UPDATE (12:58pm) — The UIL State Executive Committee has unanimously granted Chilton's appeal, overturning the district committee's decision and reinstating the Pirates' wins.

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Texas high school football sure has a flair for the dramatic, and nowhere is that more evident than in District 13-2A Division II.

Entering the final week of the regular season, the district standings were relatively easy to understand. Chilton, the No. 8 team in Dave Campbell's Texas Football's 2A Division II rankings, was tied with Granger and Bremond at 3-1 in district play, all having clinched playoff spots. Iola sat at 2-2, but with head-to-head wins over both Milano and Bartlett, the Bulldogs had clinched a playoff spot regardless of their Week 11 game against Bremond. Some seeding to sort out, but the four playoff teams were set: Chilton, Granger, Bremond and Iola, with Milano (1-3) and Bartlett (0-4) on the outside looking in.

That is, until the thunderbolt on Thursday.

As reported by DCTF's Matt Stepp, the district executive committee ruled that Chilton had used an ineligible player for its district games, forcing them to forfeit all four of their district games.

The UIL will have an emergency meeting of the state executive committee on Friday at noon to uphold or overturn the decision. If they overturn the decision, the district will return to the status quo — Chilton, Bremond, Granger and Iola in; Milano and Bartlett out.

But if the UIL upholds the ruling, that would set into motion a potentially frantic finish to the season.

Chilton visits Milano tonight in its regular season finale. If the forfeits are upheld, Chilton (0-4) must beat Milano (1-3) tonight and have Granger beat Bartlett (1-3 with the forfeit win over Chilton). That would set up a three-way tie between Chilton, Milano and Bartlett at 1-3.

But it gets more interesting: because of the points tiebreaker in District 13-2A DII, Chilton must beat Milano by at least 15 points; because of the other results between the three teams, that would force the three-way tie to a third tiebreaker.

The third tiebreaker? A three-way coin flip. Odd man out gets the fourth playoff spot.

It's a wild turn of events in the dying embers of the Texas high school football regular season. And don't forget: even if Chilton does get in the playoffs, they would face perennial power Falls City in the first round.