1A Team of the Week: Sands Mustangs
The final week of the regular season did not go the way Sands would have wanted.
Klondike 45’d the Mustangs in a game that decided the district title.
Still, Sands secured second place in district, enough to earn its first playoff appearance since 2021.
Its reward? A date with a Whitharral team that had won playoff games in each of the last two seasons.
That didn’t faze the Mustangs.
“What impressed me the most about my team’s performance is how we adapted after our district championship loss,” Sands head coach Jacob Massey said. “Most teams would have folded up and got ready for round ball, but not this group.”
Behind a big effort from its backfield, Sands went toe-to-toe with Whitharral and came up with the 46-43 win this past Friday. It was the Mustangs’ first playoff triumph since 2017.
“We will always be the underdogs and we like that. I believe we thrive when no one thinks we are good enough,” Massey said. “It meant so much for this town. I’m so glad that I was a small part of something this town has wanted for a long time.”
Sands freshman running back Gordo Solis shined under the lights, rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 150 yards and two touchdowns passing.
Senior fullback Xavier Cisneros was his go-to target with 108 receiving yards. He also racked up 87 yards on the ground.
Now, the Mustangs will turn their attention to delivering another win for a Sands community that “will show up for anything.”
Massey and company are expecting another big swell of support this Thursday in Benjamin when the Mustangs face Follett at 7:30 in the second round of playoffs.
Previous 1A Teams of the Week
Week One: Jayton
Week Two: Northside
Week Three: Dawson
Week Four: Claude
Week Five: Perrin-Whitt
Week Six: Saint Jo
Week Seven: Bronte
Week Eight: Springlake-Earth
Week Nine: Medina
Week Ten: Prairie Lea
Week Eleven: Valley
