Blitz Picks - Week 13
WEEK 1 PICKS: 30-40, 75%
WEEK 2 PICKS: 34-44, 77.3%
WEEK 3 PICKS: 42-47, 89.4%
WEEK 4 PICKS: 32-43, 74.4%
WEEK 5 PICKS: 38-45, 84.4%
WEEK 6 PICKS: 28-30, 93.3%
WEEK 7 PICKS: 35-40, 87.5%
WEEK 8 PICKS: 33-38, 86.8%
WEEK 9 PICKS: 32-38, 84.2%
WEEK 10 PICKS: 37-42, 88.1%
WEEK 11 PICKS: 30-32, 93.8%
WEEK 12 PICKS: 28-32, 87.5%
SEASON: 399-476, 83.8 %
15 Big Country teams picked up playoff wins last weekend and look to keep things rolling in the area round.
The path forward gets much tougher for many.
Cisco battles defending 2A D2 state champ Stratford.
Early meets perennial state power Canadian.
Coleman faces unbeaten Crawford.
The list goes on and on, and you can read about every game in the most comprehensive preview article in the area below.
Good luck to your team in the second round!
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Contact: cody@bigcountryblitz.com
Abilene High (5-6) vs. Red Oak (9-2) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Vernon Newsome Stadium, Mansfield
Series: First meeting
The Eagles looked like a completely different team offensively last week in El Paso in their 42-14 victory over District 1 champion Del Valle.
Brayden Henry and company started slowly before scoring on six consecutive possessions to put the game away by the third quarter.
The defense was as strong as ever, holding a Conquistador squad that averaged 442 yards and 45.5 points per game to 295 yards (only 25 rushing) and 14 points.
Now they’ll face a Red Oak squad that upset Denton Ryan in overtime in the bi-district round.
The Hawks trailed 21-0 but came back to beat the Raiders 29-28, capping the win by going for two in overtime and getting it.
Red Oak finished district play in three-way tie for second behind Midlothian with Killeen Shoemaker and Lake Belton. Tiebreakers gave the Hawks the second seed for the playoffs. They beat Shoemaker 38-35, lost to Lake Belton 48-47 and lost to Midlothian 56-28.
The Red Oak offense has been pretty potent this season, going for 30 points or more in eight of their 11 games and topping the 50-point mark four times.
UP NEXT
Winner of Amarillo Tascosa (10-1) vs. Burleson Centennial (10-1), 2:30 p.m. Friday at Wichita Falls’ Memorial Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Abilene: 37th appearance, third straight appearance
Red Oak: 12th appearance, first appearance since 2020
STAT LEADERS
Abilene High
Dylan Slack: 122-212, 1105 yds, 11 TD, 11 int
Brayden Henry: 18-28, 236 yds, 2 TD, 0 int; 246 yds, 2 TD rushing
Bam Rashaw: 852 yds, 10 TD rushing
Austin Wood: 29 rec, 222 yds, 1 TD
Tim Outlaw: 20 rec, 216 yds, 5 TD
Bryce Neves: 75 tkl, 11 tfl
Noah Hatcher: 68 tkl
Kenneth Johnson: 57 tkl, 12 tfl, 11 sacks
Red Oak
Jaylon Robinson: 104-185, 1721 yds, 22 TD, 6 int; 770 yds, 9 TD rushing
Chris Martinez: 648 yds, 6 TD rushing; 12 rec, 215 yds, 2 TD
Moses Martindale: 630 yds, 8 TD rushing
Taz Williams: 31 rec, 582 yds, 5 TD
Brayden Robinson: 29 rec, 520 yds, 9 TD
THE DCTF SPREAD: ABILENE HIGH BY 3
THE PICK: ABILENE HIGH
Cooper (6-5) vs. Grapevine (10-1) - Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Crowley ISD Stadium
Series: Series tied 2-2
The Cougars head east after a winning road trip west last week and will have a much tougher matchup against Grapevine.
Cooper had everything rolling in a 49-20 win at El Paso Andress and hopes to stay on track against a Mustang squad that got past Lake Dallas 31-14.
Grapevine is the District 4 champion and went a perfect 7-0 in district play. Their only loss was a 31-15 defeat at the hands of 11-0 Argyle in week three.
