State Finals Results 2022

Division I: Dallas Parish Episcopal over Plano Prestonwood Christian (38-14) -- Correct
--The Lions put up a good battle, but the Panthers have been favorites for 3 full seasons at this point and have cashed in all the titles. A 4-peat that might be topped tomorrow by Shiner St. Paul. Parish has been impressive all year, and it will be fun to watch the drive for five. Congratulations to the Panthers on their 6th State Championship!

Division II: Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Fort Worth All Saints (42-30) -- Correct
--A meeting of 1st time TAPPS finalists saw the Eagles erase a small deficit with a huge 3rd quarter. The turnover bug got the Saints keeping them from securing the title. The Fort Bend offense was top of the division quality all season and delivered on the biggest stage. Congratulations to the Eagles on their 1st State Championship!

Division III: Dallas Christian over Houston Cypress Christian (24-0) -- Correct
--The Chargers defense proved the dominant unit to post back-to-back crowns for Dallas Christian. The Warriors with a game battle, but the big turnover happened at the start of the 2nd quarter and that proved to be all the margin DC needed. A big congratulations to the Chargers on their 10th State Championship.

Division IV: Shiner St. Paul over Lubbock Christian (57-20) -- Correct
--Eagles dominate the title game and the Cardinals are finally knocked from their perch atop Division IV. An incredible run by St. Paul to 4 straight titles, but they fall short for the first time since 2017. The one setback to Weatherford Christian was the aberration for Lubbock Christian as the Eagles average over 50 points per game for the season and win 3 playoffs games by a combined margin of 154 points. Congratulations to the Eagles on their 2nd State Championship!

Week 15: 3-1

And with that everyone's undefeated again...

All-Time Results:
2015: 94-16
2016: 79-25
2017: 78-32
2018: 88-22
2019: 89-21
2020: 64-23
2021: 85-29
2022: 81-31

Quick Hits All-Time:
2015: 60-15
2016: 103-26
2017: 101-29
2018: 102-28
2019: 103-27
2020: 77-23
2021: 105-25
2022: 96-34

State Finals Picks 2022

The road ends here as the TAPPS State Championships come to Waco ISD Stadium for a 2nd year. All four of last year's champions are back looking for another title with some upset minded contenders across the way. Should be four fun games to wrap up the season.

Division III: Dallas Christian vs. Houston Cypress Christian -- The battle of champions will decide Division III in the final game of TAPPS football in 2022. The Chargers entered the season having won the Division II crown a year ago and a clear early favorite in the smaller division. Last seasons 13-1 performance where they allowed fewer than 200 points seemed a high bar to clear and they've largely met the challenge. At 12-1 this season a lone road defeat at Fort Worth Christian blemishes the campaign. Strong defense has led the way for several years in Mesquite and this squad is no different. In 6 games against Division III opponents the Chargers have allowed just 34 points total. With 162 points in 3 playoff wins the offense isn't too shabby either. The weight of expectations is hard to deal with sometimes, but just one test remains for DC. The Warriors won the Division III title in 2021 and will not be easy to knock of the perch. Cypress lost 4 out of 5 in September, seemingly heading for a mediocre season. After that its been a turnaround to remember, winning 6 in a row. In that stretch of wins they've scored 36 or more every week and 40+ in all but one game. After shutting out a good Bay Area Christian team to secure a 1st round bye, the Warriors impressively downed Geneva by 30 points. Last week's semifinal was a doozy with the Warriors scoring the final 15 points of the game to oust Holy Cross 36-32. The September data points suggest the Chargers will score quite a few on the Warriors, but November points to a more challenging slope for DC. The Chargers are are 9-9 all time in TAPPS title games. So a tie-breaker of sorts this week. The Warriors moved to 2-1 in title games with last year's win. Really none of that matter, they were different teams. Its fun to look at the past though and these two have never played against each other. The Warriors offense should keep this interesting most of the way, but I think we know how this pick leans. Chargers claim their 10th state title, 40-28.

Division I: Dallas Parish Episcopal vs. Plano Prestonwood Christian -- Speaking of favorites, the Panthers have won the last 3 titles in TAPPS Division I and nothing was expected to change this year. Parish has gone on to an 11-1 mark so far in 2022 and looked the part of a favorite. Wins over UIL powers Aledo and China Spring are most notable, but Bellaire Episcopal and Austin LBJ are quality victories too. Against Division I opponents the closest margin has been 28 points. None of those opponents scored more than 14. Holding Parish to less than 14 feels impossible with 24 being the smallest output of the season. The Panthers actually won all 3 of those lower scoring games where they were limited to just 3 touchdowns. The Lions suffered an offensive outage in the season opener against Argyle Liberty. They went on to win their next 8 before falling in the district title game to...Parish Episcopal. That game on November 4 with a 42-14 Panthers win. That is the closest any Division I opponent came to Parish at the end of a game this season. There is a certain lack of close games between these two teams. After non-district play ended its been blowout after blowout. In addition to looking for 4 consecutive title, Parish looks to continue an undefeated run in TAPPS title games. The Panthers are 5-0 entering this 6th appearance. The Lions are 5-3 all time in the finals. Somebody gets their 6th state title. It seems foolish to think the Panthers get knocked off the top step now. Parish wins its 6th state title, 42-21.

Division II: Fort Worth All Saints vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian -- The first game we previewed, 21 combined title appearances. The second game, 14 combined title game appearances (and for relatively new schools in that one). This one? A combined 0 state finals appearances. So somebody wins their first TAPPS football crown. The TAPPS distinction is important as All Saints won 7 SPC titles in a period of 15 years between 2002 and 2016. The move to TAPPS has been up and down record wise but pretty successful in the playoffs for the Saints. This season marks 3 straight semifinal appearances for All Saints. This year's 7-5 season saw the Saints struggle in tight games, dropping a 2-point decision to Midland Christian and a 3-point game to Prestonwood. When the playoffs rolled around though All Saints turned it up, avenging a loss to Liberty and dominating FWC last week to reach the title game. The Eagles have also struggled a bit in close games, before finding their stride in the playoffs. A 4-point loss at DC and a 6-point loss at St. John's contributes to the somewhat average 9-4 season thus far. A loss to UIL 6A Cibolo Steele can certainly be forgiven and they avenged the Second Baptist loss last week by crushing the other Eagles 41-14. The Eagle offense must lead the way, having scored over 100 more points than All Saints this year. I think these two will score quite a bit on each other, with both offenses really finding their stride right now. Should be a good one with a late turnover probably deciding it. Eagles offense maybe a little safer so that's the way I'll go. A Dallas Christian alum leading the charge doesn't hurt either. Eagles win their 1st state title, 44-41.

Division IV: Lubbock Christian vs. Shiner St. Paul -- The past has Lubbock Christian as the team that can't win a title game, just 1-5 all time in the finals. It has St. Paul as the squad that can't lose one. The Cardinals are 10-3 all time and have won the last 4 Division IV crowns. The quest for 5 in a row isn't as interesting as the year they went 6-8 on the way to the top of the podium but its been a curious run for both squads. The Eagles from the west appeared to be on their way to the top at the onset this year. Returning several from a Division III semifinal squad in 2021, the season started with a Week 2 win over Wellington. The Skyrockets (had to work it in) are still going in the UIL playoffs. Lubbock Christian is 11-1 on the season with an odd loss to 5th place Weatherford Christian the lone blemish. The Eagles offense is the only one of the finalists to eclipse 600 points on the season and that is despite having a 1st round bye. The last time anyone scored on the Eagles was the regular season finale on November 4. A well rounded bunch traveling in from the South Plains. The Cardinals are among the smallest enrollments playing 11-man football in TAPPS, even winning a Division III title at one point when their were just 3 divisions in 11-man. They aren't the smallest, but they do a lot with not very many. This year its an 8-4 season for St. Paul so far. They avenged one of those losses in the semifinals, knocking out Muenster Sacred Heart 37-21. They were dominated by some Division III opponents in Holy Cross and Geneva. I think this is the best game of the weekend. The Eagles appear the better squad on paper, but seemingly no one beats the Cardinals in November or December. The last playoff loss for St. Paul was in 2017 when Brazos Christian upset an undefeated squad. A defensive struggle feels right for this one. I just can't go against the 5-peat, and I can't pick two different Eagles to win the crowns. Cardinals win their 11th state crown, 20-19.

Season: 78-30

Quick Hits finishes the season at 96-34

TAPPS State Finals Game Information 2022

Tickets are available at tapps.biz. Games are also available via pay-per-view on tappstvnetwork.com. We have some surprises and plenty of "usual suspects" as well. Should be a great finish to a great season.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School vs. Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy
--7:00 Friday Waco ISD Stadium

Division II

Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal School vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy
--12:00 Friday Waco ISD Stadium

Division III

Mesquite Dallas Christian School vs. Houston Cypress Christian School
--7:00 Saturday Waco ISD Stadium

Division IV

Lubbock Christian School vs. Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School
--12:00 Saturday Waco ISD Stadium

Semifinal Playoff Results 2022

Many familiar faces in the finals after this week. A few new comers though who are rewarded for their progress in recent years. Should be a fun quartet of games in Waco next week.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Houston St. Thomas (42-7) -- Correct
--The Panthers continue to dominate TAPPS largest division as they eschew the best from District 2 with ease to reach a 4th straight state final.

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Fort Worth Nolan (56-21) -- Correct
--The Lions have been 2nd best in Division II all year. They'll get a 2nd chance to climb the ladder to first with a title game rematch.

Division II

Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth All Saints (8-35) -- Wrong
--Saints have found their stride as the postseason begins and reach their first TAPPS football state final. FWC falls in an early hole for the 3rd week in a row, but is unable to dig out of it this time. An undefeated November sends All Saints from 3rd place in district to the title game.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Houston Second Baptist (41-14) -- Correct
--These two can not beat each other twice in a season. Last year SBS turned the regular season table. This year FBCA does the same. I didn't think Fort Bend would win so handily, but an impressive margin to reach the title game. A matchup of first time TAPPS finalists will decide the title in the wide open Division II.

Division III

Dallas Christian over Lubbock Trinity Christian (35-0) -- Correct
--Chargers defense controlled this one start to finish. A couple of turnover bounces extended the margin a bit, but the Lions had a difficult time offensively from start to finish. Last year's Division II and III champions meet for the Division III crown next week.

San Antonio Holy Cross over Houston Cypress Christian (32-36) -- Wrong
--Warriors were down 11 with 8:15 to play and scored the final 15 points of the game to take the victory. The quest for back-to-back titles encounters a clash of 2021 champions next week for the title.

Division IV

Lubbock Christian School over Bryan Brazos Christian School (65-0) -- Correct
--Lubbock Christian dominates all the way through. Either a district title game rematch or the defending champs looking for a 5-peat awaits in the title game.

