The Cedar Hill Longhorns have had a dramatic 2016 to say the least. They’re sitting at 8-2 with losses to Bishop Gorman (NV) and DeSoto, two of the unquestioned best teams in the nation. They had to come back against Mansfield and Duncanville, but still somehow made it happen to secure a playoff spot in one of the most competitive districts in the state. Recently, they’ve gotten back on track, blowing out every single team but South Grand Prairie.
It’s not a letdown for Cedar Hill to be sitting at 8-2. They have a tough district, and played one of the toughest pre-district slates in the nation. The expectations for this year’s iteration of the Longhorns were sky-high with all the talent they returned at the skill positions, but all that talent was still susceptible to being beat by teams equally as talented or more talented than them.
Last year, Cedar Hill fell in the first round to Southlake Carroll. Carroll is a good team, and it’s a crying shame that these two schools met in the first round. This year, Cedar Hill has to take on Waco Midway, whose only losses have come to Cedar Park and Cedar Ridge. Midway caught fire after those opening season Ls, partially due to the play of sophomore quarterback Tanner Mordecai, and has beaten some good teams coming into today. Cedar Hill will be the most talented team Waco Midway has faced, but talent can sometimes be negated by fundamental play and grit, something Midway has in spades.
My head tells me Cedar Hill will win this. It’s impossible to completely contain Avery Davis and Charleston Rambo for long, and the Longhorns’ defense can do just enough to win against every team in the state. However, Waco Midway is just one of those teams with one of those formulas that makes it a consistent winner.
There’s so much in this matchup that’s just a push. You can make an argument for either side, but one thing is certain: one of these teams is heading home prematurely.
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