Playoffs? Playoffs?

Those chances most likely ended for the Nacogdoches Dragons Friday night at Dragon Stadium with a 28-14 loss to Lindale. Now, with only two contests left on the schedule — at Whitehouse and against Kilgore — the Dragons just hope they can win a District 14-4A game.

Facing a Lindale squad that had rushed for more than 300 yards in its previous win over Whitehouse, Nacogdoches kept the Eagles' rushing attack at bay early.

But when Lindale switched to the "Wildcat" formation, Keandre Ross and the Eagles looked more like Ronnie Brown and the Miami Dolphins.

Despite an obvious game-plan — snap the ball to the running back Ross and let him run with no intentions of passing — the Dragons couldn't stop the attack. Ross rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

The Eagles' other "Wildcat" option, John Ryzman, took two direct snaps for a total of 57 yards.

The Eagles showed that if what you are trying doesn't work, then try something else.

That would be a good theory for the Dragons, who could benefit from running a "Wildcat" offense. With Jerimichael Smith, one of the fastest players in the district, available, it would be hard for opposing defenses to stop an offense that direct-snapped the ball to Smith, with D'Aundre Garrett and Jacoby Ervin alongside him in the backfield.

It would be a good way for the Dragons to incorporate Smith into the offense. He was an all-district performer at running back last season. But this year, he hasn't been given many opportunities to make plays on offense.

A big plus for Nacogdoches against Lindale was only turning the ball over twice. However, both give-aways came in the second half in situations where the Dragons had opportunities to close the deficit. One of the turnovers turned into an 82-yard interception return by Lindale, making it a 21-point contest instead of a 7-point margin.

Now, the Dragons will shift their focus to Whitehouse, which only has one win this season. The Dragons have yet to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Wins in both of their final two games could force a tiebreaker that could be shifted into Nacogdoches' favor depending on outcomes of other contests.

While there is still a chance, Nacogdoches (3-5, 0-3) doesn't control its own destiny.

Here are the results from the other 14-4A games Friday night:

Jacksonville 56, Henderson 55, 2OT: I said it earlier in the week, and it held to be true, Lion Stadiunm was the place to be Friday night.

Justin Jones recorded 21 tackles, had four rushing touchdowns and ran in the game-winning two-point conversion for the Indians. It was Jacksonville's third overtime win of the season. It created a four-place tie for first place in the district, with Jacksonville, Kilgore, Lindale and Henderson, which are all 2-1 in league play.

Both quarterbacks had outstanding games.

Jacksonville's Ryan Black was 14-of-28 for 274 yards and four touchdowns. Tyrell Jenkins was 16-of-29 for 284 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran for three touchdowns.

The race will shape up next week when Henderson travels to Lindale, and Jacksonville visits Kilgore.

Kilgore 35, Whitehouse 30: Down 21-7 at halftime, Kilgore rallied for the victory.

Ladarius Anthony rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. He scored on a 6-yard run with 21 seconds to play to give the Bulldogs the win.

Whitehouse threatened, though, going 68 yards in two plays on the final drive, but time ran out.

Hunter Taylor was 29-of-42 for 440 yards for the Wildcats, who had 621 yards of total offense.

Awards

The Outstanding Offensive Dragon Player of the game was Antonio Lathan. Charles Pool Real Estate will donate $100 to the Nacogdoches High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund in Lathan's name. He caught three passes for 58 yards. The Outstanding Defensive Dragon Player of the game was Ethan Perkins. First Bank & Trust East Texas will donate $100 to the Nacogdoches High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund in Perkins' name. He had a sack and several other tackles.

District 14-4A

Team Dist. All

Henderson 2-1 5-3

Jacksonville 2-1 6-2

Kilgore 2-1 4-4

Lindale 2-1 4-4

Whitehouse 1-2 1-7

Nac 0-3 3-5

Friday's games

Lindale 28, Nacogdoches 14

Jacksonville 56, Henderson 55, OT

Kilgore 35, Whitehouse 30