Friday Football: Derby vs. Wichita Heights

Wichita Heights enters its match-up with Derby Friday night with a 1-1 record in District 6. Obviously, that makes this Friday's game a must-win - unless Southeast also beats East. Then it will be determined by point-differential among three one-loss teams. "If we don't win this week, we don't make the playoffs," Heights coach Rick Wheeler said. "That's the way we've approached and we've tried to prepare for it." The Falcons are preparing for this week's game with its usual level of intensity. "I think we've had a sense of urgency since August 18th," Wheeler said. "I think our record shows that." The loss to East two weeks ago put the Falcons in this situation, but there is no reason they can't compete with a good team like Derby. "We've lost one ball game to one good team," Wheeler said. "We had a lead and a chance to put it away in that game and he just didn't get it done." Heights rebounded with a big victory over Southeast last week. Wheeler is proud of their resilience. The Falcons used special teams and a strong rushing attack to beat the Buffaloes 37-14. "I think we've handled it extremely well," Wheeler said. "We played well last week, but there's certainly room for improvement." Derby is another team that knows a little something about resiliency. The Panthers used comeback wins over Hutchinson, Salina South and Salina Central to compile its 8-0 record. "The thing that stands out to me is their resiliency," Wheeler said. "These are kids who have played together and not been successful and they're having a ton of success this year." Currently, the Falcons have a 12-point advantage if there was a three way tie in the district, but things can change in a hurry. "They've been behind in a lot of games and they've won all of them," Wheeler said. "I think that they certainly believe that they can play with anybody on any night."