Colleyville Heritage and Arlington Heights are the other two teams from District 4 still in the playoffs and Grapevine beat them 44-26 and 28-7, respectively.
While Cooper leans more heavily to the passing side of things in their offense the Mustangs love to move the ball on the ground. They average just under 230 yards rushing per game and picked up 278 last week and a season-high 517 in a week one win over Frisco Wakeland.
Cooper won the last matchup with the Mustangs 42-14 in a non-district game in 2019. They played every season from 2016 to 2019 and this will be their first meeting in the playoffs.
UP NEXT
Winner of Argyle (11-0) vs. Wichita Falls Rider (8-3), 7 p.m. Friday at Mineral Wells’ Ram Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Cooper: 31st appearance, 16th straight appearance
Grapevine: 30th appearance, ninth straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Cooper
Chris Warren: 182-303, 2277 yds, 20 TD, 13 int; 156 yds, 3 TD rushing
Daniel Bray: 587 yds, 6 TD rushing
Cam Herron: 52 rec, 629 yds, 6 TD
D’Andre Ralston: 48 rec, 857 yds, 6 TD; 184 yds, 3 TD rushing
Malik Jackson: 35 rec, 454 yds, 3 TD
Grapevine
Evan Baum: 59-91, 1078 yds, 8 TD, 2 int; 205 yds, 5 TD rushing
Parker Polk: 1595 yds, 19 TD
Reid Watkins: 537 yds, 10 TD rushing
Rondale Carradine: 20 rec, 378 yds, 2 TD
THE DCTF SPREAD: GRAPEVINE BY 14
THE PICK: GRAPEVINE
Wylie (8-3) vs. Colleyville Heritage (8-3) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Panther-Mustang Stadium, Grapevine
Series: First meeting
Wylie took care of business at home against El Paso High 54-14 and will look to extend its winning streak to seven games against Colleyville Heritage Friday night.
The Panthers get to play on their home field, which may make the matchup a little tougher for the Bulldogs.
Heritage finished third in District 4-5A D1 with losses to Grapevine 44-26 and Arlington Heights 41-31 sealing their fate. They did get past Frisco Emerson in a bit of an upset 35-14 in the bi-district round.
The Panthers are fond of airing it out and quarterback Weston Smith, who is committed to play at Princeton, has put up solid numbers this season. His stats, however, are not as impressive as those of Wylie senior QB KJ Long who has racked up over 3,200 total yards and 34 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs earned their first 5A playoff victory a week ago and have the momentum and talent to keep it rolling this week.
UP NEXT
Winner of Canutillo (9-2) vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (10-1), 4 p.m. Friday at Odessa’s Ratliff Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Wylie: 32nd appearance, 1st appearance since 2020
Colleyville Heritage: 21st appearance, 17th straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Wylie
KJ Long: 161-228, 2714 yds, 30 TD, 5 int; 545 yds, 4 TD rushing
Landry Carlton: 882 yds, 8 TD rushing; 10 rec, 90 yds, 1 TD
Malachi Daniels: 341 yds, 5 TD rushing; 6 rec, 92 yds, 1 TD
Julius Lane: 369 yds, 5 TD rushing
Braden Regala: 71 rec, 1102 yds, 9 TD; 109 yds, 3 TD rushing
Harrison Heighten: 32 rec, 635 yds, 8 TD
Hunter Hood: 15 rec, 406 yds, 3 TD
Colleyville Heritage
Weston Smith: 138-222, 2232 yds, 27 TD, 11 int; 60 yds, 3 TD rushing
Riley Wormley: 387 yds, 6 TD rushing
Ryan Keleher: 341 yds, 7 TD rushing
Luke Ullrich: 46 rec, 789 yds, 13 TD
Kai Pruitt: 44 rec, 663 yds, 7 TD
Bryson Burgess: 71 tkl, 2 tfl
Garrett Finley: 59 tkl, 28 tfl
THE DCTF SPREAD: COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE BY 9
THE PICK: WYLIE
Brownwood (9-2) vs. Canyon (10-1) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Astound Communications Stadium, Midland
Series: Canyon leads 2-1
Brownwood is bound for the Permian Basin again this week as they meet up with Canyon in the area round.
