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2024 Texas high school football playoff predictions: Best bi-district matchups

Published

1 year ago

November 13, 2024

2024 Texas high school football playoff predictions: Best bi-district matchups

Our panel of high school football experts — Greg Riddle, Myah Taylor, Ronald Harrod, and Colin Capece — break down each playoff region featuring Dallas-area teams.

Other playoff predictions

6A Division I Region I

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Allen vs. Lewisville. For the third straight year, Allen and Lewisville will meet in the first round of the playoffs. Lewisville won 43-18 in 2022, and Allen pulled out the 18-17 win in 2023 before making a run to the regional finals.

Harrod: North Crowley vs. Trophy Club Byron Nelson. North Crowley leads area 6A teams in total offense, averaging 556.4 yards per game, while Byron Nelson ranks 14th in scoring defense, allowing 22.6 points per game. North Crowley quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr. has a region-best 42 passing touchdowns and leads the No. 4 passing offense with an average of 262.9 yards per game.

Riddle: Prosper vs. Coppell. Coppell has one of the best passing games in the area, averaging 274.3 yards per game with Baylor pledge Edward Griffin throwing for 2,721 yards and 38 touchdowns and Harry Hassmann catching 34 passes for 1,054 yards and 16 touchdowns and averaging 31 yards per catch. Prosper has one of the best offensive lines in the state and averages 42.8 points as Leo Anguiano has run for 862 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Capece: Allen vs. Lewisville. These two teams will meet in the bi-district round for the third consecutive year. Allen is ranked No.5 in The Dallas Morning News’ final regular season rankings, and Lewisville is No.11. Friday night’s game could be a classic.

6A Division I Region II

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Rockwall vs. Sachse. Sachse picked up its second consecutive District 9-6A title and rides a nine-game winning streak into the playoffs. Its offense has been mostly powered by three-star Boise State commit Brendon Haygood, who has rushed for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns. Rockwall quarterback Brent Rickert has passed for 2,327 yards and 36 touchdowns.

Harrod: Waco Midway vs. Waxahachie. Waxahachie boasts a top defense among area 6A teams, ranking No. 16 in rushing (127.4 yards allowed per game) and No. 19 in scoring (23.5 points allowed per game). On offense, Waxahachie quarterback Jerry Meyer III has thrown for 2,465 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Riddle: Rockwall vs. Sachse. Five-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett, committed to Texas, and Boise State-bound running back Brendon Haygood (1,500 yards, 17 touchdowns rushing) are a prolific duo for a 9-1 Sachse team that averages 37.1 points. Rockwall’s offense has been even better, averaging 41.7 points as Brent Rickert has 36 touchdown passes and Triston Gooch and Camron Marsh have combined for 108 catches for 1,792 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Capece: Sachse vs. Rockwall. The Mustangs steamrolled everyone in 9-6A on the ground this season with running back and Boise State commit Brendon Haygood, and Texas-bound Kaliq Lockett gives them an elite home-run threat at wide receiver. Rockwall had a down year after winning 9 regular season games last season, but they still boast a top-five rusher in Jamir Wilson. Sachse is ranked 11th in The News’ final regular season rankings, and Rockwall is ranked 19th.

6A Division II Region I

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Prosper Rock Hill vs. Hebron. Both teams snuck into the playoffs this season, with Rock Hill qualifying for the postseason for the first time in program history. Hebron made the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Harrod: McKinney vs. Denton Guyer. McKinney ranks fifth in area 6A rushing defense, allowing 94 yards per game, while Denton Guyer is 12th, giving up 119.2 yards. Both teams lean on strong front sevens, with Denton Guyer’s Xavier Ukponu ranked as the No. 2 defensive lineman and McKinney’s Riley Pettijohn the top-rated defensive recruit in the Dallas area.

Riddle: McKinney vs. Denton Guyer. Guyer four-star Oklahoma pledge Kevin Sperry is the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the Dallas area. McKinney four-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn, committed to Ohio State, is the No. 1-rated defensive recruit in D-FW.

