The final week of the regular season is upon us. We'll try to highlight the games with the biggest playoff implications. Just 3 weeks of playoffs after this one to one of the earliest finishes to TAPPS football in many years. Good luck and safe travels on the road to State.
This Week: (Season: 41-24)
Dallas Christian @ Dallas Covenant -- From the drawing of the schedule to now it appeared this would be a district title game and it is finally upon us. The Chargers enter at 7-2, but with two forfeits to them they've taken the field just once since Oct. 3. That was last week's 63-0 win over Shelton. So both squads are 3-0 in district play and really haven't been tested since September. DC's best win is probably Fort Worth Christian but they've struggled since. The Knight's best win is probably El Paso Cathedral last week, but historically that isn't a particularly difficult task. So just not much to go on really in this season's results, even after 10 weeks. The Chargers are a historic program in TAPPS. The Knights are an up and coming program and reached the semifinals a season ago, but were dominated by the Chargers. Covenant is 0-6 all time against Dallas Christian and really was only close once. We know where the leanings of this space go but I think it should be closer than that year's pair of blowouts. Chargers win another district title, 34-21.
Arlington Pantego Christian @ Fort Worth Nolan -- Its hard to get a Week 10 non-district game and even harder to get one with playoff implications, but that's where we are. The Panthers will finish 3rd in Division III District 2 and that puts them under consideration for the wild card spot and the final position in the TAPPS Division III bracket. They are likely to be compared against Lake Country Christian and either Holy Cross or New Braunfels Christian. They will have more than Lake Country and Holy Cross, but if its the Wildcats of New Braunfels then they need this win to tie them on 18 points from 10 games. The Vikings have struggled mightily in recent seasons winning just 4 games since 2023. This season's 1-7 mark has seen Nolan score just 88 points. Pantego enters at 6-3 but was dominated by Dallas Christian and Dallas Covenant in the big district showdowns. The Panthers are the stronger squad this season, but might be getable in a road game. If Bay Area Christian falls into the wild card position then Pantego will be out no matter what. Panthers win and probably get in the playoffs, 33-14.
McKinney Christian @ Arlington Grace Prep -- The Mustangs were Nolan's loan win way back in Week 0. They've since responded to reach 5-4 and have a chance at the playoffs this week. Brook Hill and Tyler Grace took out the MCA by a combined 104-7 mark the last two games. So work to be done for the Mustangs for sure. Five wins is the most for MCA since 2019. The Lions are 4-4 on the season, having lost their district showdowns by a combined 87-27. So a bit better, but also scuffling a bit. Grace Prep has played very few home games on the season but has the biggest one at home. They both defeated Bishop Dunne so the winner of this one gets 3rd place and a spot in the playoffs likely facing Grapevine Faith. On a Saturday afternoon as possibly the last regular season game in TAPPS, I think the Lions get the win in a low scoring affair. Grace Prep wins 22-18.
League City Bay Area Christian @ New Braunfels Christian -- The Broncos with a strong start to the season at 6-0 moved up our internal rankings, but Geneva and Brazos handled them relatively easily. A loss in this game would create a 3-way tie for 3rd and a bit of chaos for District 3. Bay Area would be in great position for the wild card if they are 4th while Holy Cross or NBCA would not. So the stakes may be higher for the Wildcats, who can only get in with a win. New Braunfels Christian is 6-3 with the loss to Holy Cross preventing a true play-in game for 3rd place in this one. The Wildcats 43 points against Geneva says they might have the goods to run with the Broncos. They've been on the upswing in recent seasons having won 9 games in both 2024 and 2025. Just 6 wins this year would be a bit of a disappointment. I think Bay Area is better, but no easy road game here with the playoffs on the line. Broncos win a fun one, 35-34.
Tomball Rosehill Christian @ Hallettsville Sacred Heart -- The Indians are right in the middle of pack in Division IV with a 4-5 record. They controlled the game the last two weeks over Westbury and Northland after struggling to score against the top two in the district. The Eagles have a stronger 7-2 mark on the season but lost the two big district games to Central Texas and Shiner St. Paul. Last week's defeat at home was certainly a disappointment, particularly to allow as many points as they did. With identical 2-2 district marks, this one will decide 3rd place and the last guaranteed playoff spot. Not sure the common data points are there to make much judgement on the quality of these two. Outside of very similar district results its hard to tell is the better record at Rosehill is a mirage or the truth. Seems like the Eagles have been a little more consistent so we'll go that way. Rosehill Christian wins a close one, 35-28.
Dallas St. Mark's @ Houston Christian -- This one will likely decide the 4th playoff spot in SPC 4A. The Lions will be in with a win, but the 5-1 start they had on October 2nd feels very distant right now. They've lost the last three by just 9, 7, and 7. So whoever they would draw in the playoffs would be a candidate for a reversal, but they have to get there first. The Mustangs are just 4-5 on the season and need a win and a John Cooper loss to make the playoffs. Really just one of Houston Christian's losses would be considered a blowout so if they do get in they won't be an easy out. The tricky part of this one is figuring out if the Mustangs offense will score on the day. I think the Lions are the better squad but a challenging road trip awaits. St. Marks survives the three game losing streak and sneaks into the playoffs. Lions win 28-21.
Austin St. Andrews @ San Antonio TMI Episcopal -- The Panthers and Highlanders meet to decide 4th in SPC 3A. TMI holds a 5-4 record that probably undersells their quality. They scored 43 against undefeated ESD and lost to Country Day in OT. So they are right there but haven't found the big win just yet. St. Andrews 5-3 mark on the season suggests a very similar quality. They were in the game with Oakridge deep into the night and lost to Country Day by just 5. So both squads should have designs on a playoff upset, but only one will get the chance. The Panthers have scored over 100 more points than the Highlanders and with this one in San Antonio that feels like the pick to me. TMI wins 44-30.
Quick Hits: (Season: 70-30)
Addison Trinity Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Austin Hyde Park Baptist over Brownsville St. Joseph
Houston St. Thomas over Austin St. Michael's
Bellaire Episcopal over The Woodlands John Cooper
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Midland Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian
Houston Kinkaid over Houston St. John's
Houston Second Baptist over Victoria St. Joseph
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Fort Worth Country Day
Muenster Sacred Hear over Willow Park Trinity Christian
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