Six-Man Team of the Week: Paint Rock Indians
A year ago, Panther Creek denied Paint Rock a playoff spot in a 29-20 victory in the final week of the regular season.
This past Saturday, Paint Rock got its revenge. In another game where the winner earned a playoff spot, the Indians delivered a dominant performance in a 48-2 victory over the Panthers. It secures their first playoff berth since 2015.
“These kids have worked hard, and we’ve seen our team grow over the course of the past two seasons,” Paint Rock head coach Jeff Shelton said. “It was important for us to get our seniors into the playoffs. We didn’t like how last season ended, but Panther Creek beat us. I think our kids have done a great job buying in to everything we ask them to do, putting in the work and executing in a way that made sure that this game didn’t end up with the same result as 2022.”
Spreadback Jayden Hernandez and running back Brian Herridge will get the headlines offensively. Hernandez rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns and also threw for 23 yards and a score. Herridge, meanwhile, had 16 carries for 132 yards and another touchdown.
However, Shelton said Eric Jefferson deserves plenty of praise for his performance in the trenches. In addition to leading the offensive line, he had 16 total tackles defensively, including four for loss. Shelton praised his effort as well for two touchdown-saving tackles that led to goal line stands. Sophomore defensive end Elijah Rodriguez was also a force as he had 13 total tackles and five tackles for loss.
Paint Rock will face last year’s 1A Division II runner-up Loraine in the first round of playoffs this Friday. It will take another Herculean display to win that game, but the Indians showed that their willing to give everything for one another.
“We’re still working to improve in all areas, but what I’m most proud of is our effort,” Shelton said. “Defense and special teams are all about effort, [and] we turned in our best performance of the year in both of those phases. They had opportunities to get into the endzone with their size & speed, but our kids were relentless all night.”
Previous Six-Man Teams of the Week
Week One: Highland
Week Two: Van Horn
Week Three: Harrold
Week Four: Moran
Week Five: Bowie Gold-Burg
Week Six: Oglesby
Week Seven: Covington
Week Eight: Kress
Week Nine: Penelope
Week Ten: Borden County