The Lions had no issues whatsoever in a 63-0 shut out of El Paso Irving last week, while the Eagles blasted Burkburnett 42-14.
Canyon’s only loss was when they fell to rival Randall 31-14.
Both teams have played Andrews this season: Canyon won 44-30 while the Lions came away with a 47-3 victory.
A Brownwood win can get them to the third round and to ten wins for the first time since 2019. Since falling to Stephenville in the non-district finale the Lions have been dominant, reeling off five straight wins by a combined 263 to 40.
Canyon has taken two of three in the all-time series, including a 42-22 victory in the only previous playoff meeting in the second round back in 1987.
UP NEXT
Winner of Big Spring (6-5) vs. Wichita Falls (7-4), 8 p.m. Friday at Clyde’s Bulldog Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Brownwood: 48th appearance, 14th straight appearance
Canyon: 33rd appearance, fifth straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Canyon
Derrek Clements: 79-130, 1120 yds, 13 TD, 4 int; 271 yds, 4 TD rushing
Samuel Johnson: 788 yds, 11 TD rushing
Hunter Wilson: 29 rec, 511 yds, 5 TD
Javin Cash: 124 tkl, 21 tfl
Brownwood
Konlyn Anderson: 1395 yds, 23 TD rushing
Ike Hall: 100-179, 1632 yds, 14 TD, 5 int; 783 yds, 10 TD rushing
Thad Hinds: 37 rec, 715 yds, 7 TD
Jason Jackson: 19 rec, 413 yds, 9 TD
Chance Jones: 99 tkl, 5 sacks
Quinten McCarty: 100 tkl, 14 tfl
Sam Kallman: 101 tkl, 3 sacks
THE DCTF SPREAD: BROWNWOOD BY 17
THE PICK: BROWNWOOD
Jim Ned (8-3) vs. Bushland (10-1) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Lowrey Field, Lubbock
Series: First meeting
The Indians playoff bracket gets tougher this week as they matchup with Bushland in Lubbock.
The Falcons, from just outside Amarillo, eliminated Kermit 55-7 a week ago while the Indians shut out Pilot Point 41-0.
Bushland’s only loss of the season was a 43-28 decision against District 2-3A D1 champ Shallowater. They have impressive victories over 4A Canyon West Plains 52-6, Canadian 47-21, Childress 43-0, Dumas 38-20 and Muleshoe 34-0. Four of those five are still alive in the playoffs, as is Dalhart whom the Falcons beat 62-12.
Jim Ned has turned things around after an 0-3 start. They’ve won eight in a row since turning to senior Troy Doran at quarterback. While his passing numbers may not be that impressive, he has made a huge difference in the offense. They averaged 204 yards and just over seven points per game before he took over and have racked up 381.9 yards and 34.8 points per game after.
He and running back Brayden Shipman are both over the 1,000 yard mark rushing this season.
UP NEXT
Brock (7-4) vs. Muleshoe (8-3), 7 p.m. Thursday at Sweetwater’s Mustang Bowl
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Jim Ned: 17th appearance, sixth straight appearance
Bushland: 15th appearance, 11th straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Jim Ned
Troy Doran: 45-90, 630 yds, 11 TD, 6 int; 1009 yds, 15 TD rushing; 10 rec, 111 yds, 1 TD; 32 tkl, 3 int
Brayden Shipman: 1072 yds, 8 TD rushing
Carter Wood: 10 rec, 132 yds, 3 TD
Trey Hicks: 91 tkl, 5 tfl
Davis Soben: 81 tkl, 4 tfl
Tanner Hussman: 82 tkl, 9 tfl
Carter Lange: 37 tkl, 9 sacks
Bushland
N/A
THE DCTF SPREAD: BUSHLAND BY 19
THE PICK: BUSHLAND
Early (7-4) vs. Canadian (9-2) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Vernon
Series: First meeting
After taking down Odessa Compass Academy in easy fashion the Longhorns will have to continue to play at a very high level to hang with state power Canadian this week.
The Wildcats, winners of five state championships in the last 16 years, dominated Lubbock Roosevelt 70-8 in the bi-district round and enter on an eight game winning streak.
