TAPPS State Finals Game Information 2021

Tickets are available at tapps.biz. Games are also available via pay-per-view on tappstvnetwork.com. Games move up I-35 slightly this year to Waco ISD Stadium. We have some surprises and plenty of "usual suspects" as well. Good luck and safe travels.

Division I
Dallas Parish Episcopal School vs. Midland Christian School
--1:00 Saturday Waco ISD Stadium

Division II
Dallas Christian School vs. Houston Second Baptist School
--7:00 Saturday Waco ISD Stadium

Division III
Lubbock Trinity Christian School vs. Houston Cypress Christian School
--1:00 Friday Waco ISD Stadium

Division IV
Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School
--7:00 Friday Waco ISD Stadium

Semifinal Playoff Results 2021

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (24-14) -- Correct
--A very game performance by the Eagles, but they could never get ahead of the Chargers. DC will try for a 9th state title in the 18th state final appearance. They've earned a chance to try and avenge last year's walk off pick 6, but it won't be Regents on the other side.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Houston Second Baptist (13-14) -- Wrong
--Second Baptist finally puts a defense with its offense and its gets them to the final. A missed extra point takes out Fort Bend Christian as Second Baptist reaches its 4th state final and first since 1999. In that championship game in 1999 the Eagles won their last state title over...Dallas Christian.

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Dallas Bishop Lynch (55-13) -- Correct
--A road game wasn't close to stopping the Panthers. No reason not to view Parish as favorites for 3 in a row.

Midland Christian over San Antonio Central Catholic (41-14) --  Correct
--While Parish is the favorite, the Mustangs will have a shot. Parish won every district and playoff game by at least 26 points except one. That one was against MCS, just a 28-14 defeat for the Mustangs. MCS has also never lost an 11-man state championship game at 7-0 and have won 12 straight trips to the Final.

Lubbock Christian over Lubbock Trinity Christian (6-21) -- Wrong
--The Lions defense stands again with another Division III contender on the other side. After allowing just 7 to Grace Prep they allow just 6 to the Eagles. Lubbock Trinity reaches its first state final.

League City Bay Area Christian over Houston Cypress Christian (14-42) -- Wrong
--Looked for a bit of an upset and it was not here. Warriors with a great chance at their 2nd state title after falling in the 2020 title game.

Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School over Weatherford Christian School (35-8) -- Correct
--Tigers defense overwhelms the Lions, tough task to keep

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School over Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School (42-15) -- Correct
--Cardinals continue their dominant ways in Division IV, and will draw the other Sacred Heart in the final. Going to be favorites for 4 in a row next week in Waco.

Week 14: 5-3
Season: 81-29

Quick Hits concludes the season 105-25.

Semifinal Playoff Picks 2021

The last hurdle on the road to state arrives with a plethora of district rematches and a few surprises. Maybe the closest groupings of semifinalists, from a location viewpoint, I can remember. Lots of close by sites should make for some great crowds. Down to just 8 games this week and only 12 11-man games remain in the TAPPS season. We'll have new champions in Divisions II and III, but the returning champions remain the favorites in Divisions I and IV. Good luck and safe travels!

Division II 

Fort Worth Southwest Christian vs. Dallas Christian @ Mesquite Memorial -- The Chargers reach the semifinals again and try to make their 17th state final as they take on the Eagles for a 2nd year in a row. The Chargers rolled through much of their 10-1 campaign, falling only to TCA in Week 4. DC posted wins over other semifinalists, Bishop Lynch and Fort Bend Christian, in the non-district slate and exploded for 63 against FWC last week. That made consecutive 60+ point outings in the playoffs this year. FWC was the first opponent to clear 30 points against DC, other than TCA's dominant victory. The Eagles have consecutive seasons with their most wins since 2004. At 10-2 this year Southwest is back in the semifinals for a 2nd straight season after not winning a playoff game since 2006. The Eagles 2 defeats came to the same TCA squad as DC and SPC runner-up ESD. They won District 1 at 4-0 and beat Faith a 2nd time in the Regional, 28-22 in overtime. The Eagles rushing attack should make them a difficult mark for the DC defense that feasted on FWC turnovers last week. Keeping DC out of the less conventional ways to score on defense and special teams is key for the Eagles chances. The bigger factor though is finding a way to score for the Eagles. Last season's semi ended in a 42-0 handy victory for DC. Both teams dominated FWC on offense and Tyler Grace on both sides of the ball. This should be a tight low scoring game, but the authors leanings are well known. Chargers win 28-20.

Houston Second Baptist vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian @ Rice Univeristy -- A flock of Eagles dominates District 4 in 2021 and a rematch of a Week 11 District title game will decide the South's spot in the Final. Second Baptist took out the defending champion, Austin Regents, last week in a surprise to most. The Eagles 26-16 victory was the 1st loss for Regents to a Division II opponent outside of the championship since 2015. That was the same year that Second Baptist last lost the district title before Fort Bend pushed them off the top step this year. That win in Week 11 was the first win for Fort Bend Christian over Second Baptist since 2006, when they were still called Fort Bend Baptist. The first meeting was a 27-24 win for Fort Bend at home. At 9-3, it is a 6 game win streak for the FBCA since losing 3 in a row in September. Second Baptist is 10-2 on the year with the only other loss to Kinkaid to start the year. I expect pretty much the same game as last time. Who gets the big play or surprise turnover? I'll say Fort Bend Christian gets another win to reach their first TAPPS football final, 28-27.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Dallas Bishop Lynch -- The Panthers have won back to back state titles and are clear favorites again. Only Austin LBJ has knocked off Parish this season, and the Panther offense has scored 28 in all 11 games with 35 in 10 of 11. Perhaps the Midland Christian squad can turn the tables in the final after being the closest this season, but both teams with hurdles to clear this week. The Friars have used 2 playoff wins and a forfeit to get back to even at 6-6. A 52-50 win in 3OT over St. Thomas gets Bishop Lynch into the semis for the first time since 2018. That team lost a 13-9 decision in the state final to Bishop Dunne and finished 8-5 and never lost by more that 8 points in a single game. This Friars squad took multiple big losses mid-year, including 49-13 home loss to Parish on October 15, but has responded to be the only team without a first round bye to reach the semifinals. A bold strike to go for the home and home flip, but maybe the start of an upset with the game at Roffino Stadium. The Panthers are the dominant force in Division I right now and should remain so this week, even on the road. Parish wins 42-18.

