The Central Texas playoff picture removed parts of its mask on Halloween weekend. Several playoff berths solidified, and a few teams left the building. A showdown decided one district championship, and other matchups staged a district championship tangle next weekend in San Marcos. Although many outcomes revealed playoff spots, others left a mysterious fog clouding our view.
Punch that ticket.
Everyone expected Westlake to make the playoffs, but the Chaps made it official with a 41-0 thrashing of Leander. District 25-6A rival Vandegrift topped Hays, and gobbled up the district’s third playoff slot (Lake Travis previously clinched). District 14-6A cleared up, as Del Valle’s win launched the Cardinals into the playoffs, and losses by Manor and Akins cemented Anderson’s berth. San Marcos and Bowie previously clinched spots, and will battle for the district championship on next week.
And the district winner is….
Temple entered Friday’s district championship game against College Station with 21 consecutive district wins. The Wildcats got off to a slow start, however, and an early turnover gave College Station a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Temple responded with 16 unanswered points, but missed an extra point that proved costly. The Cougars scored a touchdown late in the third quarter, and escaped with a 17-16 win, along with the District 18-5A crown.
The Mystery Remains
Cedar Ridge took the week off, District 13-6A already clinched. Round Rock also owned a secondary playoff spot, but other schools haven’t found a way to win their way in. That leaves the potential for five – count ‘em, five – teams to tie for fourth with 2-4 district records: Stony Point, McNeil, Westwood, Pflugerville, and Hendrickson.
Cedar Park and Pflugerville Connally raced to undefeated starts, and sewed up District 19-5A playoff spots going into Friday night. The rest of the schools clamored to stay alive this weekend. Hutto needs only one victory to claim a spot, but Cedar Park crushed the Hippos in typical Timberwolves fashion. Rouse stayed alive by topping Elgin. The Rouse victory created a win-or-else situation for the Georgetown Eagles who sat idle Friday. If Georgetown loses to Pflugerville Connally, and Rouse beats Bastrop (1-8 overall), the Eagles’ wings could be clipped out of playoff action. That scenario was unthinkable going into October, but Georgetown has lost 2 of 3.
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