By Tony Marquis

Don’t worry about missing the playoffs, Tigers.

It’s just football. Just a game.

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter. After all, there are hundreds of non-state championship winners every season. Though the UIL is changing that by the year, who knows, in 10 years there could be six divisions.

So you didn’t win the District 15-4A title or make the playoffs.

The fans didn’t seem to care.

So your season ends after Friday against an upstart Red Oak team, which has an outside chance to win the district championship — which you were picked to win prior to the season.

So you underachieved if you believe in rankings. If you don’t, it becomes harder to explain. My guess is: You’ll find little in explanation in the coming weeks.

There won’t be answers.

Well, maybe a few.

You could say football success is cyclical.

The modern record for the Tigers was eight straight playoff appearances from 1979-86. The Tigers last missed the playoffs in 1998, when they went 7-3 in District 16-4A, so they tied their longest streak.

I mean, Red Oak beat Ennis — that’s got to be proof of the up-and-down nature of the sport.

And though these things happen, it won’t take the sting off a possible fourth place finish.

And, though it’s not fair, jobs depend on playoffs and wins.

In a town where football is supposed to be king, I’m sure the Tigers coaches understand.

Maybe.

In 1992, the Tigers missed the playoffs. It was Don Denbow’s last year.

But Tom Wilson left after making the playoffs, turning around the team each a year after his team missed the postseason. Jeff Berry was out as coach after a 10-2 record, with losses to No. 1 Texarkana Texas High and No. 2 Ennis.

What I’ve learned, looking at the numbers and records is that the Tigers have long been a relatively successful program. Since 1979, the Tigers have made the playoffs 25 of the 29 years.

You have to go back the same year to find the last time they won 11 or fewer games in a two-season span. In '78, Denbow's first year, they went 2-8. He followed it with an 8-2-1 playoff season, and the rest is modern Tigers history.

It’s a program that has historically been good.

So it’s OK to be upset if you’re a Tigers fan or player.

But it won’t help.

It won’t even stop you from hearing the cheers, tears and some jeers.

Friday, your season will end.

There will be no more Scotty Bryant. No more lateral moves, jukes that appear to propel him yards. No more speedy C.J. Fowler and no more Nea Williams, who just seemed to be emerging as one of the district’s best cornerbacks.

We’ll see the last of Omarius Hines, a guy who looks like he’s jogging when he’s running past and over defenders — a player that comes along once in a generation.

The lights will turn off at the multi-million dollar stadium you play at and the only ones who might turn them back on are other schools.

But things like this happen.

Sure, there’s no bigger sport in this town. It just means, when you come back for a reunion, they won’t call out champions before they introduce the team.

You’ll smile and wave. In the back of your mind, you may or may not remember this season — or the heartbreak of missing the playoffs. The despair of playing a game in a Tigers uniform that doesn’t matter in terms of the extending the season. Something few who wore the same jersey, including yourselves, ever experienced.

But hey, it’s just a game, right?

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Tony Marquis may be contacted via e-mail at tmarquis@corsicanadailysun.com