Sachse vs. The Woodlands
This matchup of unbeaten teams will be a great barometer for The Woodlands, whose best wins have come from absolute beatdowns of pretty good teams. The jury is still out on Sachse, they beat down a below average district and non-district schedule to go undefeated, but in this day and age it’s just hard to go undefeated in general. A victory over The Woodlands would legitimize Sachse, and if The Woodlands stomps Sachse the vast majority of the state would have no problems saying that they’re not just a state contender, but a state favorite.
Katy vs. Cy Ranch
I know, it’s Katy in the playoffs. I know, they rarely lose unless it’s the state title game. Despite their district resurgence, this is a Katy team that hasn’t been as strong as those in the past, especially defensively. This is a Cy Ranch team that can score a lot of points very fast. It’s not an upset alert, mostly because in some areas they’re very evenly matched, but it will be a great barometer for both teams at this point.
Frisco Independence vs. Highland Park
It’s one of the perennial Texan powers (Highland Park) vs. one of the up and coming Frisco schools (Independence). Dom Williams of Independence is already a 2,000 yard rusher after just 11 games, but how will he fare going up against a Highland Park team that generally just finds ways to win?
Aledo vs. Grapevine
The difficult part of Aledo’s title run begins now. The Bearcats have been outstanding all year, coming into the Area round with a perfect 11-0 record. Now, they face a Grapevine squad whose only loss is to another team still playing football: Richland. The Mustangs are no pushover, This won’t be another game that Aledo can sleepwalk through. How each team handles this one will tell us a lot about how they’ll fare down the road.
Andrews vs. Brownwood
Andrews has been nothing short of dominant outside of a loss to bigger Lubbock Coronado. Brownwood has struggled, but in the process has played more close games in a single season than most regions see all year. The Lions have played two overtime games, one they lost and one they won, lost by one point, won by one point, and lost by four points this season. They’re used to the fire. If Andrews is looking for an easy second round matchup, they won’t find it in Brownwood.
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