Midland Christian vs. San Antonio Central Catholic @ Brownwood -- The Mustangs took down the favored Vikings in a district rematch. Turning a 20 point defeat into a 42-37 victory. The 42 points is the story as the MCS offense has been the trailing unit this year with the defense leading the charge. If MCS is putting both together in November then they will be a tough opponent for Parish in the final. The Buttons win the mascot game in the TAPPS semifinals this year, but have a tough battle here. While Central was the District 2 champions, a Week 11 loss to Antonian certainly changed the expectations. Full marks for the Buttons turning the tables in the Regional and a 10 win season. Maybe they can surprise us here, but I think the Mustangs are clear favorites. MCS wins 40-20.

Division III

Lubbock Christian vs. Lubbock Trinity Christian @ Wolfforth Frenship -- The battle of Lubbock heads to the suburbs to decide a place in the final of wide open Division III. The Eagles are a frequent visitor to the late rounds of the playoffs, losing the state final in 2019. It was 2004 the last time Lubbock Christian won the title, a full decade before Lubbock Trinity started a football program. The Lions have carefully built a program, reaching the semis for the first time in their 8th season. 8-3 is the program record for wins, and they are coming off a huge defensive showing, holding Grace Prep to just 7 last week. It was Grace Prep's only loss of the season and the first time they were held under 30 all season. The Eagles only loss in an 11-1 season is to Colleyville Covenant. They narrowly escaped Pantego last week 31-28, leaving us a district rematch but not the one we expected. In their last meeting the Eagles won 22-10. The Lions defense gives Trinity a great chance to turn the tables. Look for a low scoring game in the South Plains winds. Eagles back in the title game, 12-10.

Houston Cypress Christian School vs. League City Bay Area Christian School @ Houston Delmar -- The Warriors have a collection of the best wins in Division III, including Division II contender Fort Worth Christian, Division IV contender Brazos Christian, Division IV favorite Shiner St. Paul, and a big blowout of SA Holy Cross last week to reach the semis. Maybe they should be the favorites with losses to just SPC champion John Cooper and Division II semifinalist Second Baptist. The Broncos are 10-1 with a sole loss to The Woodlands Christian. That game is the only opponent to score more than 22 on Bay Area Christian this year. Now that they've settled on the final 4 its certain that the Division III champion will have earned it. I could see any of these 4 taking the title. Should be more points in this one than in Lubbock, but the Broncos defense is the best unit I think. Bay Area Christian wins a close one 26-24.

Division IV

Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Weatherford Christian School @ Bridgeport -- An 8-4 season for the Tigers has seen them beat the teams they should and lose to the teams you'd expect. One of those teams though is Weatherford Christian. The Lions lost to Sacred Heart 28-14 on October 22. I really don't know enough about these two to have a strong opinion. Looks like both teams have potent offenses and decent defenses. I think in a rematch the offenses should do better than they did the first time. Tigers win a shootout, 43-40.

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School vs. Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School @ Flatonia -- The Cardinals are the dominant force in Division IV, and would stand a great chance in Division III this year if they were in that classification. St. Paul has the most 11-man titles in TAPPS at 9, and the 2nd most across all of TAPPS football. They've won state titles the last 3 years and 5 of the last 6. At 8-1, only Cypress Christian has bested the Cardinals this year. The Regional match with Brazos Christian may have been the biggest hurdle for the Cardinals, and they inched by, 22-20. The challenger this week is the longtime rival, Sacred Heart Indians. Just 12 miles separate the two schools. Both Catholic in faith tradition. Both use the ISD stadiums in town. At the end of 2011, the Indians had a 7-3 edge in state titles. Now, the Cardinals have won 6 in a decade and lead 9-7. Certainly two schools worthy of a semifinal matchup. This season St. Paul won the head-to-head 47-20. The Cardinals have a 14-3 lead in the series since 2009. At 8-4, its been a good year for Sacred Heart. I just can't see enough of a turn around to win this win. Cardinals back to the final to try for 4 in a row. St. Paul wins, 35-28.

This Week Season: 76-26

Quick Hits concludes the season 105-25.

TAPPS Semifinal Playoff Times and Locations 2021

Let me know on Twitter, @Cav_0, if you have an update or if something is incorrect.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School @ Dallas Bishop Lynch High School
--6:00 Saturday Dallas' Roffino Stadium
--Panthers 55, Friars 13

Midland Christian School vs. San Antonio Central Catholic High School
--6:00 Saturday Brownwood's Gordon Wood Stadium
--Mustangs 41, Buttons 14

Division II 

Fort Worth Southwest Christian School vs. Dallas Christian School
--7:00 Saturday Mesquite Memorial Stadium
--Chargers 24, Eagles 14

Houston Second Baptist School vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy
--7:30 Saturday Houston's Rice Stadium
--SBS Eagles 14, FBCA Eagles 13

Division III

Lubbock Christian School vs. Lubbock Trinity Christian School
--2:00 Saturday Wolfforth's Peoples Bank Stadium
--Lions 21, Eagles 6

Houston Cypress Christian School vs. League City Bay Area Christian School
--7:00 Friday Houston's Delmar Stadium
--Warriors 42, Broncos 14

Division IV

Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Weatherford Christian School
--6:00 Friday Bridgeport's Bull Memorial Stadium
--Tigers 35, Lions 8

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School vs. Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School
--7:00 Friday Flatonia's Bulldog Stadium
--Cardinals 42, Indians 15

Regional Playoff Results 2021

It took until Week 13 for the upsets to come, but come they did. Heavy favorite Austin Regents goes out. Heavy favorite Shiner St. Paul survives by 2. San Antonio Central pushes out an All Saints team that beat Antonian who had beaten the Buttons the week before. Contender Grace Prep goes out in Division III. Parish still looks good for Division I, but still 2 hurdles to clear as the defending champs. Bishop Lynch will be next to take another shot at the Panthers after scoring another upset of District 2.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Fort Worth Christian (63-35) -- Correct
--Not a great defensive outing from either team, but both defenses made big plays. A great comeback from FWC after falling behind early in the 2nd, but some late defensive plays put it out of reach for DC. Interesting semifinal rematch with Southwest Christian next week.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian (28-22 OT) -- Correct
--Lions tie the game on the final play from scrimmage and a 2 point conversion, but fail to score on their OT possession. Southwest with another chance at DC to avenge last year's semifinal.

