The year of the unprecedented continues into playoffs. Hopefully we're just 4 weeks from crowning some champions and we'll know all the title winners by Christmas. In this weird year, everyone is in the playoffs that wants to be but it leaves us just 15 games across all 11-man divisions given the byes. As you may know the committee focuses on Division II, and will usually have a full rundown of every Division II playoff game and listing of who is in the bracket by mascots. We will save that for the round of 16 next week, but will continue into year 6 of covering every Division II playoff game. Good luck and safe travels!
This Week: (Season: 41-14)
Austin Hyde Park @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Cardinals are a bit unlucky to draw an opponent as they will be the only game in the northern half of Division II. FWC started the season a dismal 0-3 with 2 lost 4th quarter leads, 2 cancellations, and a loss where they managed just 8 points. That 14-8 loss to Southwest Christian set the Cardinals on the path where they would not get a bye in round 1. In their final 3 games the Cardinals played much better. Scoring 48 and 49 in big 2nd half wins over Legacy and Coram Deo while falling to Grapevine Faith by just 1. The Panthers have also managed just 2 wins on the season and were one of the few TAPPS schools to get all games in on all 8 weeks. It was an ugly start at just 1-6 with the only win over Austin LASA. They did close with a 35-12 win over Brentwood, a program on the rise in recent seasons, so I think they are playing their best at the end. The Panther defense has been pretty porous against the best in District 3 and FWC should rival that output. With both teams trending up at the end of the season, the Cardinals should have a clear edge. FWC gets the game at home too. Cardinals win 44-19.
Brownsville St. Joseph @ Houston Lutheran South -- The Bloodhounds are always a favorite of this space, but have been average hunters this year. They were dominated by the top of District 3, Regents by 55 and St. Michael's by 24. However, they are 3-2 in their other 5 games, with close losses to John Paul and Brentwood. Getting the offense going will be key for the Hounds on the road. The Pioneers enter with a matching 3-4 record on the season. LSA was dominated by district champion Second Baptist in a 49-0 shutout. Against 2nd place finisher Fort Bend Christian the Pioneers dropped a 2 point decision. I said St. Joseph needs to get the offense going in part because LSA needs the defense to play well. In 3 wins the Pioneers allowed 14, 12, and 12. In 4 losses they allowed 56, 49, 38, and 41. If the Bloodhounds can score 30 they win, it will keep the Pioneer offense off the field as well. I just don't see it happening on the road though. Pioneers win 38-20.
Boerne Geneva @ The Woodlands Christian -- The Warriors host a playoff game as one of the few teams with winning records on the schedule for this week in Division II. The 4-3 season saw The Woodlands dominate the teams that finished at the bottom of districts and score some points against the higher ranked opposition but fall well short. For example, Lutheran South failed to score against Second Baptist while the Warriors managed 24. All signs point to a Warriors win given their higher ranking and better record. The Eagles finished the regular season 3-5, but scored a mild upset in the finale against Corpus Christi John Paul II. The case of another team playing well at the end. I just don't see the scoring output being their for Geneva in this road contest. This looks like the closest game of the 5 in Division II this week to me. Warriors win at home though, 28-24.
Victoria St. Joseph @ Austin Brentwood Christian -- The Bears are the other team with a winning record in action in the bi-district round. A 4-3 season is a bit of a disappointment after an 8-3 campaign last season. Though Brentwood lacks any real impressive wins. Margins of 1, 3, and 6 over the lesser teams in District 3 while shutting out St. Anthony is good, they had the smallest margin of victory over the 0-5 last place finisher. Scoring just 12 in a season closing loss to Hyde Park is not the momentum you'd be looking for head to the playoffs. The Flyers have seen their season ravaged by COVID, completing just 5 games at a 2-3 record. They dominated last place Frassati 61-8, but secured just a 5 point victory over Division IV Hallettsville Sacred Heart. In the middle the top 3 of District 4 put up a ton of points in three losses. Really neither team has a terribly impressive resume this season, but who does in the time of COVID. This looks like a Brentwood win, but I'm not sure we've seen the Flyers best this season if I can play both sides a bit. Bears win 28-15.
Spring Frassati @ Corpus Christi John Paul II -- The last matchup in Division II sends us to the Gulf Coast, where the Centurions are in the midst of their best stretch of football in 20 years. At 4-4, they still finished 3rd in district 3 but took a disappointing loss to Geneva to close the season. A huge 52 points allowed was the most of the season. The Falcons have been non-competitive so far on the season at 0-7. The closest defeat was 32 and they've allowed at least 42 points in all 7 losses. I try to sugar coat things most of the time, but I can't see this one being close. Centurions win 48-7.
Argyle Liberty Christian @ San Antonio Central Catholic -- The Division I portion of the schedule see a few interesting crossover matches. The Warriors struggled all year, but saw quality opposition in their 6 losses. The trouble is you'd like to hold one of those opponents to under 42 points. The Buttons saw just 5 games of action this season, posting a 4-1 record. Beating St. Pius certainly raised some eyebrows for how competitive Central might be. The northern schools in Division I have traditionally been the stronger squads creating some road playoff wins in the opening round. Even bad teams from strong District 1 have looked quite good against a top offerings in District 2. A 1-9 Plano John Paul team of the past comes to mind. The Warriors may be well positioned to win this, but on the road in the time of COVID, I think they fall just short. Buttons win 28-24.
Fort Worth All Saints @ San Antonio Antonian -- The Apaches reached the semifinals last season in surprise fashion before falling to the bigger surprise in Plano John Paul II. Only an OT loss to St. Thomas blemished the 6-1 season. The points should fly in this one with Antonian scoring 28 in every game and 42 in 5 out 7. The Saints should be a part of that points offering with opponents scoring 50, 41, and 35 in three of their 4 games. Just a 1-3 season for the Saints that hasn't seen them on the field since Halloween. The lone win back in September was a 70-50 victory over Azle. I think the Saints are better than their record, and if they can find their form after playing so little, they should be dangerous. I just can't predict it in this road clash. Apaches win 38-31.
Midland Christian @ Houston St. Pius X -- Another team we haven't seen since Halloween is the MCS Mustangs. The long trip to Houston doesn't seem encouraging, but they are still the team that outplayed the defending champs for 46 minutes. The Mustangs also crushed state ranked Wall back in their opener when Wall was playing its 4th game. Its been a struggle on the road for MCS, shut out in the 2nd half at Nolan, and managing just 13 at JP2. The MCS squad that played Parish and Wall beats this St. Pius group handily. The Panthers are 4-3 and have not looked good against the best of Division I. They were blown out by rival St. Thomas and saw Antonian score 44 against them for the 2nd year in a row. St. Pius had won the last 5 meetings over Antonian before that. This does not look like the Panthers best squad and that might make them the overlooked team in the playoffs. This is a tough trip for the Mustangs, but the Permian Basin inhabitants always know how to travel. Just enough for MCS, Mustangs win 32-30.
Quick Hits: (Season: 57-20)
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Plano John Paul II over Tomball Concordia Lutheran
Dallas Shelton over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Dallas First Baptist over Fort Worth Temple Christian
Temple Central Texas Christian over Weatherford Christian
Waco Reicher over Fort Worth Calvary
Houston Lutheran North over Hallettsville Sacred Heart
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