They rolled through district 5-0 with the closest contest a 56-21 win over Childress. Canadian also has wins this season over 4A Perryton and Canyon Randall. Their losses were to Bushland, still alive the in 3A D1 playoffs, and Elk City, Oklahoma who is in the Oklahoma 4A quarterfinals this week.
Early is no slouch, and the Longhorns have gotten better as the season has gone on. The Longhorns four losses include three against teams still in the playoffs (Tolar, Comanche and Wall who are a combined 31-2) and class 4A Burnet by a single point.
UP NEXT
Winner of Spearman (4-7) vs. Alpine (5-6), 6 p.m. Friday at Post’s Redman Memorial Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Early: 13th appearance, third straight appearance
Canadian: 36th appearance, 21st straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Early
Jaxyn Price: 170-317, 2485 yds, 30 TD, 6 int; 77 yds, 2 TD rushing
Griffin Cheslock: 1183 yds, 11 TD rushing; 30 tkl
Kaleb Ozuna: 506 yds, 7 TD rushing; 122 tkl, 11 tfl
Jeremy Brown: 52 rec, 908 yds, 14 TD; 41 tkl, 3 int; 2 kickoff returns for TD
John-Stewart Gordon: 30 rec, 411 yds, 2 TD
Caleb McCullough: 104 tkl, 30 tfl, 12 sacks; 12 rec, 264 yds, 5 TD
Colton Allen: 46 tkl, 6 int
Canadian
N/A
THE DCTF SPREAD: CANADIAN BY 25
THE PICK: CANADIAN
Hawley (11-0) vs. Panhandle (9-2) - Friday, 3 p.m. - Lowrey Field, Lubbock
Series: First meeting
The Bearcats road trip to Lubbock to meet up with Panhandle in the first ever contest between the two programs.
While Hawley eased past Christoval 52-8 last week, the Panthers knocked out Floydada 54-28 to advance.
Panhandle’s only two losses this season are to 10-1 Wellington 26-13 and in district to 11-0 Stratford 40-35. The Panthers have a high-powered offense that has scored 68 or more four times this season, including an 84-12 win over Amarillo Highland Park, a 73-0 win over Stinnett West Texas and a 72-0 win over Sanford-Fritch.
The Bearcats not only have a very good offense but a great defense, one that has only allowed 93 points all season — and 33 of those were scored by Cisco.
UP NEXT
Winner of Sonora (9-2) vs. Farwell (9-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Big Spring’s Memorial Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Hawley: 12th appearance, 10th straight appearance
Panhandle: 38th appearance, eighth straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Hawley
Rodey Hooper: 120-176, 2203 yds, 24 TD, 4 int; 84 yds, 1 TD rushing
Austin Cumpton: 1423 yds, 28 TD rushing; 77 tkl, 13 tfl
Will Scott: 35 rec, 615 yds, 7 TD; 92 tkl, 10 tfl, 4 int
Kason O’Shields: 29 rec, 495 yds, 7 TD; 61 tkl, 1 int
Chandlin Myers: 26 rec, 434 yds, 6 TD; 46 tkl, 1 int
Diontay Ramon: 28 rec, 625 yds, 5 TD; 48 tkl, 20 tfl, 5.5 sacks
Hez Parker: 107 tkl, 15 tfl, 2 int
Panhandle
N/A
THE DCTF SPREAD: HAWLEY BY 10
THE PICK: HAWLEY
Cisco (9-2) vs. Stratford (11-0) - Friday, 6 p.m. - Lubbock Cooper
Series: Cisco leads 1-0
After getting past Reagan County 55-0 Cisco gets a crack at unbeaten Stratford.
The Elks won it all in 2A Division II last season and, so far, haven’t had much trouble playing in 2A Division I.
Stratford beat Sundown 49-8 in the bi-district round to stretch their winning streak to 23 in a row over the past two seasons. The only times they were really tested this season were in a 28-21 win over 4A Perryton and a 40-35 decision over Panhandle in district play.
Cisco’s only losses were both three-point defeats, 30-27 by Breckenridge and 36-33 at Hawley.
The running game is key for both offenses, but both can throw it around a bit as well. The Elks average 277.7 yards rushing and 133.6 passing per game (411.3 total yards per game) while the Loboes go for 291 yards rushing and 111.5 passing per game (402.5 total yards per game).
