5A/4A recap: A round to remember

By Greg Tepper // TexasFootball.com

If you filled out a bracket trying to predict the 5A and 4A playoff results this season, you might as well tear them up. The regional semifinal round provided, without a doubt, the highest volume of thrillers, comebacks, heartbreakers, shootouts and upsets of any round we've seen thus far.

And we're not even close to crowning a champ yet!
So let's recap all of the action! I'll go bracket by bracket, region by region, breaking down the results.
CLASS 5A DIVISION I
Region ISouthlake Carroll 21, Arlington Bowie 17Arlington Martin 19, Euless Trinity 7Thoughts: We start with one of the stunners of the week -- or, maybe, the stunners of the year -- with Arlington Martin upending Euless Trinity. In a lot of ways, Martin beat Trinity at its own game: running the ball (125 rushing yards and a backbreaking, game-sealing 19-yard touchdown run in the final three minutes from Kyle Hicks) and defense (Martin held Trinity to just 134 total yards, including just 88 yards to star RB Joel Kimpela). What a program-shifting win for Martin, who now gets to take on Southlake Carroll. The Dragons were down 17 with just 48 seconds left in the first half, but Kenny Hill’s 48-yard TD pass to Sabian Holmes seemed to give the Dragons some life, as they roared back with a pair of Hill TD runs in the third quarter and used a stifling defense to hold Bowie QB Kolby Listenbee in check all night. We’ll preview the Martin-Carroll semifinal in greater depth later this week, but suffice to say that while Carroll will be the favorite, it’s so hard to pick against the red-hot Martin squad right now.
Region IISkyline 42, Klein Oak 24The Woodlands 24, Mesquite 6Thoughts: Remember all of those nice things I said about DeSoto all year? About how they’ve got so many weapons, and can beat you in so many ways? Apply that to Skyline, and you’ve got the same thing. Skyline blew open a close game with a pair of long Thomas Johnson touchdown runs in the third quarter, and right now, the Raiders offense is absolutely filthy with QB Devante Kincade growing up before everyone’s eyes. Meanwhile, Klein Oak got a nice game from QB Connor McQueen and RB Larenzo Stewart, but it wasn’t enough; the Skyline defense will need to be better when it takes on The Woodlands, who ended Mesquite’s surprising playoff run. The Woodlands, if you’ll remember, was on an absurd defensive tear entering the playoffs, and they continued it against the Skeeters, holding Mesquite to just 146 total yards and forcing a critical turnover. And as long as RB Randy Cooper is doing his thing (102 yards, though Cooper Woodyard snatched all three touchdowns from him), The Woodlands will be a force on both sides.
Region IIIFort Bend Hightower 21, Cy-Fair 14Pearland 35, Houston Lamar 14Thoughts: You know, there’s not a playoff MVP in Texas high school football, but if there were, Hightower QB Bralon Addison would probably be the leading candidate. The guy just does it all: he threw for 85 yards, he ran for 135 yards and he returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown to help the Hurricanes upend a hot Cy-Fair team. And when the defense is doing its best bend-don’t-break impression, you have all the ingredients for a contender. Meanwhile, Pearland’s just basically doing the same thing it did last year en route to a title: playing great defense (Lamar managed just 141 yards, and the Oilers forced a pair of turnovers), and getting contributions from all different players (Jackie Robinson ran for 241 yards and a score, QB Jacob Garner ran for three touchdowns, and the offensive line dominated). The Oilers have a formula, and they’re just following it. So what happens when a defending state champ that knows exactly what it takes to win a title runs into the state’s hottest player? We’ll find out in the regional final next week.
Region IVHarlingen 53, San Antonio Warren 28San Antonio Madison 50, Laredo United 41Thoughts: Harlingen’s status as the darling of the Valley continues, and it’s got to feel good for all of the people who have defending Valley football for years. Now, admittedly, the Valley has not had the best record of success over the past few decades, but this Harlingen team is differ rent because it plays defense. How much defense? The Cardinals beat Warren with the help of six interceptions -- four of which were returned for touchdowns! That’s incredible, and with players like QB Kevin Ledesma doing their thing, the Cardinals having a defense are shutting up the detractors. I made the point on Twitter on Friday night: anyone who’s counting out Harlingen are doing so based solely on the past; this is a different team, period. But that “different team” better be ready, because the Madison offense is absolutely lethal right now. Don’t be fooled by the final score: Madison dominated this one. Marquis Warford, the Madison RB, is an absolute animal right now, running for 186 yards and three touchdowns in addition to returning a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. And we know Madison’s been here before; coach Jim Streety is as veteran as they come. So will history hold to form, or will the Valley darling continue rolling? We’ll find out next week.
