Ahh, the playoffs, something to be cherished by the teams that make it.    Good seasons are special, and so is the right to play for the ultimate prize.

I’m not going to blow smoke, it’s been a challenging year on the gridiron for a lot of teams, the Braves included.  Injuries, assignments, intensity and guts, that’s what will ultimately determine who raises the championship trophy.

There are some pretty darn good matchups between the eight teams who made the post-season, including three rematches from last weekend.  That being said, I truly believe there are too many teams who make it.  As much as I don’t care for bye weeks, I wonder if paring down the playoff field by two teams would be beneficial.  When I was growing up, there weren’t eight teams making the playoffs.  I know upsets like Wheatland over SV last year are an argument to keep things the way they are, but I just can’t get behind a system where 73 percent of the teams MAKE the playoffs.

Anyway, there is no easy answer, and with the discussions of revamping the classification systems yet again in 2009, who’s to say what is the answer at this point period.

Here’s how I see the first round of the playoffs -

Cody @ Jackson - I think there were a few eyebrows lifted when the final from last week came rolling across the communication lines.  Jackson, defeating Cody, 37-25.  In any other year, that might not seem like cause for notice, but it’s by far the most points allowed by the Jackson defense so far this year, the previous high being 12 from Kemmerer.  Does Cody have the lineup to exploit the Jackson weaknesses?  I’m not sure.  What I can say with  a bit of confidence, is that Jackson drew a very tough game for an opening round game.  As much as I’ve been touting their defense this year, I think it’s going to be their strong running game that will move them into the semi-finals.  Cody has a pretty potent offense, but in games with Jackson and Star Valley, two predominantly running teams, the Park County Broncs have shown they can get worn down against a good rushing attack.  It’s for this reason that the combo of Woodfin and especially Alex Bush should be the difference in what I expect to be a very close game at the half.  Llama says - (Jackson) Broncs - 34-17.

Wheatland @ Douglas - Before I get an angry e-mail from an Eastern Conference die-hard, let me preface this by saying I haven’t seen either team in person this year.  That being said, I think Wheatland has the better defense, while Douglas has the edge offensively.  The wild-card in this game is the Bearcat defense, which showed in a previous game (played in Douglas) that they could shut down the Bulldogs as they shut them out, 12-0.  Douglas has won four straight, and has averaged 28 points per game while they’ve done it.  Wheatland won’t allow that many, as I think the Bearcats will be held somewhere in the 17-24 point range.  The difference is, I don’t see the Bulldogs getting past 14.  I see a hard-fought game with maybe even a defensive score as the determining factor.  Llama says - Bearcats - 19-12

Powell @ Buffalo - Some people have already started planning the second round playoff game in Buffalo.  I can tell you from experience a year ago, that’s not a good idea.  The Bison’s 21-0 win over Powell last week was in Panther country and Buffalo has been an extremely hard place to get a win over the last several years.  Don’t forget that Powell came into their place and took them to the woodshed a year ago 36-7.  I’ll bet the Buffalo players remember it.  Barring a barrage of turnovers, I have to see Buffalo setting the pace with a very physical running game.  Powell is pretty darn good at stopping the run, but it will be mistakes and penalties that cost the defending champs in this one, along with what might be the best offensive line in Wyoming 4A.  Llama says - Bison - 35-8

Worland @ Star Valley - Just to appease those conspiracy theorists out there (and it seems like a few of our Star Valley faithful have watched too many Oliver Stone movies), I’m always picking the Braves.  The day I honestly start cheering against Star Valley in my mind, is the day I stop talking about sports.  Worland deserves a ton of credit for their game plan last week.  They forced the Star Valley defensive line to penetrate on sweep plays, and quite honestly, the 255 yards rushing sort of speaks for itself.  The good news is the Braves have a chance to redeem themselves.  To me as much as the defensive side spoke, the six points from the offense was even more telling.  I have a basic formula that doesn’t follow anything except perhaps some elementary level rationalization.  It is this.  For every 100 yards of offense, I feel like you should have AT LEAST 7 points.  It’s not that much of a stretch.  The Braves had 255 total yards last week, which in my book means should have translated into about 17 points.  By comparison, The Warriors could have had 21 points with their 300 yards.  What I’m saying is this: This was a close game, that Worland was able to control throughout.  Was it the home field?  Was it their crowd?  Was it the fact the Warriors felt their effort the previous week against Cody was weak?  Probably all of those things.  That being said, the Braves have all of those same factors working in their favor this week.  Will it translate into a win?  Only the two teams will determine that.  Llama says - Braves - 24-18.

Well, there you have it.  Will there be an upset?  It makes for interesting reading to be sure.  To be honest, there are only two games where the term upset is appropriate this week because Jackson and Buffalo have earned that level of respect.  The other two games will be toss ups where nobody will be confident unless they can build a significant lead.

Have something to say?  Let me know at svidahl@silverstar.com.