UP NEXT
Winner of New Deal (8-3) vs. Forsan (9-2), 7 p.m. Thursday at Denver City’s Mustang Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Cisco: 31st appearance, 12th straight appearance
Stratford: 35th appearance, 11th straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Cisco
Hunter Long: 58-94, 1040 yds, 14 TD, 2 int; 1583 yds, 22 TD rushing
Trent Huston: 723 yds, 11 TD rushing; 5 rec, 64 yds, 1 TD
Cade Gayle: 24 rec, 463 yds, 6 TD; 1 punt return TD
Carter Holton: 6 rec, 164 yds, 3 TD
Stratford
Bryce Braden: 61-95, 1336 yds, 18 TD, 3 int; 903 yds, 15 TD rushing; 91 tkl
Zane Burr: 923 yds, 11 TD rushing; 86 tkl
Mauricio Duran: 613 yds, 11 TD rushing
Luke Braden: 28 rec, 795 yds, 14 TD
Julio Valdez: 91 tkl
THE DCTF SPREAD: CISCO BY 2
THE PICK: CISCO
Coleman (9-2) vs. Crawford (11-0) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Weatherford
Series: First meeting
The bracket is unkind to both of these teams as one top ten squad will go home in the second round.
Coleman eliminated Alvord 46-7 to advance last week, while Crawford beat up on Kerens 66-7.
The Pirates have yet to lose this season. Their closest contests were a 21-6 win over Centerville and a 33-20 victory over Marlin. They won their eight team district with a 7-0 record.
The Bluecats only losses were to Tolar and 3A D1 Llano, who are both 11-0 and still in the playoffs.
Crawford has made deep runs in each of the past three seasons: losing in the quarterfinals last year, the semifinals the year before that and the third round in 2019.
Coleman fell to Hawley in the third round last season.
UP NEXT
Winner of Riesel (6-5) vs. Bangs (7-4), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Burleson’s Burleson Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Coleman: 27th appearance, second straight appearance
Crawford: 45th appearance, 14th straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Coleman
Jadin Jackson: 75-123, 1180 yds, 18 TD, 4 int; 793 yds, 10 TD rushing
Ryland Gentry: 944 yds, 18 TD rushing; 5 rec, 72 yds
Brent Bouldin: 208 yds, 3 TD rushing; 1 rec, 18 yds
Braxton Smith: 32 rec, 611 yds, 7 TD
Crawford
N/A
THE DCTF SPREAD: PICK ‘EM
THE PICK: COLEMAN
Bangs (7-4) vs. Riesel (6-5) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Burleson
Series: First meeting
The Dragons, fresh off an upset (according to seeding) of Nocona, draw a Riesel team that pulled off an even bigger bi-district upset.
The four seed Indians beat District 7 champion Cayuga 28-7 to advance to face Bangs. The Dragons dominated Nocona 61-21 to win their first playoff game on the field since 2013. Their 2020 bi-district win over Tornillo was via forfeit.
All four of Bangs’ losses this season (Early, Comanche, Tolar, Coleman) are to teams still alive in the playoffs, while of Riesel’s five losses three are still playing and the other two lost in the first round.
These two teams are certainly battle tested entering their first ever matchup Friday night.
UP NEXT
Winner of Crawford (11-0) vs. Coleman (9-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Weatherford’s Kangaroo Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Bangs: 22nd appearance, first appearance since 2020
Riesel: 15th appearance, second straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Bangs
Kenny Cole: 65-146, 873 yds, 5 TD, 6 int; 330 yds, 4 TD rushing
Guy Powell: 1658 yds, 20 TD rushing; 8 rec, 118 yds, 4 TD; 125 tkl
Guy Funk: 15 rec, 208 yds, 3 TD
Keygan Pitts: 117 tkl, 3 tfl
Nate Stoffer: 105 tkl, 3 int, 4 fr
Riesel
Payton Hoelscher: 16-30, 306 yds, 2 TD, 5 int; 389 yds, 3 TD rushing; 80 tkl
Gavin Oliver: 16-39, 243 yds, 4 TD, 3 int; 691 yds, 5 TD rushing
Mason Heath: 528 yds, 7 TD rushing; 12 rec, 267 yds, 2 TD; 90 tkl
THE DCTF SPREAD: RIESEL BY 4
THE PICK: BANGS
Albany (9-2) vs. Muenster (6-5) - Thursday, 7 p.m. - Graham
Series: Albany leads 5-1
The Lions and Hornets meet in the playoffs for the second straight season, this time a round earlier than in 2021.