CLASS 5A DIVISION II
Region IAbilene 25, Mansfield 22Mansfield Timberview 29, Abilene Cooper 25Thoughts: What a wild one between Abilene and Mansfield. Abilene soars out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter, but Mansfield chips away, taking a 21-17 lead on a 2-yard Kenneth Brooks touchdown run near the end of the third quarter. And to make matters worse for Abilene…Mansfield blocks a punt that goes out of the back of the end zone for a safety! But if there’s anything we know about Abilene, it’s that they can take a punch. Evin Abbe, the outstanding Eagles QB, leads his team down the field and hits Keevan Lucas for a 9-yard touchdown with 5:58 to play to give Abilene the lead, eventually holding on for the 25-22 win. It wasn’t a great offensive effort for Abilene, but they made the plays when it counted, and that’s really all that matters. And…well, are you looking for a team of destiny? Maybe it’s Mansfield Timberview. It looked like Abilene Cooper was headed toward another late-game heroic win when RB Matt Watson ran in a go-ahead TD with 2:21 to play, giving Cooper a 25-22 lead. But Timberview had other plans, as QB Charles Taylor busted off a 25-yard touchdown run with just 16 seconds to play to stun the Cougers and nab a spot in the regional final. And really, what an effort by the Timberview defense, holding QB Clayton Nicholas to just 192 yards passing and shutting down mostly everyone else.
Region IISpring Dekaney 17, Longview 6Spring Westfield 33, Rowlett 25Thoughts: Dekaney over Longview is a major, major upset, in my mind, as I thought Longview was state title contender. But you know what happened to Longview? Trey Williams happened. The sensational running back rattled off a 58-yard touchdown run to give Dekaney a 7-0 halftime lead, then returned the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for a score to stake Dekaney to a 14-0 lead. And the way that the Dekaney defense was playing, that was more than enough: Longview’s normally reliable offense couldn’t get anything going. Dekaney’s reward is a date with district bunkmate (and Spring ISD foe) Spring Westfield, who put an end to Rowlett’s mildly surprising playoff run with a huge day from QB Kreigan Bridges (235 total yards, 2 TDs) and RB Kaylon Jackson (167 yards, TD in a yeoman’s effort on 35 carries). That was key during Westfield’s late surge, scoring the final 13 points of the game in the fourth quarter, including a back-breaking 12-yard TD run from Jackson with 1:41 left to salt it away. We knew Region II would be wild, but I think it’s safe to say no one predicted a Dekaney-Westfield regional final.
Region IIILa Porte 9, Katy 7Port Arthur Memorial 24, Houston Memorial 14Thoughts: And there it is: the upset of the year. La Porte upending Katy is among the most stunning results we’ve seen in the last five years, let alone this week. How did La Porte take down the Tigers, a team that looked like an absolute buzz saw all season? Easy: a fierce defensive effort that held Katy to just 144 total yards. And that was important, as La Porte was -- and I mean this very nicely -- very inept on offense. Seriously! La Porte managed just 122 total yards, averaging barely over 2 yards per play, but it made the big plays when it counted, setting up kicker Eric Medina with a 30-yard field goal to put LP ahead for good with 4:38 to play. Combine that with a defense that forced three turnovers, and you have the sound of brackets being torn up across the state. La Porte, quite simply, stunned the Texas high school football world. Now they’ll get to take on a Port Arthur Memorial team that won in very typical Port Arthur Memorial fashion: a lot of QB Terrance Singleton (181 yards, 2 TDs rushing), some big-time defensive plays (holding the normally reliable Boomer White-led Memorial offense to just 198 total yards) and some special teams magic, like Jhajuan Seales returning the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown. This is a dangerous PA Memorial squad, but right now, La Porte has slayed the biggest giant; hard to imagine they’re scared of anyone.
Region IVCibolo Steele 28, Laredo Alexander 0San Antonio Reagan 35, McAllen Memorial 28Thoughts: The rule is: the Valley teams just don’t beat the San Antonio teams. And just as Harlingen proves that there are exceptions to the rule, this region proves why it’s the rule. Cibolo Steele just continues to maul people as it looks to repeat as champions, and with a defense that just shut down a potent (and undefeated) Laredo Alexander offense, are you going to doubt the Knights right now? QB Tommy Armstrong accounted for three touchdowns in the first quarter -- two on the ground and one through the air -- and that was more than enough for what is now a legitimate repeat threat. Meanwhile, McAllen Memorial gave Reagan all they wanted -- the game was tied at 21 entering the fourth -- but Reagan got a 59-yard TD pass from Trevor Knight to Austin Hays and a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Colton Bradshaw to put the game away. And that’s been Reagan’s story all year: get big plays from Trevor Knight, get good production from RB Elijah Bell, and let the defense make plays. Will that strategy work against the defending champs? We’ll find out next week.
