Five players to watch in the bi-district round of the Texas high school football playoffs

With the playoffs finally upon us, here is one player from each classification that will have to have a big performance in the bi-district round to lead his team to a victory: 6A: San Antonio Brennan QB Jordan Martinez With Oklahoma State commit Jahmyl Jeter sidelined the last three weeks with an injury, the Bears have relied more heavily on senior quarterback Jordan Martinez in their offensive attack. Brennan is still feeling the sting of a 44-41 OT loss to O’Connor in the regular season finale and now faces a daunting first round opponent in Cibolo Steele. If the Bears are going to escape the bi-district round, they’ll need Martinez (1,651 yards, 14 TDs) to build on his three-touchdown performance against the Panthers. 5A: Frisco Reedy RB Justin Gipson Frisco Reedy is in just its second year as a varsity program, but the Lions made tremendous strides this year on their way to a nine-win regular season and a playoff berth. Getting that first postseason win would be huge for coach Chad Cole and company. While QB Josh Foskey has put up impressive numbers in the passing game, it’s senior running back Justin Gipson who will need to step up for the Lions to move past Lake Dallas. Gipson (1,312 yards, 18 TDs) has seven 100-plus yard games on the ground this year and can take a lot of pressure off Foskey with a big first-round effort. 4A: Boerne WR Douglas Hodo III Boerne always seems to have an explosive receiving corps to carry out coach Mike Dormady’s air raid offense, and Hodo is the leader of that group this year. He has a touchdown in every game he’s played this season and combines with senior Connor Fisher to give Boerne QB Brooks Klutts a one-two punch on the perimeter. Hodo (40 catches, 793 yards, 14 TDs) will need to find a few holes in Liberty Hill’s secondary and continue to make big plays to give the Greyhounds a chance against Jeff Walker’s Panthers. 3A: Rockdale QB Torry Locklin Locklin has been a star all season long, putting up big numbers both through the air and on the ground to lead the Tigers offense to an average of more than 40 points per game. Locklin (2,837 total yards, 34 TDs) is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in all of Class 3A and has scored at least three touchdowns in seven straight games. Malakoff is a difficult draw in the first round, but another big game from Locklin could spark a deep run for Rockdale.2A: Bosqueville QB Tyler Webb The Bulldogs are coming off a rough 77-14 loss to Mart and don’t have much time to lick their wounds with Hico waiting in the first round. The Bosqueville offense has shown the potential to be explosive at times, but is at its best when QB Tyler Webb gets going early and is able to take care of the ball. Webb (1,760 yards, 17 TDs) will look to outdo a struggling Hico offense while trying to make some plays against a defense allowing just 17 points per game.

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