Shiner St. Paul Catholic over Muenster Sacred Heart (37-21) -- Correct
--The Cardinals are an unstoppable force in the Division IV playoffs. No matter how many losses they might take in the regular season, when the playoffs arrive St. Paul wins. They'll try for 5 titles in a row next Saturday.

Week 14: 6-2
Season: 78-30

Quick Hits finishes the season at 96-34

Semifinal Playoff Picks 2022

Should be great set of games this week with spots in Waco on the line. A few too many Eagles have made Round 3 with 5 of 16 teams representing the National bird. A few games we expected to see, and a few others that a surprises. Divisions I and IV have 3 teams we expected and one surprising squad making a run. Nolan and Brazos Christian sneaking into the final 4. Division III has exactly the 4 district champions we've expected to see since September. Then Division II has a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place district finisher making up its ending quartet. Should be a fun final 12 games this season.

This Week: (Season: 72-28)

Division III

Lubbock Trinity Christian vs. Dallas Christian @ Clyde -- Even before the season started this seemed the likely showdown in Division III. The Chargers are the state champions from a year ago in Division II and the Lions were in the Division III state final a year ago. Lubbock Christian was the greatest resistance to the Lions a year ago in the playoffs and they moved to Division IV. Once Trinity dispatched Grace Prep in the regular season, it was clear that DC and TCS would be the battle in the North of Division III. The Chargers are 11-1 having only dropped a road game at Fort Worth Christian. The Lions 10-2 mark saw very good Albany and Argyle Liberty squads blemish the record. Both teams place a high value on running the football, so a quick game may be on order here. Which team can get the other behind the chains and in uncomfortable passing downs is deciding factor to me. Both teams have been absolutely dominant in the playoffs. The smallest margin of victory between them in 4 playoff games is 42. The Lions have scored 42 or more in 7 straight games. The Chargers have scored 60+ in 4 straight outings. Both defenses should be better than any the offenses have seen since September. A tight game should be mandatory here, but we know the leanings of this space. Chargers survive, 35-28.

San Antonio Holy Cross vs. Houston Cypress Christian @ Giddings -- The I-10 connection of San Antonio and Houston seems to always bring the TAPPS playoffs to Giddings, and here we are again. The Warriors are the somewhat overlooked Divsion III title holders. DC and Lubbock Trinity suck up all the oxygen, but it was Cypress that stood atop the podium last season. Starting just 2-4 pushed the Warriors off the front page, but once district play hit the offense fired securing them a first round bye. Last week Cypress slammed a good Geneva squad 44-14 to reach the semis for a 3rd straight season. The Knights battled Regents for a number of years in Division II, but the other Knights dealt them a bunch of losses. This year, Holy Cross is 9-1 with the only loss coming to an out-of-state opponent. The Knights allowed just 58 points in their last 7 games. The strong defense sets this game as a struggle in the trenches. Cypress this year was shutout by a much weaker defensive squad from Lutheran South. Even their championship game win of a season ago saw the Warriors score just 16. However, they boat raced this same Holy Cross squad 40-7 in those playoffs. I think Holy Cross defense is that much improved from a season ago, but this should be a tight low scoring affair. Knights win 16-12.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal vs. Houston St. Thomas @ Belton -- The Panthers have been the odds on favorite for the Division I title since winning the first of this run in 2019. So we are back again trying to find an opponent that can take down Parish Episcopal. The Eagles seemed at times to be a possible candidate to break up the Northern dominance in Division I. Wins over a UIL Lumberton squad that is still in the playoffs and SPC Champion Kinkaid points to a very good team for St. Thomas. Losing the regular season finale to Antonian dealt those chances a blow, and needing OT to beat TCA certainly doesn't raise expectations for the Eagles. The Panthers played a very challenging non-district scheduled and largely met the task with just one 2nd half slip up against South Oak Cliff. China Spring and Aledo are both figuring on deep runs in the postseason still and both lost to Parish this year. The Panthers are simply the best team in TAPPS on paper. While never a guarantee of victory, its hard to see this going any other way. Parish beat TCA 42-6 and St. Thomas needed OT. The Panthers beat Nolan by 35 and the Eagles by 17. The Panthers are inevitable it seems. Parish wins comfortably 38-20.

Plano Prestonwood Christian vs. Fort Worth Nolan @ Birdville -- The Lions lost a season opener to Argyle Liberty because they scored just 7. Now Liberty went on to have a great season finishing the regular season at 9-1. Prestonwood would win the next 8 after losing that opener, including a 42-7 win over Nolan. The district showdown with Parish did not go the Lions way and they settled for 2nd place. The Vikings 2-8 regular season was a not a good indicator of their quality. The 8 losses included single-digit defeats to quality opponents Dallas Christian and Bellaire Episcopal. A St. Thomas game got away from them with turnovers. The only bad loss was to Bishop Lynch in a non-district game, and they avenged that later in the district rematch. The playoffs though produced the Vikings best and they've doubled their win total since the regular season ended. Dominating Tomball Concordia didn't really change any opinions as we always though District 1 was much better top to bottom than District 2. The win last week over Antonian though upset the apple cart. The 42 and 38 points the Vikings scored in playoff wins the last 2 weeks are their most points in any game this season. That offense is needed to beat Prestonwood, but I just don't see it happening. Lions set up the expected rematch with Parish. Prestonwood wins 35-14.

Division II

Fort Worth All Saints vs. Fort Worth Christian @ Birdville -- The previous divisions saw most of what we expected, but Division II was wide open all year and the playoffs delivered on that expectation. A district rematch in the semifinals is pretty normal, but I can't remember it being the 3rd and 4th place finishers ever before. The Saints had an up and down season on the way to 6-5 thus far. They've really allowed too many points, but have produced the goods in the playoffs. A 3-point loss to Prestonwood is a good result, a 2-point loss at Midland is a good result, but it took the playoffs to get a good win. Dispatching Liberty in the regional though puts the Saints in position to be the champions. While the Saints season went up and down throughout, the Cardinals went way up and then way down. They were 5-0 after beating rival Dallas Christian. Then they lost 3 of 4 in district play. Their playoff success has been its own adventure. A 20-point 2nd half deficit at Dunne? Erased in a 41-40 win. A 13-point deficit to Midland Christian? Erased in a 28-27 win. Last time these two played on November 3 it was a 45-42 win for the Saints. If All Saints can score like that again its probably their day to reach a 1st ever TAPPS state title game. The Cardinals seem to be the Division II cockroach though so that's the way we'll go. Cardinals in another 1-point win. FWC advances 35-34.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian vs. Houston Second Baptist @ Houston Delmar -- The battle of Eagles happens for the 4th time in 2 seasons. Second Baptist leads this series 17-2 since 2005 with last season's district title being the rare decision that went in Fort Bend's favor. Second Baptist's defeat of The Woodlands Christian was expected. I think most had Fort Bend going out at the hands of Regents last week though. That is why we though the district title game between these two was so important. The October 14 meeting went Second Baptist way 28-7. Can Fort Bend turn the table? They need offense against a defense that hasn't allowed more than 13 points since September. After starting 1-4 with losses to Prestonwood (by just 4) and the SPC Houston trio it seemed Second Baptist might be off that top step, but a repeat visit to the title game feels like the choice. I think if the game gets up in the 30s though it will favor Fort Bend. That's the way I'll lean. Fort Bend turns the tables like Second Baptist did last year and prevents SBS for reaching back-to-back finals. Fort Bend advances to its first TAPPS title game, 35-30.

Division IV

Lubbock Christian School vs. Bryan Brazos Christian School @ Bangs -- The Eagles from Lubbock are 10-1 with a sole loss to Weatherford Christian on October 7. The Bryan based Eagles are the surprise entrant to the semis at just 6-5. Brazos lost the district title game to Northland in overtime before eschewing Waco Reicher for the 2nd time this season to open the playoffs. The upset though was last week, as they scored 45 points for the 4th time this season. The other 3 were against much less formidable foes. Brazos Christian seems to be playing its best now, but I just don't see them getting past this hurdle. Lubbock Christian slid past Central Texas Christian 52-0 last week in its playoff opener. Brazos Christian lost 13-6 to the same squad in September. Lubbock Christian reaches the final, 44-14.

Shiner St. Paul Catholic vs. Muenster Sacred Heart @ Robinson -- The Cardinals have won the last 4 titles in Division IV. This season though has been less impressive than last with 4 losses being the most since 2018, of course they won the state title that season too. The Tigers ascended to contender status with a win over Shiner St. Paul on September 10 in Frisco. That propelled Sacred Heart to 11-1 with the only loss in overtime to Lubbock Christian. One of the Eagles, Cardinals, and Tigers seemed to be likely title winner all season. This season it seems the Tigers are the favorites here with a high flying offense that hasn't been held under 40 points since September. The Cardinals though just don't lose playoff games with the last such loss coming in 2017. With 52 points last week against Rosehill the Cardinals seem to be finding their stride. I think the Cardinals turn the tables from September in a high scoring shootout. St. Paul wins 50-45.

Quick Hits finishes the season at 96-34

TAPPS Semifinal Playoff Times and Locations 2022

Please let me know on Twitter, @Cav_0, if anything needs to be updated.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School vs. Houston St. Thomas High School
--2:00 Saturday Belton's Tiger Field

Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy vs. Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School
--12:00 Saturday North Richland Hills' Birdville Fine Arts and Athletic Complex

Division II

Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal School vs. Fort Worth Christian School
--12:00 Friday North Richland Hills' Birdville Fine Arts and Athletic Complex

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy vs. Houston Second Baptist School
--1:00 Saturday Houston's Delmar Stadium

Division III

Lubbock Trinity Christian School vs. Mesquite Dallas Christian School
--6:00 Saturday Clyde's Bulldog Stadium

Holy Cross of San Antonio vs. Houston Cypress Christian School
--7:00 Friday Giddings' Buffalo Stadium

Division IV

Lubbock Christian School vs. Bryan Brazos Christian School
--3:00 Friday Bangs' Dragon Memorial Stadium

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School vs. Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School
--2:00 Saturday Robinson's Rocket Field

Regional Playoff Results 2022

Some tight games and one big upset as the favored team in Division II get blasted out of the playoffs. Still a few Saturday tilts left to settle the semifinals.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (61-7) -- Correct
--Chargers struck early and often dispatching the Guard with 60+ points for the 2nd time this year. Work to do for the Guard to get in the title mix next year. The expected DC-TCS semifinal appears to be headed toward us with the Thanksgiving turkey.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Arlington Grace Prep (56-14) -- Correct
--Powerful rushing attack sets up the expected semifinal showdown. Trinity looks to get to back-to-back title games.

San Antonio Holy Cross over League City Bay Area Christian (28-7) -- Correct
--The Knights strong defense continues to lead the charge. Tight defensive game expected in the semifinal match of district champions.

