Five months ago, there were more than 1,000 school districts throughout six UIL classifications vying for a chance for a state title. There are now only 28.
With less than two weeks left in the high school football season, there are thrilling matchups that can be found on the Lone Star State landscape Friday and Saturday — whether it’s in the Bayou City and NRG Stadium, Big D and AT&T Stadium or southwest at Alamo Stadium.
From battles between defending champions and upstart teams looking dethrone them to Associated Press Top-10 tangles to possible bracket-busting upsets in the making, the UIL State Semifinals could make Texas the center of the prep football universe.
Class 6A, Division I
1. AP No. 1 Allen (14-0) vs. NR Cedar Ridge (13-1) 2 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium
When Allen and Cedar Ridge meet on the hallowed ground of Baylor’s McLane Stadium, the high school football gods will pit undefeated District 6 Champion against near-undefeated District 13 Champion, as well as a pair of teams that have scored 1,193 combined points in 14 games entering the matchup.
While the Eagles come fully loaded with dual-threat quarterback Grant Tisdale (1,917 yards, 27 TDs), running Brock Sturges (1,897 yards, 25 TDs) and wide receiver Theo Wease (780 yards, 13 TDs), the Raiders — true to their moniker — tore through the season, scoring an almost ridiculous 42 points per game.
And though Ezekiel Coss, Duece Vaughn, and Trey Williams-powered Cedar Ridge scored 55 or more points three times — including during its 59-18 area round blowout of Klein Oak on Nov. 24 — its defense may be more impressive. The Raiders have allowed 20 or more points only six times and allow 19 points per game.
Five of those teams — Coppell, Hendrickson, Klein Oak, Temple, and Waco Midway — made the playoffs. Waco Midway’s Panthers, which the Raiders lost to 34-19 on Sept. 8, reached the UIL State Semifinals.
2. AP No. 2 Katy (12-0) vs. AP No. 14 Lake Travis (12-2) 3 p.m. Saturday at Alamo Stadium
Katy running back Deondrick Glass (2) gets to the outside picking up a couple yards. Mark Goodman/TexasHSFootball
The Katy-Lake Travis High School is arguably the best game of the weekend — and the one most likely to result in a shootout or a low-scoring, grind-it-out slugfest.
The Bayou City-area Tigers boast a pair of Deondrick Glass and Joshua Oglesby that have nearly accumulated almost 1,800 yards as a duo. While Glass has 21 touchdowns and Oglesby has 10, though, they aren’t the only prime-movers on the field. Despite his low statistics, senior quarterback Austin has been decisively accurate, completing 63 percent of his passes for 604 yards and eight touchdown passes with zero interceptions.
Lake Travis, too, has the goods to create an instant classic.
The Cavaliers have a near 4,000-yard passer in Ohio State hard commit Matthew Baldwin, a 1,500-yard receiver in Garrett Wilson, and four 200-yard or better rushers in their coffers. Lake Travis has also run roughshod over its opponents during its eight-game win streak, outscoring the field an astounding 367-112.
The Cav defense has also held five of the eight teams to 14 or fewer points.
Class 6A, Division II
3. AP No. 5 Waco Midway (14-0) vs. NR Longview (14-1) 6 p.m. Saturday at Allen Eagle Stadium
Waco Midway running back James Fullbright has rushed for 1,696 yards and 19 touchdowns — in his junior year. James Ellis/TexasHSFootball
Tanner Mordecai — arguably one of the best five quarterbacks regardless of classification — leads one of the most potent offenses in Texas.
With an undefeated record, 3,796 yards passing and 47 touchdowns under his belt and uber-talented, 1,600-yard running back James Fullbright at his side, Midway’s Panthers are the No. 3 ranked team in Texas per MaxPreps statistics and the No. 5 team in the state per the Associated Press.
Behind seniors Jaxon Player (8 sacks) and David Benton (7 sacks) and juniors Parker Nall (4 INT) and Trevius Hodges (3 INT), the Panther defense has created 33 turnovers in 14 games.
Senior defensive back Jalen Carr has seven interceptions entering the state semifinal matchup with Waco Midway. Charlton Gladden/TexasHSFootball
Longview, however, has been a tour de force under Head Coach John King in 2017.
The Lobos have won 142 games in 10 years with King on their sideline. They’ve reached the 10-plus victory mark all but four times and at least the state quarterfinals three times during that span.
In 2009, dual-threat quarterback Aaron Johnson, 1,207-yard rusher Tyler McCray, and the (14-2) Lobos lost to Lake Travis in the semifinals.
The current version of Longview may be the best evolution yet, led by sophomore pass and run threat gunslinger Haynes King, shifty, 5-foot-5 speed back Keilyn Williams, and rising junior wide receiver Kamden Perry.
While King, Perry, and Williams helped Longview accumulate 5,633 yards and 77 touchdowns this season, an opportunistic Lobo defense created 20 turnovers. Almost 40 percent of their takeaways belong to non-committed senior safety Jalen Carr, who has seven interceptions in 2017.
4. AP No. 3 Austin Westlake (14-0) vs. NR Cy-Fair (13-0) 3 p.m. Saturday at NRG Stadium
Bobcat quarterback Cam Arnold gets the first down with a keeper up the middle during a regular-season game between the Cypress Ranch and Cy-Fair High Schools at the Berry Center. Chris Brown/TexasHSFootball
Austin Westlake High School, one of two teams to stop Lake Travis’ rampage, is loaded on both sides of the ball — whether its via junior Taylor Anderson’s grit, rifle arm, and scamper ability or the brash, run-over-defenders rushing style of near-2,000-yard running back Nakia Watson.
Watson’s gained 1,886 yards and scored 27 touchdowns on 252 rushes during his senior year, while senior Jake Ramos and sophomore Mason Mangum have combined for 1,499 yards and 18 touchdowns. Cy-Fair, however, will have to be wary of a pair 10-plus-sack defensive lineman standing — or rather crouched to attack — across the line of scrimmage.
Junior David Neil (12) and senior Braden Cassidy (11) join a defensive front that has sacked opposing quarterbacks 42 times this season.
Cy-Fair, undefeated like their state semifinal opponent, will counter with quarterback Cam Arnold (116-177, 1,784 yards, 16 TDs), Trenton Kennedy (285 rush, 1,685 yards, 25 TDs) and a defensive unit that’s forced 26 turnovers in 13 games.
The Bobcats have allowed 14 or fewer points in 13 of their 14 games — despite tangling with the likes of high-powered Friendswood and Langham Creek High Schools. Four of those opponents have scored fewer than seven points.
Brought To You By
