Sachse begins their playoffs in the bi-district round against Skyline. Both teams started the season strong before faltering at the end, with the Mustangs, now 3-5 losing four of their last five and the Raiders, now 4-3, losing two of their last three including a bad loss to Horn to end their season.

With the playoffs comes a new season and new hopes for each team to turn it around. Here are Sachse’s three keys to beating Skyline at home.

1. 30 is the magic number

While it’s obvious to say that teams that score more points generally win games, it’s apparent for Skyline. In their four wins, they’ve scored 30 or more points in three of the games, the fourth they scored 27. In the Raider’s three losses, they’ve scored a combined 26 points.

The Mustangs defense isn’t overwhelming but is athletic enough and smart enough to prevent teams from scoring. They’ve had their best defensive performances at the end of the season, holding their last three opponents to 17 points or fewer a game.

2. Fix the offense

Sachse’s offense was a bit of a buzzsaw early in the season, averaging 40.8 points per game through its first six games of the season. In the last two games, the Mustangs have been held to 14 and seven points, respectively. If this team is going to have success in the postseason, they have to find a way to find that spark on the offensive side of the ball once again.

3. Win the turnover battle

Both of these teams have shown the propensity to turn the football over and it will be the deciding factor. Neither team wants to give the other team an opportunity to score on a short field, so it’s imperative that Sachse limits it mistakes and doesn’t give Skyline anything easy.

For the full story, see our Dec. 10 issue or subscribe online.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]