CLASS 4A DIVISION I
Region IWichita Falls Rider 32, Killeen 24Hewitt Midway 19, Denton Ryan 7Thoughts: We’ll take the second part first, as wow, is Midway over Ryan an upset. All year, we kind of joked about how the one thing we were worried about with Denton Ryan was coach  Joey Florence’s offense (coach Florence has overseen some of the state’s most potent offenses) to match the play of its outstanding defense. And, well, Midway cracked the code, stifling the Ryan defense and getting points where it could -- kicker Drew Owen booted four field goals, including a 52-yarder in the second quarter -- before DB Orion Stewart had the big play of the night, returning an interception 25 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to extend the Midway lead to 16-7. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective, and Midway becomes one of the most dangerous teams in 4A DI. Meanwhile, when you’re hot, you’re hot, and WF Rider is white-hot, winning another game I didn’t think it should! QB JT Barrett ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rider defense was able to use a stiff wind to help hold down the high-flying Killeen attack. So you’ve got two teams that are coming off emotional, defensive-minded wins; who’ll move on to the state semis?
Region IISherman 28, Rockwall-Heath 25John Tyler 42, Highland Park 39Thoughts: A lot to dive into with these two games. The Sherman-Heath game is among the craziest you’ll ever see. Heath looked like they were in total control when Cody Court connected with Amaris Fields for a 14-yard touchdown pass with just 7 seconds left in the first half, putting Heath up 19-0. But Heath still had to kick the ball off, and Sherman’s Ryan Reid improbably returned it 92 yards for a touchdown to pull Sherman within 19-6 at halftime. Fast forward to the fourth quarter, where Sherman takes its first lead of the game on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Gus Daniel to Joseph Harvey with 5:53 to play, putting the Bearcats up 20-19. Heath responds, driving down the field and scoring on a Cody Court 2-yard touchdown run with 1:25 to play, putting Heath up 25-20. So that’s church for Sherman, right? Nope! Daniel hits JT Luper for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left to give Sherman the 28-25 win. Simply amazing. Can they muster enough magic next week to knock off a red-hot John Tyler team? John Tyler got a huge game from QB Greg Ward (321 total yards, 3 total touchdowns, including completing 17 of 19 passes) and managed to survive a late Highland Park charge to survive and hand the Scots their first -- and only -- loss of the year. I’m not sure why John Tyler always flies under the radar, but this is a program with everything you want -- pedigree, coaching, defense, a playmaker -- in a state champion contender.
Region IIIAngleton 55, Vidor 30Pearland Dawson 33, Nederland 25Thoughts: When filling out my brackets before the beginning of the playoffs, one team kept jumping to my mind as a team with a chance to really surprise some people was Angleton. And the reasons were on full display in their win over an upstart Vidor squad. Angleton ran the ball extremely well (Richard Cooper ran for 153 yards and two scores, Ryan Jackson added 77 yards and two scores), used QB TJ Austin to keep the Vidor defense off-balance (137 yards, two scores on just 14 attempts), and made plays defensively and on special teams (the Wildcats forced three Vidor turnovers, and got a kickoff return for a touchdown from Marquis Elder). Pearland Dawson, meanwhile, is winning a bit differently, thanks in large part to the emergence of superstar QB Garry Kimble. In the win over Nederland, Kimble threw for three touchdowns and was also a threat on the ground, while RB James White added 137 yards and two scores on the ground of his own. And the reason Dawson’s going to be a tough out is because of how tough they are in the trenches; they routinely win the battle up front, which makes them very difficult to beat on the scoreboard.
Region IVLake Travis 58, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 15Cedar Park 49, Weslaco East 0Thoughts: I mean this in the nicest possible way, but if there was a boring region in the state this week, it was probably this one, as both 25-4A representatives mowed down their respective opponents. Lake Travis is just a machine right now, scoring on its first seven possessions to mount an untouchable lead, and when the offense has the kind of balance that it has right now (Varshaun Nixon had 106 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and QB Baker Mayfield threw for 235 yards and four touchdowns), the Cavaliers look like the kind of team that can win a fifth straight title. But Cedar Park’s defense is going to come calling, as the Timberwolves are looking mighty stout defensively right now. Combine that with the unstoppable force that is Brian Hogan right now (150 yards, two touchdowns on just 14 carries, plus a TD pass) and you have to wonder whether the only team that can knock off the unstoppable Lake Travis is their own district bunkmate.