Houston Cypress Christian over Boerne Geneva (44-14) -- Correct
--The Warriors look the part in the playoff debut and the defending champions should not be overlooked.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Fort Worth All Saints (20-37) -- Wrong
--Stunning result to me, as Liberty allows the most points it has all year. The District 1 invitational will not be won by the District champion. Saints had some ups and downs this year, but look the part of a contender now.

Midland Christian over Fort Worth Christian (27-28) -- Wrong
--The Cardiac Cardinals turned a 20 point deficit in the 2nd half into a win last week and a 13 point 4th quarter deficit into a win this week. A shocking turn of events in the Division II playoffs has the 3rd and 4th place finishers in District 1 meeting for a spot in the title game.

Austin Regents over Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian (24-27) -- Wrong
--Eagles oust the last undefeated squad in TAPPS 11-man. A last minute TD puts Fort Bend back into the semifinals and a 4th meeting in 2 years with Second Baptist.

Hallettsville Sacred Heart over Bryan Brazos Christian (30-45) -- Wrong
--The Indians will not get a chance to avenge the loss to St. Paul. The Eagles might get a rematch with Northland after an OT loss in Week 11.

Week 11: 4-4
Season: 72-28

Quick Hits:

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Dallas Bishop Lynch (56-14) -- Correct
Houston St. Thomas over Addison Trinity Christian (27-21 OT) -- Correct
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Houston St. Pius X (48-0) -- Correct
San Antonio Antonian over Fort Worth Nolan (24-38) -- Wrong
Houston Second Baptist over The Woodlands Christian (31-7) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian School over Temple Central Texas Christian School (52-0) -- Correct
Shiner St. Paul over Tomball Rosehill Christian (52-13) -- Correct
Muenster Sacred Heart over Houston Northland Christian (41-0) -- Correct

Week 11: 7-1
Season: 96-34

Regional Playoff Picks 2022

Round 2 is upon us. The picks this week see a few too many Eagles, but some good matchups nonetheless. A few road winners in Round 1 sets up quite a few district rematches for the Regionals. Always expect those rematches to tighten considerably from the 1st meeting, so it should be a fun week to see how the tables have turned (or not) from just a few weeks ago. We have just 12 games left in TAPPS 11-man after this week so enjoy the ride. The weather looks a little chilly, but dry. Good luck and safe travels this week.

This Week: (Season: 67-25)

Division III Regional Round

Dallas Christian vs. Bullard Brook Hill @ Royse City -- The Chargers won a playoff game for the 13th consecutive season with the win over Colleyville Covenant last week. The Guard return to the Regional round for the first time since 2019. That year they dominated Frisco Legacy in an away game in Round 1. This year it was a through destruction of Fort Worth Lake Country. Tough to be the Eagles at home against Brook Hill. They've actually won two road playoff games since they last one a home playoff game. These two will rematch an October 21st meeting at DC. The Guard struck first that night, but saw things get away in the 2nd half. Chargers won 62-14. That's actually been a bit of a theme for the Guard, as a one-point game with Grapevine Faith ballooned to 40 once it was over. Lake Country scored a couple of TDs late. They squandered a lead to Tyler Grace as well. However, all those teams are at home this week. 2nd time around Brook Hill will be in this one, but figuring out how to get through 4 quarters will be the test for the 6-5 Guard. Starts have been a little sluggish in several games for the Chargers, and proved too much to overcome against FWC. If DC doesn't get the offense going, say they're kept to around 30 points, Brook Hill could get hot and win. They are good enough to do it. The Chargers though are favored and rightfully so at 10-1. No easy outs in November though. Chargers win 35-21.

Lubbock Trinity Christian vs. Arlington Grace Prep @ Sweetwater -- The battle of Lions descends on the Mustang Bowl. Trinity established itself the likely contender in District 1 early on, playing a difficult non-district and going 3-2 with just a 10 point loss to Division II contender Argyle Liberty. The district slate saw 3 shutouts, including a 49-0 thrashing of the district runner-up. At 9-2, the first ever 10-win season available for TCS this week. The Grace Prep Lions were very competitive in an October 21st visit to Lubbock, falling just 42-33. Argyle Liberty was the only other team to reach 20 against Lubbock Trinity this season. The 6-5 season saw good and bad for Grace Prep. Some narrow victories over teams you'd expect to dominate. Some wins over favored squads from bigger divisions. A terrible 2nd half at home against Lake Country to force them on the road in Round 1. Then, they beat an 8-1 Covenant team on the road to reach round 2. GPA is the team of mystery in the Division III bracket. They aren't favored but it wouldn't be shocking to see them make a run. Trinity has been better all year and should be again. TCS wins by a similar margin as last time, 38-30.

San Antonio Holy Cross vs. League City Bay Area Christian @ Weimar -- The Knights return to the playoff scene after a 1st round bye. An 8-1 season is the most wins for Holy Cross since 2017, when the Knights were at the end of a run where they were the 2nd best team the South half of Division II. They would beat everyone, except Regents. Now in Division III its been a slow climb, but they are undefeated against in-state opponents. The Knights always feature a strong defense, and this year is no exception with just 83 points allowed in the 8 wins. A 28-0 win over Geneva secured the district crown and a 1st round Bye for the Knights. The Broncos season is almost as impressive at 9-2. Bay Area allowed just 110 points in 10 games this season against teams other than Cypress Christian. The opening loss to Pantego seems a distant memory after dispatching Schertz John Paul in Round 1. The Broncos offense will have a big task with the Holy Cross defense, but the defense should keep this one tight. Seems like the Knights will be too much at the end of a close one. Holy Cross wins 21-15.

Boerne Geneva vs. Houston Cypress Christian @ Hallettsville -- The Eagles had an ugly 2-4 start before finding their stride in October. Since the calendar flipped, Geneva has allowed only 62 points across five games going 4-1 in that stretch. Both teams feature six-win records this season so it been up and down on both sides. The Warriors also started 2-4, though the two wins were 40+ point margins over teams still in the Division IV playoffs. The district slate saw three dominant wins for Cypress by a combined 153-21 score. Cypress is the defending state champion in Division III and might have its eyes on a clash of champions with DC in the title game. That 2021 squad won 12 games and showed it defensive might all year, including just 28 points allowed in 4 playoff wins. The more up and down 2022 squad may have found that form, but it will be a couple of difficult tests to get back to the title game. The performance against Division III and IV competition this year give the Warriors the edge, but the Eagles won't be pushed out easily. Cypress wins 27-18.

Additional Games

Argyle Liberty Christian vs. Fort Worth All Saints @ Birdville -- The Warriors put themselves at the top of the list in Division II with by bringing Prestonwood to a complete halt in a Week 1 win. After that, they dropped a three point decision at ESD and since then have won nine in-a-row. Since Fort Worth Christian posted 34 in the district opener, Liberty has allowed just 26 points across four games. This included good district teams like Midland Christian and this All Saints squad. After posting 10 wins for the first time since 2009, the Warriors are a likely favorite in Division II. The Saints played some good games and some bad games through a 5-5 season so far. Just a three point loss to Prestonwood and a two point loss to Midland Christian puts the Saints closer to a 7-3 season. However, just a three point win over TCA leaves some questions. The Week 10 meeting between these two was a 31-0 shutout for the Warriors and mixing the Liberty defense against a unsettled offense for the Saints to a tough order to overturn. The District 1 invitational that has set up in Division II means we'll see three district rematches, and unless the Warriors defense falls off form I think it will be more of the same that we saw in the regular season. The Warriors allowed just 10 points per game outside of the 34 FWC scored, so that's all I see the Saints getting. Liberty Christian wins 26-10.

Midland Christian vs. Fort Worth Christian @ Brownwood -- The Cardinals took a curious path to a 7-3 and the Regional round. At 3-0, we just chalked it up to relatively weak opposition. At 4-0, it was a nice road win over Faith but maybe not really indicative of greater success. At 5-0, the Cardinals had just dominated the usually strong DC defense and were firmly into the top tier of contenders. Then in a home game, Liberty posted 44 points and largely scooted away from FWC. Maybe it was just that they were playing the top team though. But another 40+ points allowed in Midland meant the Cardinals would have to go on the road in Round 1. Further a 3 point loss to All Saints meant a 4th place finish. Three district losses with 130 points allowed moved the Cardinals down the list in Division II. Finding a way to get stops is what the Cardinals must figure out. The Mustangs had an opposite season. Just a 1-3 start that included an incredible number of road miles didn't leave much expectation for district play. The district wins came though, starting with a two point victory over All Saints. The home game against these Cardinals wound up 41-22. They've allowed just 15 total points the last two weeks. The Cardinals will have a difficult time getting to 30 points against the Mustangs with only Regents and UIL power Texarkana Pleasant Grove accomplishing that out of 10 MCS contests this season. If the Cardinals defense rises up like it did in the 2nd half at Dunne last week they can turn the tables. Just not a prediction I can make though. Mustangs win 30-20.

Austin Regents vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian @ La Grange -- The Knights made five consecutive Division II title games before being eliminated in the Regional round last year. Regents last lost two games in one season in 2015. The only regular season loss culminated in a state championship at the end of the year in 2020. At 11-0 already in 2022, that streak will continue. The Knights have allowed just 94 points in 11 games this season, with four shutouts. The Eagles offense has a difficult task ahead. Fort Bend broke the Second Baptist streak of district titles last season, but was knocked out in a semifinal rematch. Second Baptist eliminated Regents before the Eagles saw them. Regents thumped the Eagles in their only meeting all-time in 2019, 45-14. A difficult non-district has FBCA at just 7-4 this season, but we certainly aren't going to ding them too badly for a loss to UIL power Cibolo Steele, on the road at Dallas Christian, or to SPC finalist St. John's. When the district slate came around, an opening loss to Second Baptist was taken out on the rest of the district. In the final 4 district games, the Eagles allowed just 7 points. They've not allowed a single point since October 21, 3 consecutive shutouts. So expect a defensive struggle. Having laid that out, this will probably be a bonkers shootout that wears out the scoreboard. Regents looks to be the better squad, but Fort Bend hasn't been a easy task for any team. I think the defenses rule the day, but the favored Knights survive. Regents wins 16-14.

Hallettsville Sacred Heart vs. Bryan Brazos Christian @ Elgin -- A Division IV entrant gets some attention with what should be a close game. The Indians have scored a bunch of points in 2022, averaging over 33 points per game. They've also allowed almost 25 points per game, and that's how you get to a 6-5 record. The Eagles (another one?) are a similar 5-5, but have done it with a little more defense. Brazos Christian has also performed well against some top teams thus far. The one-point loss to Northland stands out as a quality loss. The win over Rosehill points to a potential for playoff success as well. Sacred Heart lost to the same Rosehill squad to open the season. While the win-loss was different, those games were similar tight low scoring outings. So, these two teams seem really similar. Both couldn't score against Bay Area Christian. Both played close low scoring games with Central Texas Christian. So I'll lean toward the best unit on paper, and that appears to be the Indians offense. Sacred Heart will have to get by this one and Lubbock Christian to try and get a rematch with rival Shiner St. Paul. Indians win 40-28.

