Lone Star State Cinderella Teams Looking To Stay Past Midnight

It’s playoff time in Texas.

While all eyes might be on the heavyweight favorites, some underdogs teams have already started to make some serious noise.

Here is a look at 10 Cinderellas still alive in the postseason.

1. Rockwall (6-5) — Rockwall finished the season with a .500 record and needed a win over North Mesquite to get into the playoffs. But Rockwall isn’t a team you want to face in the postseason. The Yellowjackets have won four straight, including a first round shocker over The Woodlands. Rockwall is strong on defense with Vanderbilt linebacker Alston Orji leading the way. The Yellowjackets have one of the best young offensive playmakers in the state in sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith. Rockwall gets Sachse this weekend.

2. Dallas Kimball (4-7) — Kimball finished the year 3-7 and snuck into the playoffs. But the Knights have been playing great team football over the past couple of weeks. Kimball avenged a blowout loss to Dallas Woodrow Wilson earlier in the year with a statement 35-14 victory over the weekend. Kimball will look to pull an even bigger upset this weekend when it takes on a red hot Mansfield Legacy team.

3. Byron Nelson (5-6) — Byron Nelson had a rough start to the season, going 1-5 through its first six contests. Since, the Bobcats have been almost unstoppable, becoming one of the state’s true comeback stories. Byron Nelson opened the postseason with a 24-20 upset victory over Dallas-area powerhouse Denton Guyer. Byron Nelson is looking to make a huge statement this week against Waco Midway in the grandest of venues — AT&T Stadium.

4. Texas City (5-5) — Texas City started the season late due to flooding in the area as a result of Hurricane Harvey and began the year 0-3. Despite some midseason slip ups against Houston-area powers Manvel and Fort Bend Marshall, Texas City is certainly a team on the rise thanks to a sturdy defense. Texas City proved that by coming away with a 24-14 win over Houston Waltrip over the weekend. It will have an extremely tough test against Port Neches-Groves in the area round.

5. Rockport-Fulton (5-5) — Rockport-Fulton was one of the schools most devastated by the aforementioned Hurricane Harvey. The Pirates got off to a later start than most schools around the state and struggled the first couple weeks. However, Rockport-Fulton has played inspired football as of late, winning three out of its last four games, including last week’s victory over La Feria. Rockport-Fulton draws Liberty Hill in the area round.

6. Vernon (5-6) — Vernon got off to an 0-3 start in district play but found a way to beat Krum in the regular season finale to clinch a spot in the state playoffs. The Lions scored a huge upset in the first round by handling Glen Rose, which was a popular pick to make a deep run in 4A DII. The Lions will face a tough Sweetwater team this weekend, but coach Matthew Hoover has the team and the community believing in the program.

7. Hondo (3-8) — Pearsall entered the playoffs with a perfect record. Hondo entered the playoffs with a 2-8 record. Naturally, Pearsall was considered the heavy favorite entering the bi-district contest. However, Hondo had other plans as it pulled off a huge upset with a 26-18 victory. The Owls always seem to step up their game in the playoffs, and this year appears to be no different. Hondo will look to ride the wave this weekend when it faces Sweeny.

8. Commerce (5-6) — Commerce got off to a terrible start to the season. Just how bad was it? Well, the Tigers dropped their first six contests. But then there was a sudden change. A close win over Grand Saline sparked some momentum and was the first of five straight victories. The latest was a 1-point victory over White Oak in the first round of the playoffs. Next up –  a date with Sunnyvale.

9. Weimar (4-6) — Weimar might have ended the season with an eyesore of a record at 3-6. But none of that matters now. The Wildcats are not only in the playoffs, but they are making noise. Weimar won its first round contest over Three Rivers, 32-19, and has its eyes set on Holland this weekend.

10. 10. Dilley (5-6) — It’s been an up and down year for Dilley, which finished the regular season below a .500 record. The Wolves never really found any type of consistency. But they did put it all together in their first round victory over Hebbronville. Dilley has a chance to be a true Cinderella if it can knock off Boling, which made a run to the state finals last year, this weekend.

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