The last time Cedar Hill (10-2) and Mansfield (10-2) squared off against each other, Cedar Hill was on the verge of starting their season at 0-2 and faced an improbable uphill battle with a 41-21 deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter. In a comeback effort tailor-made for a cinema feature the Longhorns were able to rally and defeat Mansfield 42-41 back in early September.
Fast forward two months, and Cedar Hill and Mansfield will prepare for the sequel this time around as they will face each other in the Class 6A DII regional semifinals inside Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex this Friday.
Fresh off another come-from-behind victory against Denton Guyer last week, Cedar Hill will look to ride that momentum as they hope to stop a Mansfield team that has rattled off nine consecutive victories since starting the season 1-2.
Mansfield has hit the 50-point mark in their two playoff games, and it should come as no surprise now that prized running back and OU commit Kennedy Brooks is back in action after sitting the last two regular season games with an injury. Brooks had a remarkable performance in his previous game, as he rushed for 320 yards and seven touchdowns and undoubtedly has the attention of the Cedar Hill front seven. Let’s also not forget the threat four-star recruit and Notre Dame commit Saiid Adebo brings as he lines up outside the numbers at wide receiver.
The Cedar Hill defense may have their hands full with Brooks if he gets going early, but the Longhorn defense has proved several times this past year that when the chips are down, this defense can perform incredibly well. Just look at the tale of the tape in the Guyer and Duncanville games where Cedar Hill were down but even though they may have bent a little, they refused to break.
In terms of having healthy players back, Cedar Hill has their starting quarterback Avery Davis bringing his “A” game at the right time after missing some time during the season. The Notre Dame commit went 24 0f 38 passing for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to star receiver and OU commit Charleston Rambo, who now has 21 touchdown receptions on the season.
Needless to say, a good amount of talent will be in this game give us one of the best games in this year’s playoff. Those in attendance are in for a treat as two of the best in 6A DII will have to duke it and send one state title favorite home.
The winner of this game will face the winner of the DeSoto-Abilene game in AT&T Stadium next Saturday.
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