The must-see games of the Texas high school football bi-district round

[caption id="attachment_27177" align="alignright" width="350"]Abilene RB Abram Smith (Photo by Tom Sooter) Abilene RB Abram Smith (Photo by Tom Sooter)[/caption] IT IS HERE! The Texas high school football state playoffs begin this week and here is one game in each bracket I recommend checking out if you’re in the area. Class 6A Division I: Clear Springs vs. Pearland Pearland knocked off Clear Springs to begin the season, winning the August showdown 28-24. It was a net loss for the Oilers, however, as starting quarterback and Texas A&M commit Connor Blumrick was lost for the season to injury. Pearland adjusted. Head coach Tony Heath kept belief high within his team and now the Oilers can start a playoff run by repeating the result from the previous meeting with Clear Springs. Pearland lost three regular season games, but all were close games and all were against state-ranked teams. Clear Springs hasn’t lost since the season-opening defeat to Pearland. The Chargers surprised District 24-6A and a win proves the success wasn’t an indictment of competition. Class 6A Division II: Abilene vs. Arlington Abilene is considered the team that could potentially cause DeSoto troubles on this side of the Region I bracket. The Eagles haven’t lost since falling to Division I title contender San Angelo Central in the season opener. Abilene is the winner of nine straight games and beat all of those teams by at least 17 points. Arlington offers a stern test. The Colts began the season 2-3, but finished the season 4-1 with the only blemish coming against Arlington Martin. Class 5A Division I: Fort Bend Elkins vs. Houston Madison Madison hasn’t lost since Week 2 and a big reason is quarterback Erin Thomas. A big, tall quarterback with the ability to throw and run, he’s a senior poised to garner more attention with a strong playoff push. Madison’s two non-district losses came to Fort Bend ISD programs and Elkins hopes it’s the next to add to the list. Elkins began the season 0-3 and district play 2-2 before winning three straight to reach the playoffs. Class 5A Division II: Wylie East vs. Marshall Expect points. Both of these offenses average over 30 points per game. Wylie East is led by one of the most exciting players in our state – Eno Benjamin. The senior has 1,789 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, while adding five touchdowns and 418 yards on 56 passing attempts and a touchdown reception. The Raiders built momentum heading into the playoffs by knocking off Highland Park, holding the perennial contender to nine points. Marshall rushes for 250 yards per game, led by senior Cam Haller. He has 1,545 yards and 21 touchdowns. Class 4A Division I: Burnet vs. Taylor Burnet is a member of one of the deepest districts in any classification across the state. Teamed with title contenders like Waco La Vega, China Spring and Liberty Hill, Burnet enters this game as possibly the best fourth seed in Class 4A. The Bulldogs were once ranked inside our Class 4A Division I top 10 after an undefeated start in non-district. Burnet went 2-3 in district play, but is capable of pulling a surprise or two early in Region IV. It’ll face the best Taylor team this decade. The Ducks haven’t loss since an 0-3 start. Losses to Waco Robinson, Rockdale and Yoakum tested Taylor and Rusty Purser’s team responded with a district championship. Class 4A Division II: Wimberley vs. Pearsall The winner of this game could easily face Cuero in the Regional Semifinal round. Wimberley is 8-2 on the season, falling to state-ranked Navarro Geronimo in district play. Its other loss was to Giddings in Week 2. The Texans offense is averaging 30 points per game, closing out the season with a 49-17 victory over Hondo. Pearsall also averages around 30 points per game. The team that plays some semblance of defense takes this one and the Mavericks defense only allowed more than 28 points once this season. [caption id="attachment_27179" align="alignleft" width="350"]Franklin RB Datron Dixon (Photo by Artie Guerrero) Franklin RB Datron Dixon (Photo by Artie Guerrero)[/caption] Class 3A Division I: Franklin vs. Teague On paper, this might be the best bi-district contest of the state playoffs. Franklin is no stranger to postseason success, but the Lions face bigger competition after a move to Class 3A Division I. Franklin is 8-2 with both losses coming inside District 10 to state-ranked Cameron Yoe and Rockdale. Franklin has scored 420 point in 10 games. Teague also sports two losses, one to Mexia in non-district and then in Week 10 against state-ranked Malakoff. The Lions gave up more than 26 points twice this season, losing both games. Class 3A Division II: Newton vs. Waskom The defending state champions face the favorite to win this year’s state championship in this Region III battle in Class 3A Division II. Waskom’s season has ended with a state title victory two years in a row with the Wildcats winning it in 2014 by beating Newton in the state championship. Whitney Keeling’s squad enters this game as a heavy underdog with a 4-6 overall record. Newton is undefeated, ranked No. 1 in the state and outscored its 10 regular season opponents by an average score of 42-9. Class 2A Division I: Freer vs. Yorktown Former Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar must get past a strong Yorktown squad in the bi-district round of the playoffs and do-everything athlete Libardo Carrillo always gives Freer a chance to win. The Buckaroos' lone district loss was to Ben Bolt in mid-October, while the offense averages 53 points per game. Yorktown is battle-tested after competing in a district with Refugio and Shiner. The Wildcats are the toughest three-seed out in Class 2A. Class 2A Division II:Lindsay vs. Electra Two quality squads meet early in what should be the toughest test for any Class 2A Division II program ranked in the top 10. Electra averages 31 points on offense, ending the season with a record of 9-1. The blemish came in district play to Munday, but the nine-point loss didn’t do much to deter the Tigers’ momentum. Lindsay is on a four-game winning-streak after beginning district play with defeats against Santo and Muenster.

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