Albany knocked Muenster out 34-21 in the regional round last season and have won five of the six all-time matchups—all in the playoffs.
While the Lions took care of Eldorado as expected 49-13 the Hornets, the three seed from 8-2A D2, knocked out District 7-2A D2 two seed Archer City 38-14.
The Hornets five defeats this year are all to teams still in the playoffs: Bells (9-2), Paradise (9-2), Pottsoboro (10-1), Collinsville (10-1) and Santo (10-1).
Albany has won six straight after back-to-back losses to 11-0 Hawley and 10-1 Comanche. Both came at the height of the Lions’ injury issues this season.
The Lions are looking to reach the third round for an amazing tenth time in the past 11 years.
UP NEXT
Winner of Wink (11-0) vs. Santo (10-1), 7 p.m. Thursday at Colorado City’s Wolf Stadium
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Albany: 49th appearance, 21st straight appearance
Muenster: 29th appearance, 15th straight appearance
STAT LEADERS
Albany
Cole Chapman: 48-83, 625 yds, 9 TD, 0 int; 153 yds rushing
London Fuentes: 25-40, 420 yds, 6 TD, 3 int; 199 yds, 2 TD rushing; 21 rec, 340 yds, 4 TD; 28 tkl, 3 int
Adam Hill: 1176 yds, 17 TD rushing; 11 rec, 227 yds, 5 TD; 76 tkl, 16.5 tfl, 6.5 sacks
Coy Lefevre: 810 yds, 13 TD rushing; 8 rec, 135 yds, 2 TD; 37 tkl, 3 int
Cason Fairchild: 23 rec, 295 yds, 3 TD; 41 tkl, 3 int
Jayden Lucas: 86 tkl, 9 tfl
Coy Cauble: 85 tkl, 1 sack
Tye Edgar: 67 tkl, 11 tfl, 6.5 sacks
Wyatt Windham: 79 tkl, 4 int
Muenster
Devin Bindel: 22-53, 272 yds, 1 TD, 2 int; 776 yds, 9 TD rushing; 1 rec, 22 yds, 1 TD
Colton Deckard: 823 yds, 11 TD rushing; 11 rec, 226 yds, 2 TD
Brody Tyler: 29 rec, 311 yds, 3 TD
THE DCTF SPREAD: ALBANY BY 15
THE PICK: ALBANY
Westbrook (10-1) vs. Buena Vista (7-4) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Garden City
Series: Buena Vista leads 2-0
Westbrook picked up one of the more dominating wins in the bi-district round, avenging their regular season loss to Garden City in a 72-22 decision.
The victory gets them a second round matchup with Buena Vista. The Longhorns got past O’Donnell 86-36 to earn their first playoff victory since 2016.
Buena Vista was the District 6-1A D1 champion courtesy of wins over Fort Davis, Van Horn and Marfa. Their four losses this season were all to good teams: Irion County 80-60, Rankin 58-8, Balmorhea 78-30 and Sanderson 54-52. Sanderson is the only team of the four that is not still in the playoffs.
Westbrook got Cedric Ware back from injury a couple weeks back but he really made his return felt last week, scoring nine touchdowns (eight rushing, one receiving) and rushing for a season high 354 yards. If the Wildcats get another effort in the same neighborhood this week and beyond, they’ll be a tough out in the postseason.
These two are playing for the first time since they were in the same district in 2008 and 2009, both Longhorn victories.