Quick Hits: (Season: 89-33)

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Houston St. Thomas over Addison Trinity Christian
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Houston St. Pius X
San Antonio Antonian over Fort Worth Nolan

Division II

Houston Second Baptist over The Woodlands Christian

Division IV

Lubbock Christian School over Temple Central Texas Christian School
Shiner St. Paul over Tomball Rosehill Christian
Muenster Sacred Heart over Houston Northland Christian

TAPPS Regional Playoff Times and Locations 2022

Please let me know on Twitter, @Cav_0, if anything needs to be updated.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School vs. Dallas Bishop Lynch High School
--7:30 Saturday Arlington's Globe Life Park

Addison Trinity Christian Academy vs. Houston St. Thomas High School
--7:00 Friday Belton's Tiger Field

Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy vs. Houston St. Pius X High School
--7:30 Friday Groesbeck Stadium

Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School vs. San Antonio Antonian College Preparatory High School
--2:00 Saturday Georgetown's Bernard Birkelbach Field

Division II

Argyle Liberty Christian School vs. Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal School
--7:00 Friday North Richland Hill's Birdville Fine Arts and Athletic Complex

Midland Christian School vs. Fort Worth Christian School
--2:00 Saturday Brownwood's Gordon Wood Stadium

Regents School of Austin vs. Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy
--7:00 Friday La Grange's Leopard Stadium

The Woodlands Christian Academy vs. Houston Second Baptist School
--3:30 Saturday Houston's Sheldon ISD Panther Stadium

Division III

Lubbock Trinity Christian School vs. Arlington Grace Prep Academy
--1:00 Saturday Sweetwater's Mustang Bowl

Bullard Brook Hill School vs. Mesquite Dallas Christian School
--7:00 Friday Royse City ISD Stadium

Holy Cross of San Antonio vs. League City Bay Area Christian School
--7:00 Friday Weimar Stadium

Geneva School of Boerne vs. Houston Cypress Christian School
--7:00 Friday Hallettsville's Brahmas Memorial Stadium

Division IV

Lubbock Christian School vs. Temple Central Texas Christian School
--7:00 Friday Abilene's Wilford Moore Stadium

Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Bryan Brazos Christian School
--7:00 Friday Elgin's Wildcat Stadium

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School vs. Tomball Rosehill Christian School
--3:00 Saturday Giddings' Buffalo Stadium

Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School vs. Houston Northland Christian School
--7:00 Friday Robinson's Rocket Field

Area Playoff Results 2022

Great week of games. A few laughers, but several close ones at the end and a few comebacks to boot. We'll see how things tighten up further in Round 2.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian (66-6) -- Correct
--Dominant performance for the Chargers as they raced out early and ended this one quickly. A district rematch awaits in the Regional round.

Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (20-42) -- Wrong
--Guard opened up the lead and some late points made it look a bit closer. Brook Hill will be happy to see a rematch with DC on a neutral field.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over McKinney Christian (42-0) -- Correct
--Lions continue to march toward a showdown with DC with both teams looking to get back in the title game after being there a year ago.

Dallas Covenant over Arlington Grace Prep (24-34) -- Wrong
--Knights best season comes to an end with a recovering Grace Prep squad finding its form. Lions had the best result against Lubbock Trinity in the regular season of district opponents and they'll try to turn the tables on a neutral field.

League City Bay Area Christian over Schertz St. John Paul II (35-14) -- Correct
--Broncos look very good at home in Round 1. Should be a good defensive game with Holy Cross in the Regional.

Magnolia Legacy Prep over Boerne Geneva (14-49) -- Wrong
--Well this look for an upset did not pan out. Eagles very impressive to earn their shot at Cypress Christian.

Midland Christian over Tyler Grace Community (37-7) -- Correct
--A very game performance by the Cougars, but really a tough break in the 3-way tie for Grace. Mustangs will be tough to eliminate in these playoffs, as they are every year. They were in the Division I final just last season.

Dallas Bishop Dunne over Fort Worth Christian (40-41) -- Wrong
--I had this game pegged as the right type of game. Cardinals with a stunning 20 point road comeback to eliminate District 2 from the playoffs in Round 1. The District 1 invitational tournament will decide the North region of Division II.

Brownsville St. Joseph over The Woodlands Christian (21-28) -- Wrong
--Warriors overcome the road trip and win a low scoring battle. Big 2nd half defensive effort for TWCA and a valiant comeback effort by the Bloodhounds. Rematch with Second Baptist awaits for the Warriors.

Week 12: 4-5
Season: 67-25

Quick Hits:

San Antonio Central Catholic over Dallas Bishop Lynch (21-41) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Nolan over Tomball Concordia Lutheran (42-6) -- Correct
Argyle Liberty Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo (50-6) -- Correct
Fort Worth All Saints over Grapevine Faith Christian (45-30) -- Correct
Austin Regents over Houston Lutheran South (31-6) -- Correct
Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Austin Hyde Park (69-0) -- Correct
Houston Second Baptist over Austin St. Michael's (15-0) -- Correct
Temple Central Texas Christian over Dallas First Baptist (54-14) -- Correct
Hallettsville Sacred Heart over Tyler T.K. Gorman (50-8) -- Correct
Bryan Brazos Christian over Waco Reicher (27-2) -- Correct
Fort Worth Temple Christian over Tomball Rosehill Christian (17-24) -- Wrong
Muenster Sacred Heart over Weatherford Christian (48-16) -- Correct

Week 12: 10-2
Season: 89-33

Area Playoff Picks 2022

Another regular season has concluded and we are ready for the run to the titles. The champions of 2021 are all in the running again. Parish Episcopal looks for 4-in-a-row in Division I. Dallas Christian looks to claim a Division III title after winning Division II a season ago. This leaves a wide open Division II playoff that looks to be as compelling as any division across the state. Cypress Christian will look to repeat as the champions of Division III, but a title game rematch with Lubbock Trinity or the earlier mentioned Dallas Christian looms. Shiner St. Paul is back again looking to upstage the Parish Episcopal dynasty by winning their 5th consecutive title.

This space certainly carries its biases and so we always look into all of the games in Dallas Christian's division. For the first time that is not Division II. We'll still look at plenty of teams that we know from the past, but it will give us a few ones to look at as well. A few more byes sprinkled in means we will pick a winner in every TAPPS 11-man playoff game this year. I'd love to have the time to write about them all, but some will be left to the Quick Hits section. Good luck and safe travels this week!

This Week: (Season: 63-20)

Division III Playoff Preview

Colleyville Covenant Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers enter the playoffs with big expectations after winning the larger classification a year ago. This season saw a number of tight non-district contests for DC before running away with the district title in October. At 9-1, there is plenty of reasons to think the Chargers will reach December. Notably, Dallas Christian scored 47 or more in all games against Division III or IV schools this season. Just 3 of 10 opponents reached 20 points against the Chargers as well. The Cougars travel to Mesquite for a varsity football game for the 1st time in program history. Covenant struggled through much of the campaign, finishing the regular season just 3-7. They played tight games against Division II playoff team Coram Deo and a 9-1 Lake Country squad that hosts round 1 this week. The Cougars allowed over 100 more points than the Chargers this year. There's always an upset brewing in round 1, but I doubt its here. Chargers win comfortably, 48-13.

Bullard Brook Hill @ Fort Worth Lake Country Christian -- The Guard entered the season dropping from Division II and a probable favorite to host a round 1 game, even if they still wound up behind DC in District 2. The challenge posed by Dallas Covenant proved stronger than predicted and pushed Brook Hill to 3rd. The Eagles are a bit of a curious case of a 9-1 team that seems to well down the list of contenders for the title. Just one non-district win was over a Division III team (2-8 McKinney Christian). They largely controlled the district slate, but got by Colleyville Covenant by just 6 and was thoroughly dominated at home in their lone loss to Lubbock Trinity. A strong 2nd half on the road last week at Grace Prep earned the host slot in Round 1. The Eagles did score 38 points per game and the Guard struggled against the best opposition. At 5-5, its hard to know if Brook Hill is good or just in the middle. The Guard did not play well against any of their best opponents, notably scoring just 14 points against DC and Covenant. Brook Hill needs to find a way to score 35 to win this. They haven't done that against good teams so far in 2022. They should be capable here, but a long trip across the metroplex is too big a hill for me to call it that way. Eagles win with offense, 42-28.

McKinney Christian @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- The Lions lost 2 of their first 3 games. One to strong UIL side Albany and the other to Division II title contender Argyle Liberty. That Liberty squad proved to be as good as anyone in the regular season and Trinity fell by just 10 in a neutral site game in September. After that loss its been 7 consecutive wins for Trinity. The Lions rolled through 4 of the 5 district games, but were tested a bit by Grace Prep. The Lions only allowed 2 touchdowns or more in 3 games in 2022. The Mustangs are 2-8 on the season, having beaten HSAA and then Shelton to earn the 4th spot in District 2. With over 400 points allowed this a tough trip for MCA to undertake. Can the Mustangs find some of the offensive punch that saw tight games with Lake Country and First Baptist? Maybe, and the upset is always looming where you least expect it, but I doubt it for this one. Its appeared to be a march to DC-Trinity semifinal for a while, and I think we'll head that way. Lions win handily, 46-8.

Arlington Grace Prep @ Dallas Covenant -- The Knights are the surprise team of Division III in 2022. After just a 5-5 season in 2021, two teams moved into the district from Division II and it seemed likely Covenant would just be battling for that last playoff spot. The Knights started 5-0 en route to an 8-1 campaign this year. The list of opponents though leaves a lot of mystery, but having DC within 7 to start the 2nd half says Covenant has plenty. The Lions have to be disappointed that they fell out of the top 2 and head on the road to open the postseason. Getting shutout at home in the 2nd half last week pushed GPA to 3rd place behind Lake Country. The Lions had the best showing among district opponents against Lubbock Trinity, but left something to be desired in the rest of the district slate. There is a good deal of mystery in this one, so we'll always lean home teams in Round 1. Neither team has a "signature" win. Neither team has a clearly superior unit on offense or defense. Maybe the trip to Valley View Lane and playing adjacent to LBJ is too much for the Lions. Knights win at home for their first playoff win since 2019. Covenant advances 33-28.