Austin Regents over Houston Second Baptist (16-26) -- Wrong
--We get our upset as the Regents offense is bludgeoned by the Eagles. There will be a new champion in Division II as the overwhelming favorite goes down. Second Baptist will expect a district rematch in the semis, but St. Michael's will certainly have a shot tomorrow.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Austin St. Michael's (69-28) -- Correct
--We get 3 Eagles in the Final 4 as the FBCA offense proved too much for the Crusaders

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Plano Prestonwood Christian (49-24) -- Correct
--A very game effort from the Lions, but just not able to slow the favored Panthers offensive attack.

Fort Worth Nolan over Midland Christian (37-42) -- Wrong
--Mustangs produce the goods to turn the tables on the Vikings. With San Antonio Central taking out All Saints the path to the final looks open for MCS. Can't look ahead to a final with Parish though.

Week 13: 4-2
Season: 76-26

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth All Saints over San Antonio Central Catholic (28-38) -- Wrong
Houston St. Thomas over Dallas Bishop Lynch (50-52 3OT) -- Wrong
Lubbock Christian over Arlington Pantego Christian (31-28) -- Correct
Arlington Grace Prep over Lubbock Trinity Christian (7-16) -- Wrong
Houston Cypress Christian over San Antonio Holy Cross (40-7) -- Correct
League City Bay Area Christian over The Woodlands Legacy Prep (35-21) -- Correct
Muenster Sacred Heart over Waco Reicher (45-13) -- Correct
Weatherford Christian over Dallas First Baptist (43-21) -- Correct
Shiner St. Paul over Bryan Brazos Christian (22-20) -- Correct
Hallettsville Sacred Heart over Houston Lutheran North (42-7) -- Correct

Week 13: 7-3
Season: 105-25

Regional Playoff Picks 2021

Another playoff week is upon us. Some fun neutral sites to play at this week, and few regular season rematches that teams will be trying to reverse. Its a favorite laden bracket with Parish, Regents, and Shiner St. Paul still featuring as defending champs. The wide open Division III saw its title holder defeated, further cementing its status as the mystery division. Just 16 teams will be left in 11-man after this week. Good luck and safe travels on the road to Midway.

This Week: (Season: 72-24)

Fort Worth Christian vs. Dallas Christian @ Desoto -- Our only Division II game this week without an Eagles. The Chargers and Cardinals fates are always intertwined, dating back to rivalry contests from before TAPPS creation. The two schools share a similar history with founding just a year apart and with the same Faith tradition it ties the alumni together in college and beyond. This will be the 19th game between them since 2005, making it the most played matchup for both schools in the MaxPreps era. Its been a series mostly controlled by the Chargers with a 14-4 advantage since 2005. However, the Cardinals have won some of the biggest games. The 2015 state championship being the biggest. FWC also dominated the 2018 playoff game, winning 27-10, making 2 playoff wins in a row for the Cardinals in the series. This reversed a 4 game playoff win streak over the Cardinals that dated to 2007. There've been blowouts and tight games in the mix. One where FWC had a 20-0 lead before DC had an offensive play, but DC won 28-20. A game where the punter was called down  on a low snap, leading to the go ahead field goal. This year's meeting on October 1 was a mix of the two. The Chargers built a lead, but FWC climbed back in before falling 35-25. The Cardinals started the season 0-5 after that loss to the Chargers, but have won 4 of 6 since. Finding ways to score is how FWC can win this one. Special teams and defensive touchdowns are the path to victory. DC's penalty problems can be another path for the Cardinals. The biases of the author are well known, but this should be a tight game. I think if DC gets to 30 they win handily, but if the Chargers offense sputters, the Cardinals can definitely get to 28 and win. Chargers survive a close one, 31-29.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian vs. Grapevine Faith Christian @ Fort Worth Castleberry -- The Eagles suffered a long walk through the wilderness, never winning more than 6 games in a season between 2005 and 2019. Last year, they just won 7 but in the COVID season that was a semifinal appearance. After sharing the district title last season, the Eagles won it outright this year. At 9-2, the only losses are to very strong ESD and TCA squads, and they won every district game by 18 or more points. That closest win though was over these Lions. Faith won the 2016 state championship, but last week was just the 3rd playoff win since then. Last year the Lions were just 5-4 in the shortened season, being ousted in the regional round. The Lions were favorites heading into district play after a dominant 5-0 start that saw just 13 points allowed and 3 shutouts. The Eagles pushed them off that top step and then a shocking 50 point defensive outing in losing to FWC saw the Lions have to go on the road in round 1. A 2nd half shutout pushed Faith past Brook Hill and into the Regional. It was 34-16 in early October when they met and low scoring should suit both teams well. Eagles won the first one so we'll go that way, but a close defensive struggle is on order. Southwest wins 16-13.

Austin Regents vs. Houston Second Baptist @ Brenham -- The Knights are searching for their 6th straight state final appearance. No one south of the I-20 corridor has been able to take down Regents since Hyde Park in 2015. This season has been no different, with 10 wins by at least 24 points. Only 2 opponents scored more than 8 against the Knights this year and no one scored more than 21. Regents has also scored 35 or more in every outing this season. The Eagles dropped their first district game since 2015 this year and thus meet Regents in the regional round rather than the semifinals. Its been 3 straight semifinal defeats for Second Baptist against Regents and 5 losses in 5 years including regular season games in 2016 and 2017. In those 5 games, the most point scored by the Eagles is 14. That was last year, but 14 will not get past the Knights. I don't see any major changes in expectations so last year's 38-14 win for Regents seems like a good starting point, but maybe a tad closer than last year. Knights win 35-18.

Austin St. Michael's vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian @ Giddings -- The Eagles pushed Second Baptist off the District 4 throne in Week 11, and put up 59 points in a dominant playoff victory over Brentwood Christian. They've won 6 in a row since the calendar flipped to October and erase the taste of a 3 game losing streak. The Crusaders won just 11 games total between 2015 and 2019, but the resurgence started last year with a 7 win season and a playoff victory. It was a 42-6 loss to Regents last year that sparked a 6 game win streak, and a 15-3 run since. They were the 2nd best team in District 3 all year, earning that 2nd seed and home playoff game. It should be a close game. Both squads blew out Brentwood and share no other common opponents. Both offenses should be among the best the other teams have seen. I think we'll see a bunch of point in this one. Eagles win a shootout, 42-35.

Dallas Parish Episcopal vs. Plano Prestonwood Christian @ The Star -- The Panthers are the back to back defending champions and nothing in 2021 has changed their favorite status. Just a 2 point loss to Austin LBJ separates Parish from a undefeated season. Their 9 wins include a 35-9 margin over Prestonwood. Only Midland Christian kept it closer than that in the District 1 slate. The Panthers have been dominant from start to finish and the 1st round bye was the reward. The Lions lost 3 times in the district slate and haven't been able to get the stops to win in the big district grudge matches. That is a tough problem to try and overcome against Parish. Panthers remain the favorites, but the Lions keeps it closer than last time. Parish Episcopal wins, 37-22.

