuesday against Richland and conclude Friday against Keller Central.The problem is that the third- and fourth-place teams in Timber Creek and Central are already at six district wins. So the Lady Texans needed to have help. That’s never a good combination late in the season.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