Schertz St. John Paul II @ League City Bay Area Christian -- The Broncos had a strong 8-2 season, but bookended the 8 wins with a loss to open and close the season. The opening loss to Pantego Christian is troubling for their postseason hopes as Pantego went on to miss the playoff entirely from District 1. The season ending loss to Cypress Christian is concerning for its margin, 47-0. Bay Area played well in tight games winning 3 contests with a margin of a touchdown or less. They also posted nice wins over good Division IV squads in Hallettsville Sacred Heart and Brazos Christian. Just 248 points in 10 games for the Broncos leaves a bit to be desired in terms of title chances, but the strong defense probably bodes well at home in Round 1. The Guardians secured their playoff spot with a win over Corpus Christi John Paul last week. Its been an up and down 4-6 season for the school between 2 San Antonio suburbs (Schertz & New Braunfels). 216 points across 10 games indicates the JP2 offense isn't too far behind the abilities of Bay Area Christian. However, the Guardians haven't strung the defense together with offense on the right nights. The Guardians are good enough not to get blown out here, but the Broncos should be a clear favorite at home. Bay Area Christian wins 28-14.

Magnolia Legacy Prep @ Boerne Geneva -- After Broncos vs. Guardians, we take a step back in the mascot game with this one, Eagles vs. Lions. The Eagles started slow but finished strong to reach 5-5 and climb to 2nd place in District 3. Shiner St. Paul is probably the best win for Geneva this year, and they played a respectable game against District Champion Holy Cross, but were shutout in the game. Just 201 points allowed on the season shows the defense gives the Eagles a chance in any game. Particularly when you consider Regents accounted for nearly a quarter of those points with 47. The Lions 5-5 mark is their best season since 2018. They notched nice wins over the same Division IV pair that Bay Area Christian did so maybe we have Legacy too far down he list of contenders. It was just a 8 point game with Bay Area and they were also dominated by Cypress in much the same fashion. So for that reason, and because I don't like picking only home teams, I'll take the Lions to score the road upset. Legacy Prep wins a low scoring evening. Lions win 14-12.

The Rundown

I used to pick the whole bracket, but I think we all know what that pick would end at. The committee of one has an affection for the interesting mascots across the state so the Division III playoff preview takes the place of Division II but will still end with a rundown of the playoff teams. So for an 9th time...

A new division sees some new and some old acquaintances. We wish good luck to one Knights starting from the Regional Round while the Warriors gets the same leg up. I say one of the Knights because we have two to wish good luck and safe travels. Good wishes are sent to the customary flock of Eagles with two entrants choosing to fly above the storm. Good luck to the most appearing mascot this year, the Lions have 3 prides looking for the crown. The solo entrants include a couple of teams looking to score a massive upset. Good luck to the Mustangs and Cougars. A familiar entrant to this space is the Guard, while we also welcome the similar but also uncommon Guardians to the bracket and wish them both the best. The Broncos are the last one to receive some good tidings before we have to bring our adventure to a close. We finish as always wishing the best of luck to the Chargers!

Division II Bonus Picks

Tyler Grace Community @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs started the season with a brutal travel schedule that included games in El Paso, Austin, and Texarkana. If they play Brownsville St. Joseph in the championship game they should do it in Brownsville just to complete the tour of Texas. With that schedule a 1-3 start should not have been surprising. They rebounded to a 5-4 finish with the only district loss to Argyle Liberty who beat everyone from TAPPS on their schedule. After a 2 point win over All Saints in the district opener the Mustangs opened up wider margins on FWC and Southwest to secure 2nd place in District 1. So its a bit weird that with just a 5-4 record, we probably favor MCS in this game. They host an 8-1 opponent who slipped to 3rd thanks to a 3-way tie. So why do I feel like the Mustangs are definite favorites? Maybe my thinking is skewed by last year's ugly 2-9 season for the Cougars. Maybe its the 50-6 loss to Grapevine Faith. Maybe its the long trip from the Piney Woods to the Permian Basin. I don't know. Its just feels like a game the Mustangs win. So we'll go that way. MCS wins 42-28.

Fort Worth Christian @ Dallas Bishop Dunne -- The Falcons needed a win last week to avoid 3rd place and a trip to Midland. They got the victory over Grapevine Faith with a big first half and earned the top seed in District 2. Their reward is a rematch with the Cardinals. Dunne dropped a week 2 contest 34-19 at Earl Hayes Stadium to fall to 0-2. They responded by winning their next 6 and finishing 7-3. Only an OT loss at Tyler Grace blemished the Falcons after FWC. Dunne has scored just under 40 points per game and will be a difficult rematch for FWC. The Cardinals looked like they might be on their way to a special season after starting 5-0 following the rivalry win over Dallas Christian. They just fell short in the district games. 10 points to Liberty, 19 points short at Midland, and 3 points shy at All Saints. The Division II playoffs are strange in that after Liberty it feels like everyone has a real chance to compete for that other semifinal spot. The best record is on the road. Each of these 3 loss teams seems like a real contender but one is going out on Friday. Cardinals have been better this season, but not by much. They've also been worse in close games, which I think this is one. Falcons turn the tables from September and survive 40-39.

The Woodlands Christian @ Brownsville St. Joseph -- How do you get your school included in these famous blog posts? Two sure ways. Play Dallas Christian or have a unique and interesting mascot. The Bloodhounds have their best season since 2016 where they reached 9 wins and defeated Fort Worth Nolan in a Division I playoff game at home on Canales Field. The 'Hounds played South favorite Austin Regents to a 10 point game in their only district loss. They're also averaging 39.5 points per game, a full 10 points better than last year while allowing 15 points fewer per game than 2021. Even with that improvement they allowed 20+ points to 8 of their 10 opponents. The Warriors 6-4 season saw them play competitive games with Fort Bend Christian and Second Baptist who secured the host slots from District 4. They struggled against some top opponents, losing by 40 to Grapevine Faith and allowing 49 to Hitchcock. Even with those two ugly outings, TWCA actually allowed fewer points on the season than St. Joseph. The Warriors should keep this close to the end, but ultimately the trip and the Bloodhound offense will be too much I think. And do we think I'm picking Warriors over Bloodhounds? Regular readers know what I mean. Bloodhounds win 35-28.

Quick Hits: (Season: 79-31)

Division I
San Antonio Central Catholic over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Fort Worth Nolan over Tomball Concordia Lutheran

Division II
Argyle Liberty Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Fort Worth All Saints over Grapevine Faith Christian
Austin Regents over Houston Lutheran South
Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Austin Hyde Park
Houston Second Baptist over Austin St. Michael's

Division IV
Temple Central Texas Christian over Dallas First Baptist
Hallettsville Sacred Heart over Tyler T.K. Gorman
Bryan Brazos Christian over Waco Reicher
Fort Worth Temple Christian over Tomball Rosehill Christian
Muenster Sacred Heart over Weatherford Christian -- Interesting game of the week: The Lions have the win over Lubbock Christian, but lost 3 district games to finish in 5th and have to face a district rematch with the Tigers.

If you stuck with me for all 2500 words this week, please know that you are appreciated.

TAPPS Area Playoff Times and Locations 2022

I believe these are all correct. Please let me know on Twitter, @Cav_0, if something is incorrect.

Division I

Dallas Parish Episcopal School (1 - 1st) BYE

Dallas Bishop Lynch High School (1 - 5th) vs. San Antonio Central Catholic High School (2 - 4th)
--3:00 Saturday McGregor's Bulldog Stadium

Addison Trinity Christian Academy (1 - 3rd) BYE

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


Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy (1 - 2nd) BYE

Houston St. Pius X High School (2 - 3rd) BYE

Tomball Concordia Lutheran High School (2 - 5th) vs. Fort Worth Nolan Catholic High School (1 - 4th)
--12:00 Saturday Corsicana's Community National Bank & Trust Stadium

San Antonio Antonian College Preparatory High School (2 - 1st) BYE

 

Division II 

Flower Mound Coram Deo Academy (2 - 4th) @ Argyle Liberty Christian School (1 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Argyle's Bowles Stadium
--Warriors 50, Lions 6

Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal School (1 - 3rd) @ Grapevine Faith Christian School (2 - 2nd)
--7:30 Friday Grapevine Ford Field
--Saints 45, Lions 30

Tyler Grace Community School (2 - 3rd) @ Midland Christian School (1 - 2nd)
--6:00 Friday Midland's Gordon Awtry Field
--Mustangs 37, Cougars 7

Fort Worth Christian School (1 - 4th) @ Dallas Bishop Dunne Catholic School (2 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Dallas' Earl Hayes Stadium
--Cardinals 41, Falcons 40


Houston Lutheran South Academy (4 - 4th) @ Regents School of Austin (3 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Austin's Knights Field
--Knights 31, Pioneers 6

Austin Hyde Park High School (3 - 3rd) @ Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian Academy (4 - 2nd)
--1:00 Saturday Sugar Land's Eagle Stadium

The Woodlands Christian Academy (4 - 3rd) @ Brownsville St. Joseph Academy (3 - 2nd)
--2:00 Saturday Brownsville's J.T. Canales Field

Austin St. Michael's Catholic Academy (3 - 4th) @ Houston Second Baptist School (4 - 1st)
--7:00 Friday Houston's Eagle Stadium
--Eagles 15, Crusaders 0

Division III

McKinney Christian Academy (2 - 4th) @ Lubbock Trinity Christian School (1 - 1st)
--6:00 Friday Lubbock's Archie Warwick Memorial Stadium
--Lions 42, Mustangs 0

Arlington Grace Prep Academy (1 - 3rd) @ Dallas The Covenant School (2 - 2nd)
--7:00 Friday Dallas' Frank Miller Field
--Lions 34, Knights 24

Bullard Brook Hill School (2 - 3rd) @ Fort Worth Lake Country Christian School (1 - 2nd)
--7:30 Friday Fort Worth's Eagle Stadium
--Guard 42, Eagles 20

Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy (1 - 4th) @ Mesquite Dallas Christian School (2 - 1st)
--7:30 Friday Mesquite's Wheeler Field
--Chargers 66, Cougars 6


Holy Cross of San Antonio (3 - 1st) BYE

Schertz St. John Paul II Catholic High School (3 - 3rd) @ League City Bay Area Christian School (4 - 2nd)
--7:00 League City's Bronco Field
--Broncos 35, Guardians 14

Magnolia Legacy Preparatory Christian Academy (4 - 3rd) @ Geneva School of Boerne (3 - 2nd)
--7:00 Friday Boerne's GSB Stadium
--Eagles 49, Lions 14

Houston Cypress Christian School (4 - 1st) BYE


Division IV

Lubbock Christian School (1 - 1st) BYE

Dallas First Baptist Academy (1 - 4th) @ Temple Central Texas Christian School (2 - 3rd)
--7:00 Friday Temple's Frazee Field at Lion Stadium

Tyler Bishop T.K. Gorman Catholic School (1 - 6th) @ Hallettsville Sacred Heart Catholic School (2 - 2nd)
--7:00 Friday Hallettsville's Brahmas Memorial Stadium
--Indians 50, Crusaders 8

Waco Bishop Reicher Catholic School (1 - 7th) @ Bryan Brazos Christian School (3-2nd)
--7:00 Friday Bryan's Brazos Christian Field
--Eagles 27, Cougars 2

Shiner St. Paul Catholic High School (2 - 1st) BYE

Tomball Rosehill Christian School (3 - 3rd) vs. Fort Worth Temple Christian School (1 - 3rd)
--6:00 Saturday Crockett's Monte Jack Driskell Stadium

Weatherford Christian School (1 - 5th) @ Muenster Sacred Heart Catholic School (1-2nd)
--7:00 Friday Muenster's Tiger Field
--Tigers 48, Lions 16

Houston Northland Christian School (3 - 1st) BYE

Week 11 Results 2022

A bit of a challenging week for the committee of one. Lots of interesting games to decide the final order of finish in many districts. The playoffs will be here next week and we'll see who gets upset at home and if the favorites were who they were supposed to be. Be sure to let us know @LSCSN or @Cav_0 about any playoff game details. Should be a fun ride to Waco.