UP NEXT
Winner of Whiteface (9-2) vs. Rankin (10-1), 6 p.m. Friday at Borden County
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Westbrook: 6th appearance, third straight appearance
Buena Vista: 9th appearance, first appearance since 2017
STAT LEADERS
Westbrook
Parker Matlock: 53-62, 633 yds, 12 TD, 3 int; 42 yds, 1 TD rushing; 69 tkl, 10 tfl, 4 int
Cedric Ware: 1427 yds, 34 TD rushing; 14 rec, 187 yds, 4 TD; 44 tkl, 4 tfl
Grayson Jeffrey: 1053 yds, 20 TD rushing; 4 rec, 29 yds, 1 TD; 38 tkl, 5 int
Hadley White: 11 rec, 172 yds, 3 TD; 38 tkl, 8 tfl
Bo Payne: 12 rec, 82 yds, 3 TD
Pahton Dominguez: 79 tkl, 20.5 tfl, 4 sacks, 3 ff, 1 fr; 239 yds, 5 TD rushing
Buena Vista
N/A
SPREADS
DCTF: WESTBROOK BY 32
SIXMANFOOTBALL.COM: WESTBROOK BY 45
THE PICK: WESTBROOK
Loraine (10-1) vs. Richland Springs (8-1) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Irion County
Series: First meeting
The Bulldogs have a chance to knock off Texas Six-Man football royalty Friday night when they tangle with nine time state champ Richland Springs.
Loraine cruised past Panther Creek 56-0 in the bi-district round, while the Coyotes got past Zephyr 61-16 to advance.
The Coyotes are not in the playoffs a district champ for the first time in 20 years after falling to Cherokee this season, but it is their only loss of the year.
Loraine’s only loss was to top ranked Benjamin in a 61-30 decision. It is one of just two times this season the Mustangs have had to play an entire game.
Read more about the Loraine Bulldogs here: Loraine looking to take program to next level with win over Richland Springs
UP NEXT
Winner of Cherokee (10-0) vs. Blackwell (7-4), 6:30 p.m. Friday at Strawn
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Richland Springs: 22nd appearance, 21st straight appearance
Loraine: 14th appearance, fourth straight appearance
SPREADS
DCTF: PICK ‘EM
SIXMANFOOTBALL.COM: LORAINE BY 29
THE PICK: LORAINE
Blackwell (7-4) vs. Cherokee (10-0) - Friday, 6:30 p.m. - Strawn
Series: Blackwell leads 1-0
The Hornets got past Rising Star in the first round and now get set for a tougher challenge against Cherokee.
The unbeaten Indians beat Blanket 52-6 to advance and are the favorites to get out of Region IV.
Blackwell has played its best football of the season as of late, winning six of their last seven with the only loss coming to Loraine 28-8. They have certainly turned things around after a 1-3 start to the season.
The Hornets will need to be at their best to hang with the Indians, whose only games all season were against Bluff Dale 84-44 and Richland Springs 78-47.
UP NEXT
Winner of Loraine (10-1) vs. Richland Springs (8-1) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Irion County
PLAYOFF HISTORY
Blackwell: 18th appearance, sixth straight appearance
Cherokee: 31st appearance, third straight appearance
SPREADS
DCTF: CHEROKEE BY 25
SIXMANFOOTBALL.COM: CHEROKEE BY 45
THE PICK: CHEROKEE
Abilene Christian (8-2) vs. Lucas Christian (11-0) - Friday, 7 p.m. - Keene High School
Series: First meeting
After getting past Dallas Lutheran with a 46-0 shut out the Panthers advance to face unbeaten Lucas Christian in round two.
Lucas Christian, in the Metroplex northeast of Plano, fell to Waco Live Oak in the state semifinals last season and has another good club this time around. They knocked out Amarillo San Jacinto 60-8 and their only game this season that wasn’t a mercy rule victory was a 54-16 victory over Plano Coram Deo in district play.
The Panthers only dropped games to Hermleigh and defending state champ Fort Worth Covenant Classical and should be up for the challenge. They beat San Jacinto 66-21 in their district meeting this season.
