Commentary: Taking a look back at A-J football season
<p class="p1">All the diehard fans know by now that the Anna-Jonesboro High School football team did not make the playoffs.</p><p class="p1">The coveted streak of 15-consecutive playoff berths came to a screeching halt.</p><p class="p1">The 4-5 finishing slate kept them from joining those few teams that will continue playing for a coveted state championship.</p><p class="p1">But, that doesn’t mean the squad should feel deflated for missing that hallowed berth.</p><p class="p1">Those narrow losses could have just as easily been wins and the Wildcats could have been there.</p><p class="p1">As a former Murphysboro prep player and graduate, I still have contact with those diehard Red Devils fans and they expressed to me that this season A-J should have won that game. In their grandstand analysis, they feel they were outplayed. However, too many mistakes and turnovers were made by the defeated Wildcats to chalk up a victory.</p><p class="p1">Everyone knows the Red Devils finished the regular season with a glittering 8-1 record. A good playoff team no doubt.</p><p class="p1">Mistakes and turnovers in that loss and the other losses spelled doom. All of them could have just as easily gone the other way.</p><p class="p1">The Southern Illinois University football team has suffered similar fates in close game losses this seasons. Their losses have been filled with mistakes and turnovers and appeared to have taken a page from the A-J play book.</p><p class="p1">The 2015 Wildcats should not have to hang their heads. They could just as easily be headed for that 16th playoff berth.</p><p class="p1">It just wasn’t meant to be this year. Those mistakes and turnovers were finally rectified during the final two victories of the season. </p><p class="p1">Next season could be completely different with a lot of the underclassmen playing this season and a lot of members joining the squad from an undefeated A-J freshman team. </p><p class="p1">A new playoff streak could be in the making for next year. It’s within grasp.</p><p class="p1">You can just put down the 2015 season as one of those crazy years the playoff streak ended. It had to end sometime. </p><p class="p1">Fans need to plan on looking for starting one up again next year. Who really knows? A streak could begin again in 2016.</p>