This Week:

Bellaire Episcopal over Houston Kinkaid (6-17) -- Wrong
--The Falcons saw a thrilling 4 week stretch culminate in the SPC 4A title. Not the way things looked entering October, but Kinkaid turned the tables on the Knights in the final game.

The Woodlands John Cooper over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (63-31) -- Correct
--Dragons were the best team in SPC 3A all year and conclude an undefeated run against SPC competition.

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Plano Prestonwood Christian (42-14) -- Correct
--Another handy victory for the Panthers, but just 14-7 at the half. The Lions will have work to do to get to round 2 in Waco. Panthers remain the clear favorite in Division I.

Houston St. Thomas over San Antonio Antonian (35-38) -- Wrong
--The Apaches take down the last undefeated in Division I to secure the district title. Will be interesting to see how District 2 stacks up against District 1 in the postseason.

Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas Bishop Dunne (28-43) -- Wrong
--Big Thursday night win for the Falcons as they force a 3-way tie for the Division II District 2 title.

Dallas The Covenant over Tyler Grace Community -- Zonk (#2 for the season)
--Really wanted to see these two 8-1 teams play. Bummer.

Bullard Brook Hill over McKinney Christian (57-14) -- Correct
--Guard dominate to secure 3rd place in District 2 and avoid the trip to Lubbock.

Arlington Grace Prep over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (9-35) -- Wrong
--Eagles with an impressive road win to secure 2nd place in District 1. An interesting 1st round game with Brook Hill in Round 1 for Lake Country while Grace Prep heads to Dallas Covenant.

Week 11: 3-4
Season: 63-20

Quick Hits: (Season: 74-26)

Fort Worth Nolan over Addison Trinity Christian (19-20) -- Wrong
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Houston The Village (38-0) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth All Saints (42-45) -- Wrong
Midland Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (41-6) -- Correct
Frisco Legacy Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo (17-27) -- Wrong
Austin Regents over Austin St. Michael's (34-0) -- Correct
Boerne Geneva over San Antonio Holy Cross (0-28) -- Wrong
Houston Second Baptist over The Woodlands Christian (31-13) -- Correct
Houston Cypress Christian over League City Bay Area Christian (48-0) -- Correct
Dallas First Baptist over Fort Worth Temple Christian (42-63) -- Wrong

Week 11: 5-5
Season: 79-31

Week 11 Picks 2022

The end of the regular season is upon us, and it appears another wet week awaits us. Many games on Thursday to try and get ahead of things. Several deciding games on the docket this week, including two SPC title games. Scroll down a bit for a look at the playoff pairings for next week. I'll move it up to the top once we have a bit more decided. Stay safe and dry this week on the road to state.

This Week: (Season: 60-16)

SPC 4A Championship: Bellaire Episcopal vs. Houston Kinkaid -- The Falcons are the defending champion, having upset undefeated ESD in the title game in 2021. The Knights took a two year hiatus from the top of the SPC thanks to COVID and a disappointing 3-6 mark last season. Now though they are back on top, having won three in a row including the must win games over St. John's and over these Kinkaid Falcons. With just 2 losses on the season to TAPPS Division I favorite, Parish Episcopal, and being upset by ESD. That ESD loss backed Episcopal into a corner and they responded. The Knights haven't been an unstoppable force offensively, but have found the points when needed. The defense though has held teams to under 19 points per game. The Falcons looked like they were headed toward an also ran finish, just 4-3 through seven games. Then a stirring OT win over ESD put them in the championship picture and they took that spot with a win over St. John's last week. Similar to the Knights, Kinkaid has not found the endzone with regularity but the defense has kept them in most game. Two weeks ago Episcopal took a 21-15 win at Bellaire. The Falcons need 30 to win and I just don't see them turning the tables here, though I didn't think they would last year either. Knights win a tight championship finisher, 27-18.

SPC 3A Championship: Fort Worth Trinity Valley vs. The Woodlands John Cooper -- The smaller division of the SPC sees the Dragons return to try and earn back-to-back titles. John Cooper has not lost an SPC counter game since 2019, winning 12 in a row amongst SPC 3A in that time. After a surprising opening loss to The Woodlands Christian, 10-7, the Dragons ran off eight wins in a row to reach 8-1. Only two of the nine opponents reached 20 points against the Dragon defense. Unfortunately it was the most recent two teams that did. Notably, in Cooper's last outing Trinity Valley scored 34 but could not keep pace with the Dragon offense. The Trojans started fast winning their first four SPC outings, most importantly the conference opener against Cistercian primed TVS for a spot in the title game. That head-to-head win wound up securing the 2nd place finish in the standings and reaching this game. The Trojan defense has deteriorated in recent days, finishing with 2 straight losses and 74 points allowed in two weeks. The Dragons have been the best in SPC 3A all year and I don't see the Trojans reversing that 50 point outburst in the rematch. Dragons take the crown, but the Trojans will score some points this week. John Cooper wins 48-35.

Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Dallas Parish Episcopal -- Division I seems destined for a 4-peat for the Panthers, but nothing is guaranteed. After the season opener, saw the Lions dominated by Argyle Liberty it seemed that none of the four other teams in District 1 could match the Panthers. As the season played out, Prestonwood didn't lose another game. The Lions have won seven in a row and scored 39.8 points per game on the streak. 99 in just the last two weeks saw Prestonwood dominate Nolan and Bishop Lynch. The seven point outing against Liberty seems a distant memory. The Panthers played a daunting non-district slate and went 4-1. They've allowed just 20 total points in 4 weeks since district play started. The team that won three title in-a-row is not going to be easily ousted from the top step. The results of the season suggest they are still the favorite, but Prestonwood has their shot at the crown. The Lions offense must lead the way to victory, as holding Parish under 30 points seems a fool's errand. Panthers stay the favorite, but these two could see a rematch in Waco down the road. Parish Episcopal claims the district crown in a high-scoring affair. Panthers win 52-35.

San Antonio Antonian @ Houston St. Thomas -- This space would like St. Thomas to go back to its old moniker of the Tommies, but as usual we were not consulted so we're stuck with Eagles. Division I, District 2 comes down to this meeting. Antonian was a surprise semi-finalist just before COVID hit, and came out of that season still winning regular season district matches. The playoffs has been a big hill to climb in District 2 with the favorites in North Texas dominating the crossover. The winner here though avoids Parish until the title game. Antonian is 8-1 with the sole defeat to UIL Boerne and sporting a +152 combined margin of victory on the season. St. Thomas is the lone undefeated team in Division I. At times the Eagles have allowed some points in 2022. Perhaps leaving a path that the Apaches can exploit. This is the strongest opponent the Eagles have seen to date and I expect Antonian to score a few points. The season opening win over St. John's put the Eagles at the top of the expected rankings, and a win over Kinkaid only consolidated that position. With a big playoff seed and bracket position at stake, this should be a good showdown. With the game in Houston, I don't see the Apaches turning the table. Eagles finish the 10-0 season, winning a tight one with defense. St. Thomas wins 21-19.

Grapevine Faith Christian @ Dallas Bishop Dunne -- The Lions are favored to take the crown, but saw an odd one last week in Frisco. Faith survived in overtime, 17-10 while Legacy is faced with a play-in game to reach the playoffs. With the elements of last week, maybe just chalk it up to a tough road game on a strange night and assume the Lions are still the favorites in District 2. After a difficult non-district that saw three straight losses including an offensive struggle against ESD, a blowout by Argyle Liberty, and a close loss to FWC, Faith was under .500 at 2-3. Since then the Lions have allowed just 37 points to their next four opponents and won all four games. The Falcon offense has big play ability and was also a bit stymied by the iffy weather last week. A seven point overtime loss to Tyler Grace keeps this from being a true district title game. On one side, Dunne lost to Grace while Faith blew them out. On the other side, Dunne scored at will on Frisco Legacy while Faith felt lucky to get to 10 in regulation. No blowout because Dunne can score especially at home, but I think Faith avoids the three way tie and secures the district crown. Lions win a shootout 44-38.

Tyler Grace Community @ Dallas The Covenant -- An interesting non-district closer sees two squads that are likely to host their playoff openers. The Knights are assured of 2nd place in Division III District 2 after winning 8 games for the 1st time in 11-man. Particularly the Brook Hill win puts Covenant as a difficult team to beat and will not be easily ousted from the DIII playoffs. The Knights averaged over 40 points a game en route to their 8-1 mark and Grace will have its work cut out for them defensively. The Cougars have done a complete turnaround after the chaotic performance of 2021. While a 3-way might drop them to 3rd place still, last week's win over Bishop Dunne probably keeps the Cougars at home next week. Only Grapevine Faith bested the Cougars in 2022 as they are also at 8-1. Allowing 37 to Coram Deo has to be worrying for the Cougars. Covenant figures to be stronger offensively than those Lions. The 55-10 blowout of Legacy though suggests the run stopping ability may be there to limit the Knights. When you're not sure, lean toward home teams. Playing next to I-635 at Covenant is never easy. Knights win 35-25.

McKinney Christian @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The Guard and Mustangs will enter this one disappointed with how they performed against DC and Covenant. Neither was terribly close to pushing into those top two spots. Expectations were definitely lower for MCA than Brook Hill, but the Mustangs aren't too far removed from a state title appearance either. Moving back to Division III seemed to bode well for both these squads and it just hasn't played out. The stakes for this one are huge though. The loser must travel to Lubbock for a 1st round matchup with the Trinity Lions. The winner still has a road game, but at a more favorable Grace Prep or Lake Country location in Tarrant County. The Guard's 4-5 campaign has seen a little of everything except a close win. They were very much in the fight at DC two weeks ago before being bitten by the turnover bug and seeing DC blaze away from them in the 2nd half. The Mustangs 2-7 mark hasn't seen them score when needed. They've scored 30 just once in nine games. Brook Hill has its own offensive struggles and so I think this one goes pretty low on the scoreboard. Guard win at home though to secure 3rd place. Brook Hill squeaks by a touchdown, 28-21.