Midland Christian vs. Fort Worth Nolan @ Abilene Wylie -- The Mustangs reached the semifinals a season ago, but drew two District 2 opponents en route. Its unfortunate that TAPPS bracketed it this way, where the top District 1 teams meet in Round 2 while the lower finishers get to play the cross district opposition. In a game that was ultimately forfeited, Nolan went to the Permian Basin and won 48-28. Turning around that defensive performance will be the task for MCS. The Vikings overcame the forfeits  and coaching turmoil to finish in 3rd position in District 1 and figured to be the fiercest opposition for Parish en route to 3 in a row. Nolan won the district title last year and will have to be sure not to look beyond the Mustangs to a possible rematch with the Panthers. Last time MCS played at Wylie it was a 70-7 drubbing of Dallas Christian where the Mustangs lost the special teams but still won the game by 63. Maybe some good feelings, but it was 8 years ago and really just Coach McClendon still left from that one. The Vikings look to be too good here, but the Mustangs are never eliminated easily. Nolan wins a tight one, 33-30.

Quick Hits: (Season: 98-22)

Fort Worth All Saints over San Antonio Central Catholic
Houston St. Thomas over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Lubbock Christian over Arlington Pantego Christian
Arlington Grace Prep over Lubbock Trinity Christian
Houston Cypress Christian over San Antonio Holy Cross
League City Bay Area Christian over The Woodlands Legacy Prep
Muenster Sacred Heart over Waco Reicher
Weatherford Christian over Dallas First Baptist
Shiner St. Paul over Bryan Brazos Christian
Hallettsville Sacred Heart over Houston Lutheran North

TAPPS Regional Playoff Times and Locations 2021

Let me know on Twitter, @Cav_0, if you have an update or if something is incorrect.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School vs. Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy
--7:00 Saturday Frisco's Ford Center at The Star
--Panthers 49, Lions 24

Dallas Bishop Lynch High School vs. Houston St. Thomas High School
--5:00 Saturday Buffalo's Brewer Field
--Friars 52, Eagles 50 (3OT)

Midland Christian School vs. Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School
--6:00 Saturday Abilene’s Sandifer Stadium
--Mustangs 42, Vikings 37

Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal School vs. San Antonio Central Catholic High School
--7:00 Friday Belton's Tiger Field
--Buttons 38, Saints 28

Division II 

Fort Worth Southwest Christian School vs. Grapevine Faith Christian School
--7:00 Friday River Oaks' W.O. Barnes Memorial Stadium
--Eagles 28, Lions 22 (OT)

Fort Worth Christian School vs. Dallas Christian School
--7:30 Friday Desoto's Eagle Stadium
--Chargers 63, Cardinals 35

Regents School of Austin vs. Houston Second Baptist School
--7:00 Friday Brenham's Cub Stadium
--Eagles 26, Knights 16

Austin St. Michael's Catholic Academy vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy
--7:00 Saturday Giddings' Buffalo Stadium
--Eagles 69, Crusaders 28

Division III

Lubbock Christian School vs. Arlington Pantego Christian Academy
--7:00 Friday Abilene's Shelton Stadium
--Eagles 31, Panthers 28

Lubbock Trinity Christian School vs. Arlington Grace Preparatory Academy
--2:00 Saturday Clyde's Bulldog Stadium
--TCS Lions 16, GPA Lions 7

Holy Cross of San Antonio vs. Houston Cypress Christian School
--7:00 Friday Hallettsville's Brahmas Memorial Stadium
--Warriors 40, Knights 7

The Woodlands Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy vs. League City Bay Area Christian School
--7:00 Friday Dayton's Bronco Stadium
--Broncos 35, Warriors 21

Division IV

Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Waco Bishop Reicher Catholic School
--7:00 Friday Ponder's Ponder Field
--Tigers 45, Cougars 13

Weatherford Christian School vs. Dallas First Baptist Academy
--2:00 Saturday Rio Vista's Eagle Field
--Lions 43, Saints 21

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School vs. Bryan Brazos Christian School
--7:00 Friday Giddings' Buffalo Stadium
--Cardinals 22, Eagles 20

Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Houston Lutheran High School North
--7:00 Friday Van Vleck's Burl McKinney Stadium
--Indians 42, Lions 7

Area Playoff Results 2021

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo (62-0) -- Correct
--Chargers scored early and often to set up the rematch with FWC.

Fort Worth Christian over McKinney Christian (62-25) -- Correct
--Cardinals built a lead but the Mustangs pulled it back to 41-25 at one point before FWC pulled away. Better defense will be needed in the rematch with DC.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Tyler Grace Community (49-7) -- Correct
--Cougars offense never got on track in 2021. Eagles continue to play well and a rematch with Faith awaits in Round 2.

Grapevine Faith Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (21-14) -- Correct
--Lions defense does not allow a point in the 2nd half and blocks a punt to set up the short field for the win in a low scoring tilt.

Austin Regents over The Woodlands Christian (41-7) -- Correct
--Knights continue to be the dominant force in Division II. Can anyone knock them off the throne?

Houston Second Baptist over Brownsville St. Joseph (48-7) -- Correct
--Eagles were a little slow off the blocks in the Thursday playoff opener, but win handily to set up the annual playoff showdown with Regents.

Austin St. Michael's over Houston Lutheran South (37-14) -- Correct
--Crusaders win handily to set up a fresh Regional game with Fort Bend Christian.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Austin Brentwood Christian (59-6) -- Correct
--Eagles dominate as they point toward a possible semifinal against Regents.

Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Dallas Bishop Lynch (7-30) -- Wrong
--Another loss for District 2 as they go 0-4 in the Area round. Friars can try to spur a surprise run against St. Thomas next week and possibly make an all District 1 final four.

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Houston St. Pius X (45-7) -- Correct
--Dominant outing for the Lions as expected. They'll try another time to best Parish Episcopal and reverse a 4 game losing streak.