Capece: Guyer vs. McKinney. The Wildcats enter the bi-district round with some momentum after taking care of business against Denton Braswell, while the Lions suffered a surprising loss to Prosper Rock Hill. Denton Guyer quarterback and Oklahoma commit Kevin Sperry will look to stay hot after throwing for 255 yards last week, but McKinney’s defense is among the 6A leaders in passing yards per game. Guyer is ranked 13th in the most recent rankings, and McKinney is not ranked.

6A Division II Region II

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Forney vs. Wylie East. Forney secured a playoff berth last week with its 56-46 come-from-behind win over Rockwall-Heath. A newcomer to Class 6A, Forney was a Class 5A Division I state semifinalist last season. One-loss Wylie East was the District 9-6A runner-up in 2024.

Harrod: Forney vs. Wylie East. Wylie East’s Michael Henderson, a Texas Tech commit, faces off against a Forney defense led by Texas A&M commit Kelvion Riggins. Henderson has rushed for 972 yards and 10 touchdowns on 104 carries. Forney’s defense has held two opponents under 20 points this season.

Riddle: Forney vs. Wylie East. Forney is just 5-5 and had to rally from a 26-7 third-quarter deficit to beat Rockwall-Heath 56-46 in the regular-season finale to make the playoffs. But after reaching the state semifinals in 5A Division I last year, and with an offense led by four-star running back Javian Osborne (21 rushing touchdowns this year), don’t be surprised if Forney beats 9-1 Wylie East.

Capece: Wylie East vs. Forney. The Raiders were the runner-ups to Sachse in 9-6A, which means they’ll meet a talented Forney team that snuck into the playoffs in the last week of the regular season by beating Rockwall-Heath. Forney was a 5A Division I state semifinalist last year and is dangerous on the ground with four-star prospect Javian Osborne.

5A Division I Region I

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Richland vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights. Richland went three rounds deep in the postseason last year and should be on pace to make another long run, which starts against 9–1 Arlington Heights. Senior quarterback Drew Kates has accounted for 37 all-purpose touchdowns for Richland this season and is the team’s leading rusher.

Harrod: Denton Ryan vs. Fort Worth Paschal. Denton Ryan is one of the most balanced 5A teams in the Dallas area, ranking No. 8 in total offense with 424.6 yards per game and No. 6 in scoring at 46.4 points per game. Defensively, they are No. 5 in total defense, allowing just 87.1 yards per game, and No. 6 in scoring defense, giving up 17.7 points per game.

Riddle: Richland vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights. These teams are a combined 17-3, but expect Richland to dominate behind quarterback Drew Kates, who has accounted for 37 touchdowns and is the team’s leading rusher.

Capece: Richland vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights. Richland enters the bi-district round having lost two of its last four, but the Royals are never out of any game with quarterback Drew Kates. The senior is second in class 5A in passing yards and has also stepped up to lead his team in rushing, after an early-season injury to four-star Baylor commit Michael Turner. Richland is looking to improve on its playoff success from last season, when it reached the regional round.

5A Division I Region II

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: West Mesquite vs. McKinney North. After finishing 3–7 last season, West Mesquite is undefeated entering the playoffs. A McKinney North team that went 5–3 in District 5-5AI — with Frisco Lone Star, Frisco Reedy and Frisco Wakeland — should be a test for the resurgent program.

Harrod: Frisco Reedy vs. Carrollton Creekview. This matchup features one of the top passing teams against one of the top rushing teams in the area. Frisco Reedy quarterback Jake Ferner has completed 114 of 193 passes for 1,987 yards, tallying 22 touchdowns and three interceptions. Carrollton Creekview’s DeAndre Richardson has rushed for 964 yards and 15 touchdowns on 124 carries.

Riddle: Leander Rouse vs. Highland Park. This region includes three teams ranked among the top 10 in the state – No. 4 Highland Park, No. 8 Frisco Lone Star and No. 10 Georgetown. Six-time state champion Highland Park opens the playoffs against a Rouse team that has won its playoff opener four years in a row and went three rounds deep in 2020 and 2021.

Capece: Frisco Lone Star vs. White. Lone Star has been the best Frisco school all season long. After an upset loss to Wakeland in Week 9, it has won back-to-back games and looks primed to make a run at a state title. They face a tough test in the bi-district round against W.T. White, but don’t expect the Rangers to stumble.