Fort Worth Lake Country Christian @ Arlington Grace Prep -- Our final game of the week sees two squads playing to stay home in Round 1. The winner hosts Brook Hill or McKinney Christian. The loser has to travel to Dallas Covenant. The Lions have a longer history at the top of 11-man football in TAPPS, but its been an up and down season to 5-4. They stunned Southwest Christian on the road, but had a disappointing loss to Oakridge in week 1. Score 39 against Pantego, but barely survive by allowing 34. They narrowly defeated Coram Deo and allowed all the points to Cistercian but almost overcame in in a 52-42 loss. So the Lions can do it all, but also can fail to do much. The Eagles are 8-1 this year, but were dominated in a potential district title game, falling 49-0 to Lubbock Trinity despite having the game at home. Seeing Grace Prep go to Lubbock and lose by just 9 can't raise the Eagles spirits. A blowout of Northland, who stands to win a Division IV district looks nice for the Eagles. The Lions have been more impressive in district play so hosting this one at the cozy cofines of unlighted Grace Prep field on Saturday afternoon means all signs point to a Lions win. Should be a closer one than some, especially if the field conditions are not ideal. Grace Prep stays home next week and wins 27-14.

Quick Hits: (Season: 74-26)

Fort Worth Nolan over Addison Trinity Christian
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Houston The Village
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth All Saints
Midland Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Frisco Legacy Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Austin Regents over Austin St. Michael's
Boerne Geneva over San Antonio Holy Cross
Houston Second Baptist over The Woodlands Christian
Houston Cypress Christian over League City Bay Area Christian
Dallas First Baptist over Fort Worth Temple Christian

Week 10 Results 2022

The story of the night did turn out to the be the weather, particularly in the DFW area. Lots of playoff spots and district crowns determined. We'll start to formulate the playoff pairings this week.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over McKinney Christian (60-0) -- Correct
--Mustangs no match tonight for the Chargers, but MCA will be in the playoffs. Chargers clinch the district title. Mustangs will play for 3rd and 4th next week against Brook Hill.

Dallas The Covenant over Dallas Shelton (42-0) -- Correct
--Knights secure 2nd place in District 2 and will open the playoffs at home on the side of 635. The Chargers are eliminated from playoff contention.

Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Arlington Pantego Christian (36-20) -- Correct
--Eagles continue to find ways to win and will likely decide 2nd place at Grace Prep next week. The Panthers have to win at district champion Lubbock Trinity next week to have any chance at the playoffs.

Tyler Grace Community over Dallas Bishop Dunne (21-14) -- Correct
--Cougars find a way to win with a overtime thriller in the East Texas rain. Grace finishes district play at 3-1, but with Dunne and Faith playing next week their place in the top 3 of District 2 is still a mystery. Huge turnaround season at 8-1 for the Cougars. Falcons will be in the top 3, and could win the district with a big enough win over Faith next week.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Fort Worth All Saints (31-0) -- Correct
--Warriors defense remains the dominant power and clinches the district crown for Liberty. At 9-1 the regular season is over for the Warriors and they'll host round 1 in 2 weeks. The Saints are in the playoffs, but will open on the road as them and FWC will decide 3rd and 4th on the field next week.

Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (28-21) -- Correct
--Eagles struck first, but as the rain let up the Cardinals turned up the defensive pressure. Southwest held scoreless through the middle 36 minutes, but made it very interesting with 2 TDs in the final 3 minutes. FWC clinches a playoff spot while Southwest is eliminated.

Houston St. John's over Houston Kinkaid (28-38) -- Wrong
--Falcons earn the other spot in the SPC 4A title game and they'll take a 2nd shot at Bellaire Episcopal for the crown.

Week 10: 6-1
Season: 60-16

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Lynch (27-21) -- Correct
San Antonio Antonian over Tomball Concordia Lutheran (27-14) -- Correct
Grapevine Faith Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian (17-10) -- Correct
Austin Hyde Park over San Antonio Christian (28-21) -- Correct
The Woodlands Christian over Houston Lutheran South (24-6) -- Correct
San Antonio Holy Cross over Corpus Christi John Paul II (39-6) -- Correct
Houston Cypress Christian over Austin Brentwood Christian (43-7) -- Correct
League City Bay Area Christian over Magnolia Legacy Preparatory (21-13) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Temple Christian (44-6) -- Correct
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Fort Worth Country Day (23-24) -- Wrong

Week 10: 9-1
Season: 74-26

Week 10 Picks 2022

We move closer to the playoffs and many district races are pretty clear at this point. But just one surprise would make any district quite chaotic. I'm sure a few surprises await us, but we can't help but look forward. The weather may be the story of Week 10 as Friday's forecast looks bleak. Stay safe and dry this week!

This Week: (Season: 54-15)

Dallas Christian @ McKinney Christian -- The Chargers travel north with a chance to secure their 7th district title in the last 11 seasons. Dallas Christian struggled through the first half last week against Brook Hill before dominating the 2nd half in a 62-14 final. Finding a way to the endzone is the challenge against DC, only allowing five touchdowns in one game so far this season. For perspective, the Chargers have scored five TDs in six of their eight games. The Mustangs have struggled in 2022, just 2-6 on the season so far. The district opening win over Shelton likely puts MCA in the playoffs. The back to back of DC and Brook Hill is a tough way to close the campaign. The Mustangs have allowed 301 points on the season already and it just seems they won't have enough to battle the Chargers this week. The 40 point loss to Covenant after DC beat them by 40 isn't a good omen for the Mustangs. Chargers win 48-8.

Dallas The Covenant @ Dallas Shelton -- The Knights were not the team we expected to be hosting Round 1, but a win here will guarantee a top 2 finish for Covenant. Only Dallas Christian has been able to solve the Knights in 2022. A strong rushing attack has seen the Knights to a 7-1 mark so far and averaging over 40 points per game. The Chargers are 4-4 on the season, but have been struggling in district play being outscored 112-38 in 2 district games. Is there a path to victory for the Chargers? I think so, but finding a way to slow the Covenant rushing attack will be difficult. I think the Knights consolidate their opprutunity and will open the playoffs at home. Covenant wins and eliminates Shelton from the playoffs, 50-14.

Fort Worth Lake Country Christian @ Arlington Pantego Christian -- The Eagles started the season 6-0 before Lubbock Trinity came to Fort Worth and walloped them 49-0. A 6-point victory over Colleyville Covenant puts the Eagles back on track, but another hurdle awaits in Pantego. Lake Country also finishes with Grace Prep who figures to be the other host team from District 1. So the path to 2nd place is open for the Eagles, but its a tough road. The Panthers got their 1st district win of the season last week, but see Lubbock Trinity next week. Probably will take 2 wins to reach the top 4 and the playoffs, so Pantego likely needs a win here to make the playoffs since next week looks like a tough hill to climb. Spring an upset here and there might even be a path to 2nd place. Just the Covenant common results put the Eagles as the favorites here, but a trip to Pantego is never a given. The Lake Country offense should be too much here. Eagles slide by 32-20.

Dallas Bishop Dunne @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars have left last year's disappointing 2-9 season in the dust, running off a 7-1 mark so far. Grapevine Faith really dominated Grace in the district opener, but the Cougars rebounded by scoring 108 points in the next two district games. A win here would secure 2nd place for Grace as it closes their district season. The Falcons took two opening losses to DC and FWC to start the season and have won 6 in a row since. They've also scored 40 or more in all of those wins. This one looks to be "pointsy." Cougars always tough at home and this will be no different. Who gets the big stop or the big turnover? Both teams will have a tough playoff opponent in either Fort Worth Christian, Midland Christian, or Fort Worth All Saints, but you'd rather get that game at home than on the road. Cougars survive a shootout at home, 48-44.

Fort Worth All Saints @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The Warriors declared it would be different than last season with a season opening win at Prestonwood. They've only dropped a 3-point decision to ESD since then in route to an 8-1 mark. They'll be one of the first teams finished with the regular season, but haven't clinched the district title yet and haven't even secured a 1st round home game. A win here earns the district title for the Warriors. The Saints are a bit of an odd 3-4 on the season. An out-of-state loss and being a bit snake bit in close games makes the record feel worse than it is. The three in-state losses are by just 21 combined points and include Prestonwood and Midland Christian who figure to be highly placed in their respective districts. The All Saints defense leads the way, allowing just 20 points per game to in-state opponents. So this is the opposite expectation from the Dunne-Grace contest. This should be a defensive struggle. A loss here could mean the Saints are out of the playoffs as a Week 11 meeting with FWC will be huge. A win here and the Saints could win the district title. The Warriors are too good this season though, and win this defensive slugfest in the rain. Liberty wins 12-10.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Cardinals finished September 5-0 and having just vanquished long time rival Dallas Christian. They've since dropped both district games to Midland Christian and Argyle Liberty. They were in both games, but allowing 40+ points is a hard way to win. This sudden turn in fortune has the Cardinals staring down the possibility of finishing out of the playoffs completely. A loss would send FWC to All Saints in Week 11 having to win to make the postseason and the wrong results this week could mean they're already eliminated. The Eagles face the same dilemma but with even higher stakes as a loss will eliminate them from the playoffs since they could only tie teams they would have lost to already. Southwest is just 4-4 so far on the season, but has covered all the bases in their season results. The win over Trinity Valley looks pretty good. The loss to Grace Prep looks really bad. The win over UIL playoff contender Hallettsville looks excellent. Being TCA's first win of the season not so much. Limiting Liberty to just 18 points means the path to 40 points may not be as open for the Cardinals as we would have thought entering last week. If the Cardinals offense finds its early season form, they'll win comfortably. If not, this will be a playoff sweat for both teams at the end of this rainy night. Cardinals win at home, 34-20.

Houston Kinkaid vs. Houston St. John's @ Rice Stadium -- SPC 4A featured some incredible twists and turns this year despite only 5 teams in the division. All signs pointed to ESD through September with a 6-0 mark and a win over Bellaire Episcopal. Then Kinkaid and St. John's both beat them in consecutive weeks. This wound up putting ESD out of the title game and Bellaire Episcopal sitting at home this week securely in the title game already after they ran off 3 wins in a row. The Falcons were just 3-3 going into the game with ESD and a 20-17 win in OT pushed them to the brink of the title game. The Mavericks are 7-2 going into the regular season finale including wins over Fort Bend Christian and Second Baptist. By defeating ESD last week it sets up this meeting as the decider for the other spot in the title game. The Mavericks have been better all season and thus have to be the pick here, but the Falcons win over Second Baptist and their own victory of ESD mean they won't be an easy out. The site of Super Bowl VIII makes a great setting for this defacto semifinal game. Mavericks win 35-28.