Week 12: 9-1
Season: 72-24

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth All Saints over San Antonio Antonian (42-21) -- Correct
Fort Worth Nolan over Katy St. John XXIII (49-0) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Dallas Shelton (51-0) -- Correct
Arlington Pantego Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian (38-21) -- Correct
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Dallas Covenant (42-7) -- Correct
Arlington Grace Prep over Willow Park Trinity Christian (50-0) -- Correct
The Woodlands Legacy Prep over Schertz John Paul II (28-12) -- Correct
League City Bay Area Christian over Houston Northland Christian (42-15) -- Correct
Waco Reicher over Fort Worth Temple Christian (47-6) -- Correct
TAPPS League Championship: Addison Trinity Christian over San Antonio TMI (67-0) -- Correct

Week 12: 10-0
Season: 98-22

Area Playoff Picks 2021

Another regular season has concluded and we are ready for the playoffs to begin. Even with the home games it feels like one upset always surprises us in the first round. Lets see if we can find it. Good luck and safe travels on the road to Waco Midway for the state finals. Thankfully back on the 1st weekend of December this year. We focus heavily on the Division II picture in this first week with a couple of Division I games mixed in.

Division II Playoffs: (Season: 63-23)

Flower Mound Coram Deo @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers secured their 2nd straight district title with a 47-10 win over Brook Hill last week. This is also an 11th straight season with a home playoff game. This season only TCA has bested DC en route to an 8-1 record, but it hasn't been nearly as easy of a run as last season. A year ago the Chargers played no games closer than 28 points before falling to Regents in the title game. This season has seen wins by 1, 22, and 10 among the 8 victories. The Lions have shown improvement this season, posting a 5-5 record after winning just one game last year. Coram Deo had success in Division III prior to moving up, and perhaps this is the start of something in the higher division. The Lions and Chargers have never met in football, and with the teams in separate divisions next year it may be a rare meeting. With DC posting a 35-25 victory over Fort Worth Christian, when the Cardinals beat Coram Deo by 61, it just doesn't look like a close one. Playoff do weird things though. Chargers win 49-9.

McKinney Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Cardinals started 1-7 before winning their last two district games, including last week's 50 point outburst at Grapevine Faith. After a long season of tough opposition they should be ready for a strong postseason. Only worry might be looking ahead to a rematch with Dallas Christian. FWC scored 50, 67, and 67 in their 3 wins. I mentioned before that FWC beat Coram Deo by 61 and McKinney Christian lost to that same squad, 49-47. This is the reward for reaching 2nd place. The Mustangs also progressed a bit in 2021 reaching 4 wins. The 2 district wins gets them up to 3rd place and away from the District 1 champion. The Mustangs should score a little in this one, but I doubt they will have enough. Cardinals win 52-21.

Tyler Grace Community @ Fort Worth Southwest Christian -- The Eagles won a 2nd straight district title, but went 4-0 en route this year. With an 8-2 record, losses just to ESD and TCA, its another great season for Southwest after a disappointing decade before. The Cougars underwent a bit of coaching turmoil before the season and struggled throughout. A 14-6 win over Bishop Dunne last week put Grace in the playoffs with their 2nd win of the season. The other win over UIL Tenaha, suggests there is some potential for an upset. However, its just been too much in 2021 for the Cougars. Particularly at home, the Eagles should win comfortably. Southwest Christian wins 41-8.

Grapevine Faith Christian @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The Guard dominated district opponents not named DC and finish the regular season 6-3 and in 2nd place. Its been a bit of a struggle to score against the best opposition this year with 3 wins featuring fewer than 26 points. The Lions appeared to be district favorites heading into district play, but allowed 34 and 50 points to Southwest and FWC. Those are the only two games Faith lost and the only ones they allowed more than 14 points in a 7-2 season. The Guard should be able to slow the Lions attack, but this is definitely the best chance for a road win among the District 1 and 2 pairings. Look for a low scoring game. I think Faith gets the road win, 23-20.

The Woodlands Christian @ Austin Regents -- The Knights are the defending champions and on a 20 game winning streak. The last loss for Regents was in the 2019 state title game, Trinity-Cedar Hill's final game in TAPPS. Regents has lost just 2 games outside of state finals in the last 5 seasons. Unfortunately they lost 4 state finals before breaking the streak last year. The Warriors posted a strong 7-3 campaign after winning just 4 last year. TWCA also reversed a couple of 2020 defeats in the season this year. Unfortunately dropping the finale to Lutheran South gave them the difficult match with Regents in Round 1. The Knights cruise, 49-6.

Brownsville St. Joseph @ Houston Second Baptist -- The Eagles were pushed off the top of the District standings by Fort Bend Christian last week, 27-24. This is the first time Second Baptist has failed to win the district title since 2015. The Eagles offense has posted its usual strong outings this season, averaging over 37 points per game. The Bloodhounds pushed into the playoffs and all the way up to 3rd place with the season ending win over Corpus Christi John Paul, 49-48. The Eagles are the better squad here, but strange things happen in the playoffs. Eagles win 44-14.

Houston Lutheran South @ Austin St. Michael's --The Crusaders have only fallen to Regents and San Antonio Davenport en route to an 8-2 season. The Pioneers have slipped down the District 4 rankings in recent years, but are back in the playoffs again. The Pioneers finished with a very good 7-3 record, but the offense betraying them in the biggest games has been this issue. Scoring just 7 against Fort Bend and 13 against Second Baptist sends them on the road. The Crusader defense only allowed 20+ in just 3 games with 2 of them being the defeats. That defensive form will win them this game, but this shouldn't be a blowout. The best chance for a road upset in the the District 3 and 4 pairings is here, but I'll take the home team. Crusaders advance to the regional, 30-20.

Austin Brentwood Christian @ Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian -- A trip south for the Bears sends them to take on District 4's champion Eagles. Though not the usual champion as FBCA claimed the title for the first time since MaxPreps started keeping records. After a 2-3 start, the Eagles won 5 district games in a row to finish 7-3. Dominating the district opponents before narrowly defeating Second Baptist for the title. The Bears finished 6-4 and fell to 4th place thanks to a 55-34 defeat by Brownsville St. Joseph. That loss was a bit a surprise and the Bear defense has not had another outing that poor. Even Regents and St. Michaels scored fewer than 55. Finding a way to slow down the Eagle attack will be necessary and the track record just doesn't support it happening here. Eagles win 43-20.

The Rundown

We always conclude the Division II area round with a rundown of the teams. I used to pick the whoe bracket, but I think we all know where my biases are. Thus, you can use your imagination what I'd pick. The committee of one has an affection for the interesting mascots across the state so the Division II playoff preview always ends with a rundown of the playoff teams. This will pass to Division III next year with DC's realignment. So for an 8th year in a row...