UP NEXT
Winner of Fort Worth Covenant Classical (9-1) vs. Plano Coram Deo (9-2) - Friday, 7 p.m. at Fort Worth Christian
STAT LEADERS
Abilene Christian
Ty Armstrong: 1125 yds, 20 TD rushing; 7-15, 153 yds, 3 TD passing; 33 tkl, 4 sacks
Davis Patteson: 462 yds, 11 TD rushing; 49 tkl, 3 int
Brooks Armstrong: 293 yds, 6 TD rushing
Isaac Presley: 9 rec, 173 yds, 4 TD
Lucas Christian
Rylee Holman: 80-112, 1464 yds, 32 TD, 1 int
Blasie Simmons: 534 yds, 11 TD rushing
Rylan Goss: 28 rec, 575 yds, 10 TD
Tommy Harper: 74 tkl, 5 tfl, 1 int
SPREADS
DCTF: LUCAS CHRISTIAN BY 11
SIXMANFOOTBALL.COM: LUCAS CHRISTIAN BY 27
THE PICK: LUCAS CHRISTIAN
COLLEGE
Photo: Jeremy Enlow/ACU Sports Information
Stephen F. Austin (5-5, 2-1) vs. ACU (7-3, 3-0) - Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Series: Tied 11-11
The Wildcats return home to close out the regular season in game that will decide the WAC championship against Stephen F. Austin.
The Lumberjacks beat the Wildcats in a non-conference game October 8, 41-38, but ACU has won three of four since to set up this championship game.
ACU got past Sam Houston 45-28 last week. SFA lost to their rivals in Houston earlier this season 17-16.
The winner is the outright conference champion but is not guaranteed a berth in the FCS playoffs as the WAC does not yet have an automatic berth. The winner of the WAC and the winner of the Atlantic Sun will be compared head-to-head with a formula and the “better” team will go to the playoffs. The other team could still receive an at-large berth.
STAT LEADERS
Stephen F. Austin
Trae Self: 166-281, 2180 yds, 17 TD, 4 int; 155 yds, 5 TD rushing
Miles Reed: 624 yds, 2 TD rushing
Xavier Gipson: 54 rec, 950 yds, 6 TD
Myles Heard: 76 tkl, 1 int
ACU
Maverick McIvor: 154-258, 1894 yds, 14 TD, 9 int; 60 yds, 1 TD rushing
Ethan Long: 61-107, 609 yds, 6 TD, 1 int
Jermiah Dobbins: 741 yds, 7 TD rushing
Kobe Clark: 57 rec, 600 yds, 8 TD
Elijah Moffett: 44 tkl, 2 int
Tory Hargrove: 40 tkl, 7.5 tfl
THE PICK: ACU
#9 Hardin-Simmons (9-1) at #6 Trinity (10-0) - Saturday, 12 p.m.
Series: Hardin-Simmons leads 23-6-4
The Cowboys are back in the D3 playoffs and headed to San Antonio to battle Trinity in the first round Saturday.
HSU is in for the first time since 2019, but they haven’t won a playoff game since beating the Tigers 33-30 all the way back in 2000 on their way to the semifinals. They are 0-8 since then.
The Cowboys got running back Noah Garcia back from injury last week and he could play a key factor in an HSU playoff run. He ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns to be named the ASC Offensive Player of the Week.
Trinity got in with an automatic berth as the winner of the Southern Athletic Association and went 10-0 along the way. They beat Sul Ross 55-7 (HSU beat them 70-35) and Texas Lutheran 52-14 (HSU beat them last week 45-16) in the only games featuring common opponents between the schools. Their closest contest was a 23-20 win over Birmingham Southern and a 21-14 victory over Berry, teams that finished tied for second in the conference.
This will be the third playoff meeting between the programs. HSU has won both and has won the last five in the series.
STAT LEADERS
Hardin-Simmons
Gaylon Glynn: 148-238, 2110 yds, 20 TD, 4 int; 274 yds, 3 TD
Myles Featherston: 561 yds, 5 TD rushing
Colton Marshall: 457 yds, 13 TD rushing
Noah Garcia: 318 yds, 5 TD rushing
Kevi Evans: 45 rec, 873 yds, 8 TD
Gatlin Martin: 39 rec, 485 yds, 6 TD
Terrell Franklin: 75 tkl, 7 tfl, 3 int
Matt Mitchell: 66 tkl, 3 sacks, 11 tfl, 2 int, 1 fr, 1 ff
Trinity
Tucker Horn: 190-280, 2388 yds, 21 Td, 8 int
Justin Carmouche: 452 yds, 5 TD rushing
Ryan Merrifield: 43 rec, 675 yds, 6 TD
Caleb Harmel: 55 tkl, 5 tfl, 2 int
