Picking the best games at every level during the 11-man area round

[caption id="attachment_20617" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Tim Huchton Photo by Tim Huchton[/caption] The Texas high school football playoff field was cut in half last week, setting up showdowns across the state in the area round. Below, I discuss which game in each classification I would attend if I was given the choice of what games to cover. Class 6A – Desoto vs. Allen The marquee game this week again takes place in Class 6A, but this time it is in Region I of Division I. Last week, the big game was Southlake Carroll knocking off Cedar Hill in the Class 6A DII bi-district round. Allen and DeSoto are no strangers to the spotlight or each other. These two regularly duke it out in the playoffs, but this year has a different feel. Allen is without Kyler Murray, now the starting quarterback at Texas A&M after leading Allen to three straight state championship games, while DeSoto was inconsistent through much of the season. The amount of FBS prospects on the field will be absurd. Class 5A – Cedar Park vs. Kerrville Tivy Cedar Park rolled through the regular season, going undefeated with wins over Aledo, Vandegrift and Vista Ridge. Now, the top-ranked team in Class 5A faces its biggest challenge in Region IV of Class 5A DII in Kerrville Tivy. Both of these schools could be considered top-10 Class 5A programs in the state and Region IV isn’t known for depth outside of the Leander ISD schools. With Vandegrift and Vista Ridge in Class 5A-D1, Cedar Park likely reaches a state semifinal game with a win this week over Tivy. Class 4A – Carthage vs. Stafford Carthage isn’t used to facing a district champion in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, but that is the chore this week against a Stafford team that won District 12-4A D1. Both teams rolled to victories last week. Stafford scored 62 points in a win over Sterling, while Carthage won by 22 against Bridge City. The winner of this game likely faces Navasota next, the favorite to win Region III. Class 3A – Pottsboro vs. White Oak This is a game that won’t get a ton of attention leading into the game because neither team is expected to win a state title, but this will be an exciting game for those lucky enough to be in attendance. Both Pottsboro and White Oak put up points in bunches. In the bi-district round, the two teams combined to win by a total of 108-14. Class 2A – Mason vs. Refugio Most of us would pay the price of admission for this one if it was a state title game, much less a second-round matchup between two Class 2A powerhouses. These two never meet this early, but Refugio not winning district set up an early playoff game against a Mason Punchers team hoping to make it back to a state title game. Not only does this game offer two of the best small-classification teams in the state, but it also offers up conflicting styles of play, with Mason running the Wing-T and Refugio airing it out.