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Act like you've been there before? Local teams ending playoff-win droughts look to build on success

After North Mesquite finished off a playoff win over Irving MacArthur last week, the players were elated. But coach Mike Robinson was more relieved than excited.

"We felt like we should not be a one-and-done team," Robinson said. "We wanted to prove that we belong."

That meant staying around for a while, or at least the second round, which North Mesquite hadn't advanced to in 15 years. The drought ended with a dominant 56-25 victory, and now North Mesquite (9-2) is preparing for a second-round game for the first time since Bill Clinton was President.

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That's a long time ago, but it's nothing compared to the wait for a playoff victory in Anna, the 4A school in another soon-to-boom area of Collin County. Back in 1976, Anna was a 10-win team and fans drove to playoff games with gas that cost less than a buck a gallon.

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I'm not sure what those Anna fans would find more surprising: that it would take 34 years for Anna to win another playoff game or that a team with two regular-season wins would do it. Anna (3-8) opened the 4A Division II playoffs with a 50-16 win over Madison, which finished the season 8-3.

Anna is a second-round surprise, but that's not the case with Forney (8-3). The Jackrabbits are in the second round for the first time since 2003 after a 77-44 win over Bryan Adams in the first round of the 5A Division II bracket.

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"The kids are pretty pumped up about it," Forney coach Kevin Rush said.

The community should be, too, because Forney was once a formidable football program in 3A. The football program had a 55-11 record from 1999 to 2003, and it was the 3A Division II runner-up in 2000. But the school moved up to 4A in 2004 and its football teams didn't win another playoff game until this year.

That set the stage for last week's emotional high, but Rush isn't worried about a letdown. The team played on Thursday last week, giving the players Friday to soak up the good vibes and then get to work over the weekend.

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Rush also has great leaders in his senior class, which includes quarterback Luke Skipper and running back Michael Prox. Skipper has thrown for 32 touchdowns and run for 16 more this season, and Prox had seven touchdowns last week - five on runs and two on receptions.

Despite its playoff drought, North Mesquite isn't a surprise in the second round, either.

North Mesquite ran over MacArthur last week as three players rushed for more than 100 yards: quarterback Ja'Quez Gooch and running backs Dreshawn Minnieweather and Dominique McBride.

Now the Stallions have a chance to be the school's first 10-game winner since 1996.

"It would be very special to be playing in the third round of the playoffs," Robinson said. "We have one more obstacle. It's a massive obstacle, but we just have to play hard, be disciplined, and play for four quarters."

Twitter: @mattwixon

Welcome back to winning

Teams that last week won a playoff game for the first time in many years, with the length of their drought and next playoff opponent:

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*First playoff win last week for school that opened in 2009