Our weather this week in Montague County has ushered in a different feel.
A polar plunge dove into the area, sending temperatures to rock-bottom levels and it even tried spitting sleet on my commute from Saint Jo to Nocona on Wednesday evening.
Meteorology is merely foreshadowing new forms of physical activity.
The University Interscholastic League playoff format is mostly fair, rewarding the teams that have the most success.
Here, only Nocona’s volleyball team and Forestburg’s football team filled spots on the postseason dance card. Bowie’s Kamryn Cantwell and Nocona’s Miriam Diaz were our lone representatives at the state cross country meet in Round Rock on Nov. 8.
However, if your athletic program isn’t good enough, the postseason cut – in most districts four teams will qualify for the playoffs – can be considered unkind.
This sports editor has lived in states where even teams that have gone through an entire season winless still make the postseason. Yes, you read that right.
In Connecticut, the general cutoff for postseason qualification is a .440 winning percentage. That’s not good, but it’s a far better format than systems found in places such as Iowa and Maryland.
Here’s hoping our football and volleyball programs will be better in 2015, and we will have more teams in the playoffs. This guy can only hope at this point. Read more from this column in the weekend Bowie News.

Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.

Bowie News sports editor Eric Viccaro. (News photo by Ryan Evans)