Which bi-district games have the highest upset potential this week?

[caption id="attachment_27137" align="alignright" width="350"]Hewitt Midway QB Josh Owen (Photo by Carlos Barron) Hewitt Midway QB Josh Owen (Photo by Carlos Barron)[/caption] The state playoffs start this week. Upsets are bound to happen in the bi-district round. Here are a few of the top candidates. Kemp over Pottsboro At the top of Class 3A Division I Region II bracket sits Pottsboro. After losing to Gunter in Week 2, Pottsboro put it together en route to a District 5-3A D1 title and the No. 1 seed out of the district. An overtime loss to finish the season against Whitesboro could have the Cardinals on tilt. All teams want to reach the playoffs peaking. Pottsboro put in its worst performance of the year the last time it stepped on the field. That doubt should play in Kemp’s favor. Quarterback Cameron Clamon and the Yellowjackets offense scored at least 26 points in every game and were only held to fewer than 30 points twice on the season. S.A. O’Connor over Judson Judson was the story of Week 1 when the Rockets knocked off Lake Travis with a fourth quarter comeback. Three wins later and Judson was undefeated when it faced Cibolo Steele for District 27-6A crown. The result was a three-touchdown loss. There's no shame in losing to Steele, the team favored to win Region IV in Class 6A Division II, but the alarms sounded for the Rockets in a 30-point loss to Smithson Valley. An eight-point win over New Braunfels Canyon wasn’t overly inspiring. O’Connor is the higher seed for this matchup after rolling unscathed through District 28-6A. The only blemish for the Panthers came in non-district to Steele. O’Connor puts up points with an explosive offense and a stingy defense. It’ll be a test for Judson. Waco Midway over Cedar Hill Cedar Hill didn’t exude its normal dominance during the season, but here the Longhorns are at 8-2 with one of those losses coming to the FBS factory known as Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. A loss to DeSoto in the first district game of the year took a regular season crown out of the picture. The focus is now on the playoffs and a sneaky team in Waco Midway is waiting. Cedar Hill managed to win a few close games this year, which could be invaluable in the playoffs. It also revealed weaknesses that Midway hopes to exploit. The Panthers started 0-2, falling to Class 6A contender Cedar Ridge and Class 5A champion Cedar Park. Since then, Midway has averaged 43.1 points per game against the final eight opponents on the regular season schedule. Lufkin over John Tyler Two traditional East Texas heavyweights square up for bragging rights and at least one more week of football. John Tyler enters as the favorite. A one-point loss to Rockwall on Sept. 16 is the only blemish on the record. Head coach Ricklan Holmes has speed, experience and leadership on his squad. But Lufkin is no slouch and will field the athletes needed to pull an upset on John Tyler. The Panthers averaged 53 points in their three losses, meaning all it takes is a strong defensive effort and the Lufkin offense will score enough points to keep this closer than expected.

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