With a couple of newcomers to the bracket we see a few shakeups to the list. We have the flock of Eagles, but trimmed to just 3 this year after last year's record of 5. A long time contender gets joined by a new entrant from the same district, giving us 2 Lions. The finalists are back for another run to the title, with no duplicates in Division II. We wish good luck and safe travels on the road to state to, 3 Eagles, 2 Lions, the Cardinals, the Cougars, and the Mustangs. The less commonly seen Knights probably do not need the luck. We also wish good will for the Crusaders, not as rare in the private school ranks. The much more rarely seen Guard, Bears, Pioneers, and Bloodhounds, round out the field of teams looking for some good fortune on the run to state. Then we always finish with wishing the best of luck to the Chargers!

Extra Division I Picks

Dallas Bishop Lynch @ Tomball Concordia Lutheran -- The opening rounds in Division I always bring the question of will District 1 wipe out District 2. Last season they did with no District 2 teams making the final 4. In 2019, Antonian was in the semifinal and close to the title game before falling to equally surprising Plano John Paul. This season all signs point to District 1's superiority. However, the Friars lost to St. Pius X, 17-13, in non-district while the Crusaders defeated SPX by a 9-7 final (might have been a baseball game). Both teams enter with matching 4-6 records and have a couple of good victories, but also nothing impressive against the best of the Division. This sets up for both teams to score. Neither has slowed the best teams on their respective schedules. So at home in a shootout, have to lean Concorida. Crusaders defend District 1, winning 42-35.

Houston St. Pius X @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- With the top 2 teams in each district receiving byes, there are not too many teams to battle it out this week in Division I. The Lions would have hoped for better than a 4th place finish this season, but the loss to Midland Christian and Nolan's forfeits prevented a higher finish. The 3-way tie that would have happened without Nolan would have made a very different bracket. The Lions started the season with a big upset over Coppell, before dropping to 6-4 on the season. Losses to the top 3 district finishers and Garland are not embarrassing defeats by any measure though. The Panthers finished an even 5-5 and did not fare well in their last trip to DFW, falling 31-6 at DC in September. SPX finished with just 1 TD in 3 of its 5 losses. Many points will be needed to best the Lions. I do not think the Prestonwood defense is who you want to see to get right offensively. Lions win 34-12.

Quick Hits: (Season: 88-22)

Fort Worth All Saints over San Antonio Antonian
Fort Worth Nolan over Katy St. John XXIII
Lubbock Christian over Dallas Shelton
Arlington Pantego Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Dallas Covenant
Arlington Grace Prep over Willow Park Trinity Christian
The Woodlands Legacy Prep over Schertz John Paul II
League City Bay Area Christian over Houston Northland Christian
Waco Reicher over Fort Worth Temple Christian
TAPPS League Championship: Addison Trinity Christian over San Antonio TMI

TAPPS Area Playoff Times and Locations 2021

Let me know on Twitter, @Cav_0, if something is incorrect. I am assuming information in MaxPreps to be correct until I find a different source.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School (1 - 1st) BYE

Houston St. Pius X High School (2 - 5th) @ Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy (1 - 4th)
--2:00 Saturday Plano's Lions Stadium
--Lions 45, Panthers 7

Dallas Bishop Lynch High School (1 - 6th) @ Tomball Concordia Lutheran High School (2 - 3rd)
--2:00 Saturday Tomball's Crusader Stadium
--Friars 30, Crusaders 7

Houston St. Thomas High School (2 - 2nd) BYE


Midland Christian School (1 - 2nd) BYE

Katy St. John XXIII College Preparatory (2 - 6th) @ Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School (1 - 3rd)
--12:00 Saturday Fort Worth's Doskocil Stadium
--Vikings 49, Lions 0

Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal School (1 - 5th) vs. San Antonio Antonian College Preparatory High School (2 - 4th)
--7:00 Friday Belton's Tiger Field
--Saints 42, Apaches 21

San Antonio Central Catholic High School (2 - 1st) BYE

 

Division II 

Tyler Grace Community School (2 - 4th) @ Fort Worth Southwest Christian School (1 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Fort Worth's Eagle Stadium
--Eagles 49, Cougars 7

Grapevine Faith Christian School (1 - 3rd) @ Bullard Brook Hill School (2 - 2nd)
--7:30 Friday Bullard's Herrington Stadium
--Lions 21, Guard 14

McKinney Christian Academy (2 - 3rd) @ Fort Worth Christian School (1 - 2nd)
--7:30 Friday North Richland Hills' Barrow Field
--Cardinals 62, Mustangs 25

Flower Mound Coram Deo Academy (1 - 4th) @ Dallas Christian School (2 - 1st)
--7:30 Friday Mesquite's Wheeler Field
--Chargers 62, Lions 0


The Woodlands Christian Academy (4 - 4th) @ Regents School of Austin (3 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Austin's Knights Field
--Knights 41, Warriors 7

Brownsville St. Joseph Academy (3 - 3rd) @ Houston Second Baptist School (4 - 2nd)
--6:00 Thursday Houston's Tully Stadium
--Eagles 48, Bloodhounds 7

Houston Lutheran South Academy (4 - 3rd) @ Austin St. Michael's Catholic Academy (3 - 2nd)
--1:00 Saturday Austin's Crusader Stadium
--Crusader 37, Pioneers 14

Austin Brentwood Christian School (3 - 4th) @ Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy (4 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Sugar Land's Eagle Stadium
--Eagles 59, Bears 6

Division III

Dallas Shelton School (2 - 4th) @ Lubbock Christian School (1 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Lubbock's Lena Stephens Field
--Eagles 51, Chargers 0

Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy (1 - 3rd) @ Arlington Pantego Christian Academy (2 - 2nd)
--7:00 Friday Arlington's PCA Field
--Panthers 38, Cougars 21

Dallas The Covenant School (2 - 3rd) @ Lubbock Trinity Christian School (1 - 2nd)
--2:00 Saturday Lubbock's Archie Warwick Memorial Stadium
--Lions 42, Knights 7

Willow Park Trinity Christian Academy (1 - 4th) @ Arlington Grace Preparatory Academy (2 - 1st)
--1:30 Saturday Arlington's Grace Prep Field
--Lions 50, Eagles 7


Fort Worth Lake Country Christian School (1 - 5th) @ Holy Cross of San Antonio (3 - 1st)
--6:30 Friday San Antonio's Holy Cross Stadium
--Knights 55, Eagles 19

Tyler Bishop T.K. Gorman Catholic School (2 - 5th) @ Houston Cypress Christian School (4 - 1st)
--5:00 Thursday Houston's Cypress Christian Field
--Warriors 61, Crusaders 0