CLASS 4A DIVISION II
Region IAledo 42, Canyon Randall 14Stephenville 48, Lake Dallas 30Thoughts: The one question about Aledo entering the playoffs -- and, really, all season -- was about their defense. We knew they’d be able to score with talent like RB Johnathan Gray and QB Matthew Bishop, but would they be able to stop anyone? And while Randall was able to rack up 366 yards on the ground, Aledo’s defense forced three critical turnovers, giving the ball back to the offense which did what it normally does: score, and often. Johnathan Gray had a monster game, running for 304 yards and three touchdowns to pace Aledo (Gray also went over 10,000 career yards, which is silly). Stephenville, however, welcomed back injured RB Aiavion Edwards, and it didn’t look like he missed a beat: he ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and added six receptions for 67 yards and two scores to help the Yellowjackets reach the regional final and a rematch with Aledo. This Stephenville team has battled an insane amount of injuries all season; now that they’re getting healthy, they could be as good as we thought they were at the beginning of the year. You know, when they beat Aledo.
Region IICorsicana 52, Frisco Centennial 31Kilgore 24, Frisco 10Thoughts: Alright, Corsicana, we get it: your offense is incredible. ‘Cana put on a show against Centennial, as QB DeVontay Bell (156 yards, 2 TDs passing, 124 yards, TD rushing) was only outdone by the grossly underrated RB Cameron Washington, who scampered for 214 yards and four touchdowns to lead Corsicana. The defense is still a bit of a concern -- Centennial’s QB Lamar Jordan had a big game -- but as long as this team is scoring like it is right now, it might not matter. Meanwhile, Kilgore’s defense just did something absolutely extraordinary. Frisco’s offense entered Friday’s game averaging 387.2 yards per game; Kilgore’s defense held the Raccoons to barely over 200 in their win. Kilgore had a case of the dropsies, turning the ball over three times, but it didn’t matter in this one because the defense played so well. We’re careening toward a showdown of a red-hot offense (Corsicana) against a red-hot defense (Kilgore). That’ll be a regional final worth watchin.
Region IIILa Marque 18, Beaumont Ozen 6Manvel 49, Dayton 10Thoughts: I’m not going to get into the fracas that followed the La Marque-Ozen game -- if you really want to read about it, the Galveston Daily News does a good job recapping the terrible scene (http://galvestondailynews.com/story/275418) -- but instead, let’s focus on the game, which saw the La Marque defense awake in a big way. The numbers may not bear it out, but La Marque’s defense made big stop after big stop, allowing the offense time to make its plays, as QB Emanuell Williams’ two touchdown runs set the stage for Tim Wright to drive the dagger with an 85-yard touchdown run in the third to put La Marque up 18-0. Manvel, on the other hand…man, what an effort for the Mavericks. We knew coming into the playoffs that this was a team capable of putting it all together, and they might have played their best game of the year against Dayton, getting a mammoth game from both QB Shane McCarley and RB Selwyn Green while the defense did a number of the normally potent QB Andres Herrera for Dayton. So now we have another district rematch -- this one out of 24-4A -- for a regional title. Can’t wait.
Region IVCorpus Christi Calallen 38, Dripping Springs 31Kerrville Tivy 50, Port Lavaca Calhoun 43Thoughts: What a pair of fun, high-scoring slugfests. Dripping Springs went toe-to-toe Calallen, leading 21-14 at halftime, but the Calallen defense woke up, shutting down DS for the majority of the second half. Meanwhile, Calallen hit a number of big plays in the fourth quarter to put it away, specifically a 74-yard touchdown run and a 35-yard touchdown from the infinitely explosive RB Marcus Price. Dripping Springs never went away, but that’s the danger of playing Calallen’s style of football: eventually, they’ll get a stop, and they’ve got the explosiveness to make you pay. Meanwhile, whoa, what a wild finish for Tivy and Calhoun! Calhoun rallies from down 14 with 9 minutes left and scores on a 6-yard Joseph Bargas touchdown run with 1:33 to play to pull within an extra point of tying it at 42. But what does Calhoun coach Richard Whitaker do? He goes for the win! Nick McCrory hits pay dirt on the two point conversion, and all of a sudden, Calhoun is winning 43-42 with 1:33 to go! But Tivy just will not go away, as QB Parks McNeil -- whom I’ve gushed about over and over on this site -- leads a drive down the field and finishes it off himself with a 24-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds left to push Tivy to the state quarterfinals. What a finish. If the regional final between Calallen and Tivy is half as good as the regional semis were, we’ll be lucky.