Should be a fun week with a mix of home games and neutral site contests. We saw a couple of upsets last week, but none who appeared to be contenders for the title. Will we get the big surprise this week?
This Week: (Season: 63-21)
Arlington Pantego Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers once again dominated district play as they look to win a 4th straight title. This year though that came with a 1st round bye rather than a home game, but the coin toss fairy has granted a home game after all. DC's last home playoff loss was in 2006 to Southwest Christian. This will be the first Regional playoff game at Wheeler Field in the 4 round playoff era. Thanks to Covid it will not be the lastest game played at Dallas Christian missing the record set on November 27, 2020. The Panthers had a great 6-0 start but then struggled down the stretch. Then after not winning a game since October 10 they won their playoff opener at Geneva. The Pantego offense presents a challenge for a Chargers defense that has struggled when facing better opponents this year. However, the Panthers defense has a bigger challenge with the DC offense. Lubbock Christian and Colleyville Covenant both shutout the Panthers and put a 40 point margin on them. DC put 63 on Shelton while Pantego won by just 6. Probably not a total rout, but DC wins handily. Chargers advance to the semis, 42-14.
Lubbock Christian vs. Tyler All Saints @ Breckenridge -- The Eagles fell in the Division IV championship game last season and begin their playoff run this week after a 1st round bye. LCS is averaging 42 points per game and that bodes well for their playoff chances. They should not look to the semifinal with DC just yet though. The Trojans pulled a off a road upset at New Braunfels to open the playoffs. All Saints has reached 6 wins for the 3rd time in school history. They've never reached 7 wins in a season. As best I can tell, last week was their first playoff win. There is no expectation for the Trojans in this one, and that can be what makes a team dangerous. The Eagles defense has allowed a few points along the way, but should have enough to stop the Trojans. I can't shake that this might be All Saints moment, but I just don't see a 2nd upset. Eagles win 40-22.
Colleyville Covenant Christian vs. Dallas Covenant @ Coppell -- The battle of Covenant is a rematch of a Week 6 meeting in Colleyville. The Cougars won that 13-7. Both teams averaged over 35 points per game on the season, so naturally that managed only 20 between each other head-to-head. I have to think the offenses will catch up in Round 2. The Cougars scored 45 against a Lubbock Christian squad we consider to be among the top of the division. The Knights defense has led their charge. Holding DC to just 24 and limiting squads T.K. Gorman and Tyler All Saints to just 6 points total. The Knights slowed the Cougars once, but could get the offense going. Slowing the Colleyville attack again seems unlikely, so the opposite game of last time feels like the pick. Knights get the offense going, but can't get the stops to carry out a victory. Cougars win a shootout, 42-35.
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian vs. San Antonio Holy Cross @ Jarrell -- The Eagles travel South to meet the only undefeated squad in Division III. Lake Country routed Shelton to reach Round 2, holding a good Shelton offense to just 14 points. They will need every bit of that defense to slow a Knights squad that is averaging over 47 points per game. Holy Cross dominated T.K. Gorman last week to reach the Regional and have reached the running clock threshold in every game against a Division III opponent this season. They allow less than 8 points per game, so if the Eagles get to 10 they'll be out performing the expectations. I think the Eagles will have a hard time doing even that. Lake Country should slow the Knights attack a little, but not enough to keep this one tight at the end. Holy Cross moves to one step away from a shot at avenging last year's title loss. Knights win, 35-6.
Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Plano Prestonwood Christian --We leave the friendly confines of Division III for a massive Division I clash. Liberty beat them both to establish themselves as favorites, but one will still have a chance at getting title game revenge after this week. The Lions earned the right to host this one in a 52-49 win on October 25. Prestonwood has lost 2 games on the season by 7 points total. They've averaged 45 points per game so far. The Panthers are averaging 51 points per game this season, but lost 4 games along the way. So expect a pile of points in this one. It seems like the "other" unit always catches up a bit in the rematch. So while a shootout seems on order, I bet the defenses rise up in this one. This is going to be a tight one again. The 5-time defending champions that play on the blue field will not be ousted easily. The last time Prestonwood won over Parish before this year was 2018. The winner in this series has never scored less than 35. So flip a coin and choose a close one. I'll say the Lions end the Panthers reign, 32-30.
Midland Christian vs. Austin Regents @ San Angelo -- The Mustangs offense struggled to start the season, scoring just 17 points in their first 3 games. They caught up later in the year, but now the defense is a little iffy. Tyler Grace is certainly not a pushover, but allowing 29 in a home playoff game is not the type of performance that will upset Regents. The Knights are constantly in the contenders of Division II. This year is different as realignment has them traversing the North half of the bracket. Regents has won 9 in a row after a Week 2 loss to Kinkaid. They've won every one of them by at least 22 points. Averaging over 43 points per game says that the Knights will be too much in this one. The Mustangs always have a game effort and the improving offense gives them a shot, but I don't think they can get over the hump in this one. Knights win a close one, 38-34.
Brownsville St. Joseph Academy vs. Houston Second Baptist @ San Antonio Edgewood -- The Bloodhounds are always a mystery in the Division II bracket. The lack of common non-district opponents leaves many unknowns. This year they have just 3 district games so its even more unknown. They did play Regents in the non-district dropping a 49-14 decision. The 'Hounds are averaging over 43 points per game and will need the offense to keep up with the Eagles. Second Baptist started the season with some big numbers that said they could be the team to topple All Saints for the crown. They still completed an 8-2 season, but did not reach the heights of the 30 point blowout of FWC when district play rolled around. The Eagles lost the district title to Fort Bend Christian and narrowly escaped The Woodlands Christian. SBS had a comfortable win over Victoria St. Joseph in round 1. The crossover of the playoff pairings gives us two clear data points. The Eagles beat Victoria St. Joseph 42-7 and Lutheran South 28-3. The Bloodhounds beat the pair 50-7 and 40-14. So a high scoring game seems on the offer, but I think the Eagles defense is just a tad better. Second Baptist looks for district revenge in the semis. Eagles win 35-30.
The Woodlands Christian @ Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian -- The Eagles won the 2022 state title and then limped to a 6-6 mark in 2023. This season appeared to be a continuation of last year when they started just 1-4. They've rolled of 6 district and playoff wins since and seems primed to be in the title game again. These two met just 2 weeks ago, also in Sugar Land, and the Eagles notched a 35-17 win. The Warriors 8-3 season snuck up on this author, but they were on the radar when they had Second Baptist on the ropes. TWCA lost that day to SBS, but could get a rematch with a win here. Among the three losses for the Warriors is a 4 point game at UIL state-ranked East Bernard. They went to San Antonio Christian last week and won 47-0, so the Warriors are ready for another road test. Its hard to beat a good team twice the adage would say, and this seems to be the Warriors revenge tour. I'll take the upset. TWCA springs a surprise, 28-21.
Quick Hits: (Season: 101-21)
Argyle Liberty Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Austin St. Michael's over Houston St. Thomas
Fort Worth All Saints over Fort Worth Christian
Dallas First Baptist over Fort Worth Mercy Culture
Temple Central Texas Christian over Hallettsville Sacred Heart
Waco Live Oak Classical over Muenster Sacred Heart
Bryan Brazos Christian over Shiner St. Paul
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