09/25/2026
Check out what The Old Ball Coach has to say about this weekends games!
THE OLD BALL COACH
Week 5 Notebook - Second Edition
Brazos Valley Conference
Still anonymous.
Now with a 20-9 record and entirely too much confidence.
Against the advice of his insurance company, several parents, and at least one man who apparently took last
week's picks personally, the Old Ball Coach is back.
He survived his first week out of retirement.
Barely.
There were a few congratulations, a few complaints, and enough people asking who writes this thing that the Old Ball Coach briefly considered entering the Witness Protection Program.
His identity remains confidential.
His opinions do not.
Before we get to Week 5, accountability matters around here.
THE OLD MAN'S REPORT CARD
Last week, the Old Ball Coach went:
20-9 overall.
That'll play.
On the four featured games?
2-2.
We're going to focus on the 20-9.
That's called veteran media relations.
He correctly had Godley over Springtown in 4th Grade and Brock Tillman over Brock Murphy in 5th Grade.
He also confidently selected Springtown Pippi, only to watch Lindsey hand them their first loss, and took
Springtown over Brock in 2nd Grade Tackle before Brock proceeded to win 19-0.
The Old Ball Coach would like to congratulate both teams for proving him wrong.
He would also like them to know it was unnecessary to be so convincing about it.
WHAT THE OLD BALL COACH LEARNED IN WEEK 4
Somebody finally scored on Springtown Pippi.
Unfortunately for Pippi, it was Lindsey.
Lindsey won 12-6, moved to 3-0, and took control of the early 1st Grade Flag conversation.
Turns out allowing zero points all season is a pretty effective defensive strategy right up until somebody scores six more than you.
Noted.
Brock Tillman might have a defense.
Three games.
Three wins.
79 points scored. Zero allowed.
Murphy entered last week averaging 29 points per game.
Tillman beat them 19-0.
The Old Ball Coach has officially progressed from "that's interesting" to "somebody might want to keep an eye on that."
Third Grade Peaster keeps rolling.
Peaster finally surrendered its first points of the season.
Seven of them.
They responded by scoring 37.
Peaster is now 3-0, has scored 97 points, and allowed 7.
Apparently generosity has its limits.
Fourth Grade Brock hasn't slowed down either.
Another 30-0 win makes Brock 3-0 with 96 points scored and six allowed.
That's starting to look less like a good start and more like a pattern.
Sixth Grade Godley is quietly 3-0.
Godley handled Springtown 36-6 and has now scored 90 points through three games.
There hasn't been quite as much noise around this bunch yet.
The Old Ball Coach has noticed.
And then there was Brock Proctor.
After losing its opener, Proctor has answered with consecutive wins - including last week's 22-18 win over previously unbeaten Brock VanHoutan.
Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a football team is getting punched in the mouth early.
How they respond usually tells you more than the punch did.
FOUR GAMES THE OLD BALL COACH IS WATCHING
Two flag. Two tackle. And we're spreading the love around the league.
PRE-K/K FLAG
Brock Clark (3-0) vs. Brock Howard (3-0)
Now we're talking.
Two undefeated teams.
Same town.
Same age.
Same Saturday morning.
Clark has scored 88 points through three games and allowed 28.
Howard has scored 79 and allowed 36.
Both have handled everything that's been put in front of them.
The difference, statistically, is small - but Clark has been just a little more convincing from week to week.
The Old Ball Coach also knows enough about same-town games to understand that logic sometimes gets left in the parking lot.
THE PICK: Brock Clark
And somewhere in Brock, a group text just got interesting.
1ST GRADE FLAG
Springtown Pippi (2-1) vs. Peaster Paprockie (2-1)
Last week, Pippi experienced something new.
A loss.
After opening the year with consecutive 30-0 wins, Lindsey got them 12-6.
Now we find out something important: what happens next?
Paprockie, meanwhile, has quietly put together back-to-back wins after dropping the opener.
That's usually the kind of team an old coach starts paying attention to.
Still, Pippi's three-game body of work is stronger, and one loss doesn't erase what we saw the first two weeks.
THE PICK: Springtown Pippi
Old Ball Coach expects a response.
5TH GRADE TACKLE
Godley (2-1) vs. Brock Murphy (2-1)
This may be one of the best games on the board that didn't get enough attention at first glance.
Both teams are 2-1.
Godley has responded to its opening loss by outscoring its last two opponents 67-7.
Murphy took its first loss last week against Tillman, but that came against a defense that still hasn't allowed a
point all year.
So one team is hot, and the other just got tested by one of the best statistical teams in the league.
That usually makes for a pretty good weekend.
THE PICK: Godley
Old Ball Coach is riding the hot hand.
6TH GRADE TACKLE
Springtown (0-3) vs. Alvarado (0-3)
Somebody's leaving with the first win of the season.
That alone makes this one worth watching.
Neither team has had the start it wanted, but Springtown has been more competitive against the top of the division, including a 12-7 loss to VanHoutan earlier in the year.
Games like this don't get the undefeated-vs-undefeated hype, but they can tell you plenty about a team.
When both groups have had a rough start, the one that keeps showing up and playing hard usually gets rewarded
eventually.
