The must-see games of the Texas high school football regional finals

6A: Longview (12-1) vs. Lufkin (11-2), 2 p.m. Saturday at Nacogdoches’ Bryce Stadium Before the playoffs got rolling, Spring Westfield and Klein Collins appeared to be on a crash course to meet in the Region II final. But, because the playoffs are a crazy time in Texas, neither team made it that far. East Texas made sure of that, as Longview and Lufkin pulled off the unlikely to set up a big rivalry showdown with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. Bryce Stadium, which holds about 15,000, may not be able to handle the crowd that will be on hand for this classic matchup. The teams met in the season opener and that game resulted in a 35-16 win for the Lobos, and the offense is playing much better since making the switch to sophomore Haynes King at quarterback. His play may be the difference against a Lufkin defense that gave up just 11 points against Westfield last week and is giving up an average of less than nine points per game. You can’t beat a big rivalry game in the playoffs, and the East Texas matchup should be an exciting one. 5A: Highland Park (12-1) vs. Mansfield Lake Ridge (12-1) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium Mansfield Lake Ridge has continued to put together wins without its top dual-threat QB Chandler Rogers, who has been out since a Nov. 3 game against Timberview, instead relying fully on UNT commit Jason Bean to captain the offense. Now the Eagles will face their toughest challenge to date as they take on Highland Park and a high-powered offense led by QB John Stephen Jones. Jones, who recently got an offer from Texas Tech, has the Scots on the verge of another state title run. He’s thrown for 3,774 yards and 52 touchdowns and has a variety of weapons at his disposal, including RB Paxton Alexander (1,614 total yards, 12 TDs), WR Cade Saustad (1,234 yards, 16 TDs) and WR Finn Corwin (639 yards, 11 TDs). The Scots haven’t had any issues since escaping Texas High in the first round, but this one should be a shootout. Lake Ridge hasn’t lost a game since the season opener against Class 6A Denton Guyer while Jones and Highland Park has also won 12 straight after a loss to Rockwall in the opener. 4A: Wichita Falls Hirschi (11-2) vs. Stephenville (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Fort Worth’s Ranger Stadium Like Longview-Lufkin, this is a matchup a lot of people may not have seen coming a few short weeks ago. But Hirschi and Stephenville are rolling as of late, and Stephenville should have a ton of confidence after knocking off Argyle, which was widely considered a Region I favorite for most of the season. Hirschi’s Daimarqua Foster eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark on the season in last week’s win over Decatur and continues to put on a show in the playoffs as he’s totaled 656 yards and 11 touchdowns the last three weeks alone. But even when defenses are able to relatively contain Foster, QB Mar’tez Vrana (2,154 yards, 23 TDs) has the ability to make defenses pay with his arm. Slowing down Foster, while easier said then done, will be the key – but the Yellow Jackets have a balanced offensive attack with capable playmakers as well, headlined by QB Easton Jones (2,505 yards, 29 TDs) and RB Krece Nowak (1,627 yards, 16 TDs). This is certainly one of the most intriguing games in the state as one of the two sleepers looks to keep its run alive. 3A: Yoakum (12-1) vs. Goliad (11-1), 6 p.m. Saturday at Austin’s DKR Memorial Stadium The Yoakum revenge tour has put the Bulldogs in position to return to the state semifinals as the team continues to fight for another shot at a state title after falling Mineola last season. But Goliad is playing extremely well behind the play of QB Rocky Morris (2,155 yards, 23 TDs) and RB Logan Bland (1,531 yards, 31 TDs) with a defense – led by Angel Hernandez (176 tackles), Hayden Raitz (147 tackles) and Bland (118 tackles) that has been lights out for the majority of the year. The Tigers will have to find a way to slow down Jordan Moore (1,600 total yards, 22 TDs) and Joshua Moore (706 yards, 11 TDs), but even then Henry Enoch (993 yards, 14 TDs) is a bruising runner out of the backfield as well. Yoakum may have too much firepower in this one, but Goliad continues to turn heads with its play behind a roster lacking a big group of seniors. 2A: Mason (13-0) vs. Refugio (11-1), 7 p.m. Friday at San Antonio’s Alamodome This matchup isn’t much of a surprise. The Bobcats and Punchers meet for the fourth straight year in the postseason and a trip to the state semifinals is on the line for the second consecutive season. Refugio has handled Mason well since a 24-20 regional semifinal loss in 2013 as the Bobcats have won each of the last three games between the two schools. The teams enter this week with clashing strengths – for Refugio, it’s a white-hot offense averaging almost 47 points per game. But Mason’s defense may be the best in the state, as the Punchers have allowed just 47 points all season. No team has scored more than a single touchdown against Mason and the defensive unit has shutouts in two of its last three outings – including a 7-0 win against Shiner two weeks ago. It’s unlikely Mason holds Refugio’s offense completely in check, but the Punchers will have to make some big plays offensively in order to snap their losing skid against the Bobcats and keep their season alive.

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