The must-see Thursday night Texas high school football games for Week 11

Somehow we’ve hit fast forward on the regular season and are now entering Week 11 of the Texas high school football season. It’s a week that will make or break the season of team’s across the state, and both playoff spots and district championships are on the line. Here a few must-see district title games that should kick off the weekend in an exciting way: CC Veterans Memorial (9-0, 5-0) vs. CC Calallen (9-0, 5-0) These two teams have been on a crash course for several weeks now and will finally meet with the District 30-5A championship on the line. Calallen, which advanced to the Class 5A Division II championship game last season, is the established power under legendary head coach Phil Danaher. Veterans Memorial is in just its second season of varsity football and has the opportunity to make a real statement in the final game of the regular season. The Eagles have played in just one close game this season, needing a wild 38-35 comeback win over Flour Bluff to remain unbeaten in the first game of South Zone play. No other team has come within 31 points of Veterans Memorial this season, as the team is outscoring its opponents by an average of almost 37 points per game. The offense has been hard to stop behind the play of RB Frank Jones (1,243 yards, 16 TDs), but Calallen will undoubtedly provided the strongest test to date. The Wildcats are gunning for their 20^th district championship since the 1988 season and have been just as dominant as the Eagles this season. They are allowing just eight points per game while scoring an average of 50 behind an explosive running game led by Alec Brown (1,239 yards, 16 TDs), Colton Duff (847 yards, 13 TDs), and Zach Hawkins (656 yards, 8 TDs). Calallen is a heavy favorite, but Veterans Memorial will be aiming to pull off the upset win heading into the playoffs. While both teams have their bi-district opponents already set in stone, the game should have an exciting playoff-type atmosphere to close out the regular season. Austin Bowie (8-1, 4-0) vs. San Marcos (8-1, 4-0) It’s a game San Marcos has had circled on its calendar since the end of last season. For the second straight year, the Rattlers will take on Bowie with the District 14-6A title on the line, looking to pull off a feat most didn’t give them a chance to achieve before the year began. San Marcos has taken care of business in district play with only one game (a 39-36 win over Manor) finishing closer than 16 points. Bowie had to survive a scare of its own against Manor, going to overtime before eventually pulling out a 39-36 win of its own. As the defending district champs, the claim to first place has always been Bowie’s to lose. The Bulldogs have relied on running back Kyle Carter (884 yards, 9 TDs) and QB Trinidad Sanders (1,501 total yards, 7 TDs) to put themselves in position for another championship. But San Marcos is led by the outstanding play of senior Prudy Calderon (2,477 total yards, 34 TDs), who has been tough to slow down this year. Bowie knocked off the Rattlers 59-7 last season, but San Marcos believes it has the pieces necessary to bounce back in a big way this time around. It’s a winner take all to close out the year in Austin, and one the Rattlers should have plenty of motivation for. San Antonio O’Connor (9-0) vs. San Antonio Brennan (6-3, 5-0) The District 28-6A championship will again belong to either O’Connor or Brennan as the two schools meet for the third straight season with the title on the line. Last year, O’Connor dominated the game in a 38-7 win while Brennan won 35-21 in the only other meeting between back in 2015. The Panthers have won nine straight games this season and have really been on a roll since a 27-23 win over Warren early in district play. Since that win, they’ve outscored their opponents 146-26, including a 41-7 win over Clark last week. The dominance has come behind the success of senior quarterback Roel Sanchez, who has accounted for 2,112 total yards and 32 TDs this year. After losing three straight to Reagan, Judson and Johnson to open the season, Brennan has rattled off six straight wins with each coming by at least 25 points. RB Jahmyl Jeter (1,048 yards, 16 TDs) and QB Jordan Martinez (1,322 yards, 11 TDs) have formed a solid tandem in the backfield, and will look to keep the momentum going this week with the playoffs on the horizon.

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