By Chuck Reherman
Sports Editor
One step down, the biggest one to come.
Southwest Covenant will look to earn a return trip to the class A state tournament, but faces a tall challenge as the Patriots compete in the Region IV tournament at Vici.
The Patriots, 12-13, are in a bracket with three top 20 teams, including No. 4 and host Vici. No. 13 Ripley, 16-12, and No, 19 Mooreland, 24-6, make up the rest of the bracket.
SWCS will face Vici, 27-5 in the opening game at 1 p.m. Thursday. Mooreland and Ripley will play in the 3 p.m. game.
The winners will play at 5 p.m. and the losers will meet at 7 p.m.
The Patriots have met Vici twice this season. Vici beat SWCS 12-0 early in the year in a festival, but the Patriots returned the favor and stunned VHS 6-0 in the Union City Spring Break Festival.
Vici comes into the game riding a nine-game win streak. The Indians had not lost since a 7-1 decision to class 4A Kingfisher in the third place game of the Edward Jones Classic in Kingfisher in early April.
Vici has gone 18-3 since losing to the Patriots. The Indians won their district with 20-0 and 17-0 wins over Cherokee.
Mooreland beat Laverne 17-3 and 11-1 to their district tournament and Ripley beat Glencoe twice 12-0 and 10-2 in their district.
The winner of the losers bracket game will play the loser of the winners bracket game at 4 p.m. Friday and the winner of that meets the winners bracket champion at 6 p.m. in the finals for a berth to the state tournament.