Quick Hits: (Season: 65-25)

Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Lynch
San Antonio Antonian over Tomball Concordia Lutheran
Grapevine Faith Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian
Austin Hyde Park over San Antonio Christian
The Woodlands Christian over Houston Lutheran South
San Antonio Holy Cross over Corpus Christi John Paul II
Houston Cypress Christian over Austin Brentwood Christian
League City Bay Area Christian over Magnolia Legacy Preparatory
Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Temple Christian
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Fort Worth Country Day

Week 9 Results 2022

Playoff picture has become much clearer. Many of the home teams are pretty well secured. An upset still lurks in the shadows and will bite someone when they aren't expecting it. Going to be a thrilling November.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (62-14) -- Correct
--Guard were very game in the 1st half. Scoring first and really having the Chargers on the back foot. 2nd half DC got rolling, but plenty of room to improve. Brook Hill will be a difficult out in Round 1 but will have to go on the road.

Dallas The Covenant over McKinney Christian (48-7) -- Correct
--Knights continue their best season in program history. They've all but locked in for 2nd place in District 2 and opening the playoffs at home on the shoulder of 635.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Arlington Grace Prep (42-33) -- Correct
--Tight battle here sets Trinity up as the probable district champion. We'd like to look way ahead to a semifinal showdown with Dallas Christian, but lots left to do for both teams. Grace Prep and Lake Country should decide the other Round 1 host.

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Fort Worth Nolan (42-7) -- Correct
--Panthers continue rolling through Division I...again. Vikings will be happy to see a District 2 team when Round 1 rolls around.

Fort Worth Christian over Midland Christian (22-41) -- Wrong
--Cardinals fall victim to the long road trip to the Permian Basin. Mustangs are finding their stride and it will be great playoff in the northern half of Division II.

Lubbock Christian over Dallas First Baptist (57-13) -- Correct
--Eagles dominate at home and Weatherford Christian losing again puts Lubbock Christian in the drivers seat for the 1st round bye. Saints will be hard to push out in the Division IV playoffs, but have a lot of work to do compete for the title.

Episcopal School of Dallas over Houston St. John's (21-35) -- Wrong
--Eagles got the big win over Bellaire Episcopal and failed to back it up. The two losses to Kinkaid and St. John's will keep ESD out of the title game. Mavericks will play Kinkaid for the other spot in the title game.

Bellaire Episcopal over Houston Kinkaid (21-15) -- Correct
--Knights keep their season going with a 6 point win and clinch a spot in the title game of SPC 4A. Falcons will have a de-facto semifinal against St. John's next week at Rice Stadium.

Week 9: 6-2
Season: 54-15

Quick Hits:

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (57-17) -- Correct
San Antonio Antonian over Houston St. Pius X (41-15) -- Correct
Argyle Liberty Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (18-6) -- Correct
Tyler Grace Community over Frisco Legacy Christian (54-10) -- Correct
Austin Regents over San Antonio St. Anthony (63-7) -- Correct
Austin St. Michael's over San Antonio Christian (34-24) -- Correct
Houston Second Baptist over Houston Lutheran South (26-7) -- Correct
Fort Bend Christian over The Woodlands Christian (27-7) -- Correct
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Colleyville Covenant (33-27) -- Correct
Shiner St. Paul over Temple Central Texas Christian (37-10) -- Correct
The Woodlands John Cooper over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (50-34) -- Correct

Week 9: 11-0
Season: 65-25

Week 9 Picks 2022

The road is coming to a end as the playoffs are just a few days away. Lots will be decided this week, especially in the SPC where the regular season ends next week. Many big games out west this week. Good luck and safe travels!

This Week: (Season: 48-13)

Bullard Brook Hill @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers return from the bye week for the final three district contests. At 6-1, its been a good season but the loss to Fort Worth Christian will sting a bit. They did respond by pushing Dallas Covenant out of the ranks of unbeaten in the district opener. Covenant went on to beat Brook Hill last week, 28-14. The Guard have alternated losses and wins for the entire season so far, putting them at 3-4 on the season. The only way back into the top 2 and a first round home game will require scoring a road upset this week. Brook Hill allowed too many points in the non-district slate, holding only 1 team under 29. In two district games they've let in just 28 total points, but the Charger offense figures to be a big test. The Chargers have scored 24 or more in all seven games so far this year. Only the FWC loss saw fewer than four touchdowns scored. The Chargers are too much at home here. DC wins 42-16.

McKinney Christian @ Dallas The Covenant -- The Knights started the season 5-0 before a bye week and big home game against district favorite Dallas Christian. After limiting DC to just 14 in the first half, the margin grew in the later stages to a 40-point gap. They returned to the field with a road trip to other district favorite, Brook Hill. After winning 28-14 on the road, it's the Knights that figure to be hosting in Round 1. The Mustangs have struggled in 2022, holding just a 2-5 mark on the season. However, for the time being they are tied for the district lead with DC at 1-0. MCA won a shootout 58-31 over Shelton to begin the district slate last week. The Mustangs should score a bit here. Having posted 58 last week to go with 4 touchdowns against other likely playoff teams, Lake Country and Dallas First Baptist. The Knights have the best wins though among these two and should be a clear victor. Covenant wins 42-16.

Arlington Grace Prep @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- With District 2 seeming to be headed toward Dallas Christian and Covenant as the top 2, District 1 will look to see who will be visiting its top 2. The season so far suggests this one may decide the district crown. The Lubbock Trinity Lions are still in their first decade of varsity football and after reaching the state final a year ago picked up where they left off. The 5-2 season so far has seen dominant performances against TAPPS squads. A 97-0 combined score through 2 district games puts TCS at the top. While we want to look at a Trinity-DC semifinal, there are several hurdles for both to clear before Thanksgiving. The other Lions from Grace Prep are the next hurdle, holding a 4-3 record after Willow Park Trinity forfeited a week ago. Its been an up and down season that has seen 3 close wins for Grace Prep. Just 5, 7, and 5 for the margins of victory in the three wins. GPA has scored quite a few points on the season. 42 against a good SPC team in Cistercian being notable. Southwest Christian was a semifinalist in Division II last year and lost to this Grace Prep squad at home. Trinity will not have an easy one here, but particularly with the long trip to the South Plains the western Lions should have the edge. Lubbock Trinity wins 35-20.

Fort Worth Nolan @ Dallas Parish Episcopal -- The Panthers have won 3 straight titles in the largest TAPPS division and seem poised to get a 4th consecutive crown. The 6-1 start for Parish includes wins over notable programs Aledo, Austin LBJ, and China Spring. The lone loss to defending UIL champion South Oak Cliff is nothing to lose sleep over. The Vikings were the projected foil in District 1 to the favored Panthers, but its been an ugly season so far. The 1-6 mark is the Vikings worst start since 2015. However, other than the loss to Bishop Lynch its been a murderers row of opposition to accumulate those losses. Division III favorite DC, UIL power College Station, Division I contenders Prestonwood and St. Thomas. The trip to the blue field on Midway Rd. adds another challenge this week for the Vikings. The loss to Prestonwood being of such a large margin, 42-7, points to this being quite the struggle for Nolan. Panthers continue their march to 4 straight. Parish wins 42-6.

Fort Worth Christian @ Midland Christian -- The Cardinals jumped up the Division II rankings with wins over Dallas Christian and Grapevine Faith in back-to-back weeks. They had a chance to move up to the top spot while hosting Argyle Liberty and a 1st half deficit proved too much to overcome, falling 44-34. The Mustangs have started to emerge from a tumultuous off-season, winning back-to-back home games over Del Rio and All Saints and holding Argyle Liberty to just 24 points in Argyle. At only 3-4, but with a 1-1 district record, hosting Round 1 is still on the table for MCS. The winner has a clear inside track to the runner-up finish with both teams having already played Liberty. A low scoring slugfest feels likely here. The Mustangs haven't allowed 30 points at home since Parish did it in 2020. The Cardinals held everyone under 30 until Liberty last week. 4 TDs will win this one. Cardinals survive the long trip. FWC wins 28-21.

Dallas First Baptist @ Lubbock Christian -- The Saints travel the road west with many teams in TAPPS this week. Our 3rd game west of Eastland takes us to Division IV. The large District 1 has been playing district games for 4 weeks already and that seemed to set a clear favorite in Lubbock Christian. Then the Eagles lost to Weatherford Christian and Weathford Christian turned around and lost to First Baptist the next week. These 3 and Muenster Sacred Heart will battle to be the top 3 and avoid 1st round road games. At 6-1 and already defeating Sacred Heart plus having this one at home, the Eagles have the inside track to a high finish. The Saints are 4-3 having taken blowout losses to Division III contenders Dallas Christian and Covenant and allowing 60 points to Muenster Sacred Heart. It looked like they might take another big loss to Weatherford Christian, falling down 28 in the 1st half. The Saints came roaring back though to get a 50-49 win. There should be lots of offense in this one, but the Eagles look to be the better squad. Lubbock Christian wins 56-35.

Houston St. John's @ Episcopal School of Dallas -- The top of SPC 4A is quite crowded. Its just a 5 team division but only 2 places in the title game are up for grabs. Everyone but St. Marks seems to be fighting for those spots. The Eagles OT loss to Kinkaid last week forces them into a must win game at home. The Mavericks were dominated by Bellaire Episcopal, 41-7. ESD defeated Bellaire Episcopal 39-35. The winner here just needs to win their final game to make the title game. The Eagle defense has proven tough to score against including a stretch where they allowed just 14 points across three games. The Mavericks defense hasn't been as good, but its still gotten them to 6-2 on the season. ESD has just enough at home. Eagles win 28-22.

Houston Kinkaid @ Bellaire Episcopal -- The Falcons secured a 20-17 OT win over ESD last week, and would almost certainly be in the title game with a road win here. The Knights are a very good squad with a 6-2 mark so far and since they are playing their final scheduled contest here have a lot on the line. A loss for Episcopal probably ends the season. Kinkaid would finish ahead of them and ESD likely would too as they hold a head-to-head victory over the Knights. The Falcons could defeat St. John's next week and probably get in the title game even with a loss here. Kinkaid needs to find their offense here, as I don't think last week's 20 would be enough to overcome the Knights. Knights win at home 38-23.

Quick Hits: (Season: 54-25)

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
San Antonio Antonian over Houston St. Pius X
Argyle Liberty Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Tyler Grace Community over Frisco Legacy Christian
Austin Regents over San Antonio St. Anthony
Austin St. Michael's over San Antonio Christian
Houston Second Baptist over Houston Lutheran South
Fort Bend Christian over The Woodlands Christian
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Colleyville Covenant
Shiner St. Paul over Temple Central Texas Christian
The Woodlands John Cooper over Fort Worth Trinity Valley