THE PICK: Springtown
Somebody gets to enjoy Saturday night a whole lot more.
THE REST OF THE WEEKEND CARD
And yes, we're counting the Sunday games with this weekend. The Old Ball Coach refuses to let a website
convince him Sunday somehow belongs to a different week.
PRE-K/K FLAG
Brock Blanton vs. Peaster Hess - PICK: Peaster Hess
Hess got its first win last week in a 22-21 nail-biter. Blanton is still looking for one.
Springtown Overholt vs. Springtown Hill - PICK: Springtown Hill
Hill is 3-0. Old Ball Coach sees no reason to make this more complicated than necessary.
Springtown Mitchell vs. Azle Wilson - PICK: Azle Wilson
Mitchell looked much better last week, but Wilson gets a slight nod based on what we've seen so far.
Godley Meeks vs. Azle Delagrange - PICK: Azle Delagrange
Delagrange is still undefeated at 2-0. Until somebody knocks them off, that's enough for me.
Godley Najvar vs. Azle Fincher - PICK: Godley Najvar
Najvar got surprised last week. I expect a response.
1ST GRADE FLAG
Brock Newman vs. Brock Rodriguez - PICK: Brock Rodriguez
Rodriguez is 3-0. The scoreboard has spoken three times. I've learned to listen.
Brock Lynch vs. Peaster Ludwig - PICK: Brock Lynch
Two 1-2 teams and almost nothing separating them.
This pick has all the confidence of a man checking the weather by looking out the window.
Alvarado vs. Azle - PICK: Azle
Somebody's getting No. 1.
Azle showed some offensive life last week, so that's where I'm leaning.
Springtown Castro vs. Springtown Lindsey - PICK: Springtown Lindsey
Lindsey just knocked off previously unbeaten Pippi and sits at 3-0. That's enough evidence.
Godley Schneider vs. Godley Jokel - PICK: Godley Jokel
Jokel is undefeated, but Schneider just put up 31. This one is closer than the records suggest.
Godley Langford vs. Godley Ward - PICK: Godley Langford
Ward found the end zone plenty last week, but Langford has been steadier.
2ND GRADE FLAG
Brock Martinez vs. Springtown Cano - PICK: Brock Martinez
Martinez has won two straight after dropping the opener.
Godley Harper vs. Peaster Olsen - PICK: Peaster Olsen
Two games. Two wins. 52 points scored. Zero allowed.
Old Ball Coach is once again refusing to argue with evidence.
Godley Pittman vs. Godley Shea - PICK: Godley Shea
This one is close enough that the Old Ball Coach briefly considered abstaining. Then he remembered that isn't how predictions work.
2ND GRADE TACKLE
Brock vs. Alvarado - PICK: Brock
Brock is 2-0 and hasn't allowed a point yet. Somebody else can pick against that.
Springtown vs. Azle - PICK: Springtown
Springtown took its first loss last week. Azle is still searching for win No. 1.
3RD GRADE TACKLE
Brock vs. Springtown - PICK: Brock
Brock returns from the bye at 2-0 and still hasn't allowed a point.
Godley vs. Azle - PICK: Azle
Both are looking for their first win. Azle gets the smallest possible nod.
Peaster gets the week off, presumably so the scoreboard operator can rest.
4TH GRADE TACKLE
Springtown vs. Peaster - PICK: Springtown
Both need one badly. Springtown has shown enough to get the nod.
Godley vs. Brock - PICK: Brock
Godley is coming off a shutout, but Brock is 3-0 with 96 points scored and only six allowed. Until Brock gives me a reason to jump off, I'm staying seated.
5TH GRADE TACKLE
Brock Tillman vs. Peaster - PICK: Brock Tillman
Seventy-nine to zero. That's the entire analysis.
Springtown vs. Azle - PICK: Springtown
Azle is still searching for its first win. Springtown gets the lean.
6TH GRADE TACKLE
Brock Proctor vs. Peaster - PICK: Brock Proctor
These two just played in Week 3. Proctor won 22-0. The Old Ball Coach respects second chances, but he also owns a calculator.
Godley vs. Brock VanHoutan - PICK: Godley
VanHoutan is good. Godley is undefeated. Until somebody hands Godley a loss, I'm not volunteering.
THE OLD BALL COACH'S WEEK 5 MESSAGE
We're far enough into the season now that the standings are beginning to mean something.
But not everything.
Some teams started fast.
Some got punched early and responded.
Some are still trying to figure out who they are.
That's youth football.
The important part isn't whether you're 3-0 or 0-3 in September.
It's whether the boys playing football this Saturday are better, tougher, more disciplined teammates than the ones who showed up in August.
Wins matter.
Development matters more.
And somewhere along the way, hopefully we're teaching these boys how to handle both winning and losing with a little class.
That said...
The Old Ball Coach still intends to pick winners.
And if he picked against your team this week?
Go prove the old man wrong.
- The Old Ball Coach
Still anonymous. Now with a 20-9 record and entirely too much confidence.
We would love to hear what YOUR picks are in the comments! Do you think The Old Ball Coach has it wrong? Let us know. 🏈