Schertz John Paul II Catholic High School (3 - 2nd) vs. The Woodlands Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy (4 - 2nd)
--7:30 Friday Giddings' Buffalo Stadium
--Warriors 28, Guardians 12

Houston Northland Christian School (4 - 3rd) @ League City Bay Area Christian School (5 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday League City's Bronco Field
--Broncos 42, Cougars 15


Division IV

Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School (1 - 1st) BYE

Fort Worth Temple Christian School (1 - 3rd) @ Waco Bishop Reicher Catholic School (2 - 2nd)
--7:00 Friday Waco's J.J. Kearns Stadium
--Cougars 47, Eagles 6

Temple Central Texas Christian School (3 - 3rd) @ Weatherford Christian School (1 - 2nd)
--7:30 Friday Aledo Middle School Stadium
--WCS Lions 34, CTCS Lions 28

Dallas First Baptist Academy (2 - 1st) BYE

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School (3 - 1st) BYE

Huntsville Alpha Omega Academy (5 - 2nd) @ Bryan Brazos Christian School (4 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Bryan's Brazos Christian Field
--Eagles 49, Lions 0

Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School (3 - 2nd) BYE

Houston Lutheran High School North (5 - 1st) BYE


League Championship

Addison Trinity Christian Academy (2-1st) vs. San Antonio Texas Military Institute (1-1st)
--2:00 Saturday Robinson's Rocket Field
--Trojans 67, Panthers 0

Week 11 Results 2021

Next week the playoffs begin. Plenty of favorites still on top as district play comes to an end. The road to state begins in earnest next week.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (47-10) -- Correct
--Chargers got a couple of 1st half turnovers and run away to the District 2 title.

Tyler Grace Community over Dallas Bishop Dunne (14-6) -- Correct
--Cougars get into the playoffs by surviving the Falcons in a defensive struggle.

Fort Worth Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian (50-28) -- Correct
--A long season turned into a good district campaign for the Cardinals as they will be home for Round 1.

Midland Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (42-7) -- Correct
--Dominant road win to go to the playoffs with for the Mustangs.

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Fort Worth Nolan (31-35) -- Wrong
--Lions took a great shot at it but fall short. The Division I playoffs will almost certainly be decided by District 1.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Houston Second Baptist (27-24) -- Correct
--The Eagles push the Eagles off the top step of District 4 for the 1st time since 2015.

Brownsville St. Joseph over Corpus Christi John Paul II (49-48) -- Correct
--This was the game of the night as the Bloodhounds win to take the last playoff spot in District 3.

Arlington Grace Prep over Arlington Pantego Christian (31-13) -- Correct
--Lions finish the undefeated season, and might be the favorites in Division III with no other clear contenders. Panthers will have to hope for another shot at Grace Prep in the semifinals.

SPC 4A Championship: Episcopal School of Dallas over Houston Kinkaid (17-42) -- Wrong
--The Eagles undefeated campaign comes undone with the Falcons claiming revenge. First time ESD held under 28 this season and the first time they've allowed 40 this season. Congrats to the Falcons on the SPC 4A Championship!

SPC 3A Championship: The Woodlands John Cooper over Irving Cistercian (49-28) -- Correct
--Dragons were the best in the conference all season and take the crown. Congrats to the Dragons on the SPC 3A Championship.

Week 11: 7-3
Season: 63-23

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo (59-14) -- Correct
Houston Lutheran South over The Woodlands Christian (21-7) -- Correct
Austin Regents over Austin Brentwood Christian (49-7) -- Correct
Argyle Liberty Christian over Plano John Paul II (52-16) -- Correct
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Fort Worth All Saints (66-28) -- Correct
San Antonio Central Catholic over San Antonio Antonian (35-44) -- Wrong
Houston St. Pius X over Beaumont Kelly (28-14) -- Correct
Houston St. Thomas over Tomball Concordia Lutheran (45-0) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country (28-7) -- Correct
Addison Trinity Christian over Shreveport Evangel Christian (58-13) -- Correct

Week 11: 9-1
Season: 88-22

Week 11 Picks 2021

The calendar turns to November and the final week of the regular season is upon us. Still a few swing games to decide the final seeds and places in the playoffs. It hasn't been the most interesting regular season to be honest, with many favorites still favorites, and no big surprises. Though we could get a 5-way tie in Division I District 1 thanks to the Nolan forfeits. It should set up for a great postseason with the top seeds all playing well into December. Good luck, safe travels, and we'll see you next week in the playoffs.

This Week: (Season: 56-20)

Bullard Brook Hill @ Dallas Christian -- The Division II District 2 title will be settled at Wheeler Field this week. Both teams have dominated the rest of the district this season. The Chargers winning their 2 district contests 118-7 and the Guard winning theirs 100-42. The winner gets the top spot and the loser the 2nd seed. Both will host area round games next week. The Guard travel west with a 6-2 record having played excellent defense throughout the year. UIL playoff team, Brownsboro posted 43 in a victory over Brook Hill and McKinney Christian scored 35 in a district victory for the Guard. In the other 6 games, the Guard held everyone under 30 points. The Chargers only allowed 30+ in a road defeat against TCA-Addison. Throw in some Fall temperatures and we have the makings of a defensive struggle. COVID cancelled last seasons game between these two, and the Chargers have won 7 of the 8 all time meetings. Both 2018 and 2019 saw just 21 points for DC, but the Guard manged just 10 points combined in the two years. Both teams defeated FWC earlier in the year. The Chargers by 10 and the Guard by 2. DC looks to be better and the game is in Mesquite, but this should be much closer than any district games lately for both teams. Chargers win 29-20.

Dallas Bishop Dunne @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars and Falcons have struggled through the majority of the season. The two squads have just a 5-12 record combined. However, with 4 playoff spots available in District 2, the winner will finish 4th and travel to Fort Worth Southwest Christian in the area round. The Cougars started with just 14 points in their first 3 games before posting a win over Tenaha that seemed like it might right the ship. That has turned out to be the only win for the Cougars this season. The Falcons sat out for two weeks due to a COVID outbreak and have lost back-to-back games since then to fall to 4-4. Honestly neither squad should be a tough out for Southwest, but a win could be something to build on to create some stability going into 2022. The Cougars were much closer to beating McKinney Christian than the Falcons and the game is in Tyler. Grace wins 40-20.

