Five players to watch during the regional semifinals of the Texas high school football playoffs

6A: Mansfield FS Cam’Ron Jones Leading San Angelo Central 6-3 late in the second quarter last week, Mansfield was looking for a spark to pull away in the area round of the playoffs. UCLA commit Cam’Ron Jones provided just that. He returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 10-point lead (they'd squander it thanks to a late first half rally by Central, but Jones and company stole the thunder in the second half en route to a 55-37 win). Jones will be more important than ever this week, especially in the Mansfield secondary. He is the team’s leading tackler (74 tackles, 6 TFL) and is set to face off against a Hewitt Midway offense boasting Oklahoma QB commit Tanner Mordecai (3,360 yards, 43 TDs) and WR Clayton Williams (1,299 yards, 17 TDs). 5A: Mansfield Lake Ridge QB Jason Bean Since losing to Class 6A Denton Guyer in the season opener, Mansfield Lake Ridge has rattled off 11 straight wins. They’ve done so using a unique two-quarterback system, as both Jason Bean and Chandler Rodgers are too talented to spend much time on the sidelines. But Rodgers has been out since playing a key role in the district championship clinching win over Mansfield Timberview at the beginning of the month. Bean, a UNT commit, has stepped up in his absence. He completed 8-of-9 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns last week and added 69 yards on the ground. He’ll need to match that efficiency to keep the Eagles moving past Prosper. 4A: Decatur QB Wilson Hicks Playing in the same district as Argyle led to Hicks being overshadowed by the Eagles’ Jon Copeland for the majority of the regular season. But his numbers have been nothing short of eye-popping this year, as the junior has thrown for more than 3,600 yards and 36 TDs. A pocket passer with some mobility (391 yards, 14 TDs rushing) in an up-tempo offense, Hicks has a bevy of weapons at his disposal in wide receivers Mario Reyes, Alec Uselton, Beau Bedford, A.J. Martinez and Dane Fitzgerald. After throwing for 434 yards and five scores last week, Hicks will need to have another big game this week if the Eagles are going to avenge a 69-36 regular-season loss to Wichita Falls Hirschi. 3A: Franklin OL/TE Casey Phillips Videos of Phillips pancaking defenders have circulated on Twitter several times this year and the Franklin senior has played a key role in the team’s success in the ground game. Phillips, a Baylor commit, was recruited by the Bears as a tackle. But Franklin lines him up as a tight end, using his big frame to set the edge for a stable of running backs led by Jared Pedraza. Phillips, who stands at 6’6, 275 lbs., has soft hands too and hauled in a reception in last week’s win over La Marque. The Lions will need his dominance in the trenches to keep moving towards state as they take on a talented Teague team in Waco this week.2A: Falls City QB Keyshawn Johnson Keyshawn Johnson has been making plays with both his feet and his arm for the last few years in Falls City and he now has the chance to carry his team to a berth in the regional final. He’ll have to lead the Beavers past Milano though, and the Eagles have a defense that’s allowing less than 14 points per game this season. Johnson, who has accounted for 2,873 total yards and 29 TDs this season, totaled 168 yards and two scores in last season’s regional semifinal win over Milano. He’ll look to build on those numbers this time around as Falls City looks to stay alive in the postseason.

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