Willie Bans says: Stratford, Iraan have history of deep playoff meetings

When playing Iraan in the postseason, former Stratford head coach Brad Thiessen had a strong preference for the venue: Any place with cement stands.

You can thank Braves fans for that one.

"Those ladies would make those spears and bang them on the tin bleachers," Thiessen said. "When we played in Plainview, we couldn't hear anything. Oh, man - we wanted them in Lubbock with cement."

The teams met in the playoffs in 1999, 2000 and 2001, the first one in Plainview and the rematches in Lubbock. The Elks won all three, the last two when the teams had dropped from Class 2A to 1A.

But that first one, a 33-29 loss by the Braves, did not just stick out to Thiessen because of Iraan's fans (he agreed that the current drums can get in opposing teams' heads, too).

It was important because it was the beginning of a remarkable playoff run by Stratford that has not stopped.

Consider: The Elks have qualified for the postseason 22 times. A streak that began in 1999 has accounted for 10 of those seasons and continues Saturday in a Class 1A Division II quarterfinal playoff game - against the Braves, a team 400 miles away that used to be a rival and that is a big reason for Stratford's tradition because of an upset victory nine years ago. 

"I've always thought that was the game that took the program to a whole other level," said Thiessen, who now is the head coach at Amarillo High.

The Braves had entered Plainview on that Saturday, on Nov. 27, 1999, as the big favorite, coming off a huge 20-11 victory against Stanton the week before (the last two times those teams had played, the winner had gone on to win the state championship).

Stratford was certainly a quality team, though with a standout sophomore group it was believed to be a year away from reaching the next level. But the Elks handily took care of Clarendon and Abernathy in the bi-district and area rounds, respectively, and faced Iraan in a regional game.

The thinking was that Stratford had already laid a foundation for next year, and a strong showing would be icing on the cake.

But just like that, Stratford led 26-0 after the first quarter.

"I remember thinking to myself, ‘At least we won't get beat bad,' " Thiessen said. " ‘They are so talented and so good, they're gonna make a run and come back.' "

The Braves did and regained a 29-26 lead in the fourth. But with about two minutes left, the Elks scored again, and with about one minute remaining on fourth down, Iraan came up 3 yards short of the first.

"After that, there was a sense in the community that they expected the kids to work hard and for us to get the kids ready for the playoffs," Thiessen said. "That's what tradition is, it's an expectation."

By that time, Iraan already had a high level of expectation. The Braves made the playoffs consecutively from 1995 to 2002, including winning a Class 2A state title in 1996.

So when Iraan and the Elks played in 2000 and 2001, there was a sense that this was an established heavyweight against a rising one.

Stratford won 50-20 in the quarterfinals in 2000 en route to its first state crown (the Elks won it again in 2005) and 47-21 in the quarterfinals in 2001.

The three contests between the Braves and Stratford were "different games," Thiessen said, meaning that the personnel and strategies and situations make it difficult to explain why the Elks always had the edge. But the Elks did have a reputation for a bigger offensive and defensive linemen, and that might have made all the difference.

Iraan's state title in 1996?

"We believed we could have had more if it wasn't for Stratford," former Iraan head coach Randy Doege said. 

The teams haven't played in the playoffs since 2001, and whether one can come out of this postseason wearing the state crown, we shall see. Stratford is no slouch and is ranked No. 5 in the state, while Iraan's defense will always give it a shot.

At the least, it is interesting to see two squads with such intertwined tradition going at it again, where the stakes are high.

Seems like they always are when these two teams play.

Doege, now the principal at Iraan Junior High, put it wisely: "You know if you're playing Stratford in December, you're doing something right."

To which current Elks head coach Eddie Metcalf responded respectfully: "The same can be said the other way around."