Fort Worth Christian @ Grapevine Faith Christian -- Its been a good bounce back season for the Lions after winning just 5 games in the COVID altered 2020 season. At 7-1, the only blemish is a road loss to Southwest. In their 7 wins they've allowed 14 points at the most with 3 shutouts. The district wins have been by a combined 111-20. This game will decide the 2nd seed from District 1 despite the Cardinals disappointing campaign to this point. At just 2-7, its an interesting quirk that a win here would get them to 2nd place and hosting an area round game. The Cardinals district victories came by a combined 134-28. The 7 non-district losses all came against playoff teams, or to a TCA team that would be in the playoffs if they were in a district this year. There has been plenty of close calls too. A 10 point loss at DC, 2 point loss to Brook Hill, and just 13 to TCA, among the tough losses for FWC this year. A Brook Hill rematch could be next week with a loss by FWC. This is also a rivalry of proximity with just 11 miles separating the two. Expect a good game here, but I'll stick with the home team. Lions win 30-28.

Midland Christian @ Dallas Bishop Lynch -- The Mustangs have been winning their way up the district list, reaching 4-2 in the standings to set up this battle of the forfeit benefactors. The 6 playoff teams are known, but the forfeits set up a possible 5-way tie for 2nd at 4-3. A win by MCS would possibly get them above the fray at 5-2 and at least get them a home game in the area round. However, 5th and 6th get to play District 2 teams in the first two rounds and might find an easier path to the semifinals. The interest here is that district race. The Friars have just 3 on-field wins in their 4-5 record, but have scored quite a few points this season. 41 over FWC and 31 at All Saints point to some ability to score and they do get this one at home. Its a weird one because the bracket removes some intrigue with teams trying to move up in the standings. Mustangs are never phased by a road trip. MCS wins 35-24.

Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Fort Worth Nolan -- Without the Nolan forfeits, this would be a game for 2nd place in District 1. It still is somewhat, as the Lions would be 2nd with a win. A Vikings win though could yield the 5-way tie, but would almost likely create a 3-way tie for 3rd. The Lions are 6-3 on the season with a notable non-district win over Coppell, but are coming off a loss to Midland Christian. They weren't particularly close in their 1st shot at Parish, losing 35-9. The Vikings were dominated by the Parish offense, falling 63-35. Neither team has the offense to blow the other out it looks like. It should be a close one and holding Parish to 35 points a great chance for the Lions. I think Prestonwood gets the 2nd spot with a road win thanks to its defense. Lions win 21-17.

Houston Second Baptist @ Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian -- A battle of Eagles will settle District 4 in Division II. Fort Bend Christian has surged back with 4 district wins after dropping 3 non-district games in a row during September. They've allowed just 28 points during the district win streak. That strong defense is always needed against the potent Second Baptist offense. After losing the opener to Kinkaid, Second Baptist has won 8 in a row. The only cause for concern was a struggle against The Woodlands Christian, winning by just 11. For comparison Fort Bend won by 39 against the same squad. Even with that performance, Second Baptist allowed just 36 in 4 district wins. Always nice when the schedules work out for a Week 11 showdown with everything at stake. Avoiding Regents until the semifinals is a big prize for the winner. With Fort Bend Christian at home and coached by a DC alum, that has to be the lean of the author. Fort Bend Christian wins 35-28.

Arlington Pantego Christian @ Arlington Grace Prep -- The Panthers and Lions meet in an intra-city battle with a 17-0 record between them. The district title is on the line with just 5 miles of Bowen Rd. between the two schools. The Panthers allowed 8 points to Reicher last week, which was the most scored against them in 6 district wins. Muenster Sacred Heart scored 18 in the opener, but Pantego has absolutely crushed Division III competition this year. They've activated the mercy rule in 7 of their 9 wins. The Lions will be a formidable opponent though, with just 27 points allowed in district play and just 60 points against for the season. Its a long way from the Mike Barber days, but the Lions are definitely back this year, and at a perfect time with how wide open Division III is. I think both defenses are far and away the best the other will have seen and that should give us a good, low-scoring, struggle. Last year Pantego won 28-24 at home. This year its at Grace Prep. Lions win 16-14.

Corpus Christi John Paul II @ Brownsville St. Joseph -- After a matchup of schools separated by 5 miles, we go the other way. At 155 miles this is the closest opponent in the district for the Bloodhounds. St. Joseph hosts a de facto playoff game as they enter tied for the 4th and final playoff spot from District 3. The visiting Centurions are the team tied for that playoff spot. The winner is in and the loser is out. John Paul started the district season with two wins but dropped three in a row before dominating Hyde Park. The Bloodhounds have the best victory on the year with a win over Brentwood. They should be the better team here and with the game in the deep reaches of South Texas, we'll go that way. Bloodhounds win the best mascot game of the year, 35-30.

SPC Championships @ Dallas Jesuit's Postell Stadium

4A: Episcopal School of Dallas vs. Houston Kinkaid -- The Eagles are having one of their best seasons in school history. At 10-0 they've matched the program record for wins, at least since 2004. Given the nature of the SPC schedule winning more than 10 is almost impossible. After playing just 3 games last year, ESD has averaged 43 points per game and beaten all comers. The only private school to beat Addison Trinity Christian is ESD. The Falcons went undefeated in the modified 2020 season, but there was no SPC championship to win. A win over Second Baptist opened the season, and its a great 7-2 mark so far. ESD took the regular season meeting, so I think the Eagles are favorites to complete the perfect season. ESD wins 38-25.

3A: The Woodlands John Cooper School vs. Irving Cistercian Preparatory School -- The Dragons dominated the district, or league in this case, standings from start to finish. After early losses to Houston St. John's and Lutheran South, its been 7 straight wins for John Cooper. In a 6-0 league season, the Dragons posted 40 in every counter game. The Hawks took a winding road to the title game, getting the right set of results to take the 2nd spot on a tiebreaker. Cistercian was one of the only schools to play 0 games in 2020, and the return to the field has been well earned by the Hawks. After getting shutout by Trinity Valley they looked to be on the outside, but two losses by TVS after that game put the Hawks back in the title game. After a 47-21 game in the regular season, the Dragons are big favorites here. Maybe there's an upset brewing, but I can't pick it. John Cooper wins the title, 49-30.

Quick Hits: (Season: 79-21)

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Houston Lutheran South over The Woodlands Christian
Austin Regents over Austin Brentwood Christian
Argyle Liberty Christian over Plano John Paul II
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Fort Worth All Saints
San Antonio Central Catholic over San Antonio Antonian
Houston St. Pius X over Beaumont Kelly
Houston St. Thomas over Tomball Concordia Lutheran
Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country
Addison Trinity Christian over Shreveport Evangel Christian