5A Division II Region I

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Colleyville Heritage vs. Anna. The 2023 4A Division I state champion, Anna lost its first two district games this season but ran the table to clinch District 4-5AII’s third seed. Colleyville Heritage was a regional finalist in 2023 and was the District 3-5AII runner-up behind Argyle this season.

Riddle: Frisco Emerson vs. Argyle. Emerson reached the state semifinals last year in its second season of varsity football, then followed that up with a 7-3 regular season in arguably the toughest 5A district in the state. Its reward is a first-round matchup against Argyle, ranked No. 4 in the state this year and a state semifinalist two years ago.

Capece: Anna vs. Colleyville Heritage. The loser of this first-round game will likely feel like it could have accomplished a whole lot more this year. In 2023, Anna won the 4A Division I state title, and Colleyville Heritage was a 5A regional finalist. Both teams are ranked in the top-15 of the most recent 5A poll.

5A Division II Region II

Best first-round matchup

Taylor: Hillcrest vs. Kaufman. Hillcrest finished second in District 5-5AII behind South Oak Cliff and Kaufman went 5–2 in District 6-5AII.

Harrod: South Oak Cliff vs. Terrell. After falling to Port Neches-Groves in the 5A Division II state championship, South Oak Cliff has bounced back with eight straight wins against 5A opponents. South Oak Cliff boasts the top-ranked defense among area 5A teams, allowing just 121.2 yards per game. Terrell, which finished fourth in its district, features the ninth-ranked rushing attack in the area, averaging 231.6 yards per game.

Riddle: Nederland vs. Texarkana Texas High. Texas High, 10-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state, opens the playoffs against a Nederland team that beat defending 5A Division II state champion Port Neches-Groves.

4A Division I Region II

Capece: Kimball vs. Aubrey. Two teams ranked in the top-5 in the most recent 4A poll will meet in this first round game. Kimball won District 8-4AI, while Aubrey finished fourth in District 7-4AI. Kimball moved from Division 5A Division II to 4A Division I this year.

4A Division II Region II

Capece: Sunnyvale vs. Caddo Mills. Sunnyvale is ranked fifth in the most recent 4A poll and is looking to go further in the playoffs this year. It won its bi-district game last season, but lost to eventual state champion Gilmer in the next round.

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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North Texas man gives away 120 Christmas trees after slow sales

Published

5 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

North Texas man gives away 120 Christmas trees after slow sales

The first year selling trees didn’t go as planned for one North Texas man.

Tim Miller, co-owner of Hidden Honey Farm in Midlothian, still had more than half of his inventory earlier this week. But he made the best of a tough situation.

One after another, families kept Miller busy picking, preparing and packing up trees— just in time for Christmas.

All of a sudden, trees were flying off the lot. But that wasn’t the case just days before.

With more than 100 Douglas firs still standing, Miller said sales had come to a grinding halt.

“Four days straight with no one,” Miller said.

With Christmas quickly approaching, he had a decision to make.

“We have two options: We’re going to have to dispose of 100 plus trees, or I can give them away and somebody will get some use out of them, so that’s what we decided to do,” he said.

On Tuesday, Miller posted on Facebook: “Our first year of selling Christmas trees didn’t go as well as we had hoped for… If anyone doesn’t have a tree, or knows of someone who needs a tree, they are free for the taking.”

Families who otherwise couldn’t afford a tree began showing up—and word spread quickly.

“I thought, ‘Hey, I wanted to get a Christmas tree for our house anyway. Let’s go get one!’” said Miriam Beachy, holding her 1-year-old son Jeremiah.

Miller said the response was overwhelming, with donations pouring in from across the country.

“All over! Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, California, somehow or another, people have seen our post and said, you know, we’d like to help,” he said. “I had no idea we would get the results that we have.”

In just two days, all 120 trees found their “fir”-ever homes.

“It really felt like a gift,” Beachy said.

“The appreciation that they have, and I know there’s results I’ll never know of,” Miller added.

He’s still deciding whether to sell trees again next Christmas, but said after the feedback and support he’s received, he’s leaning toward it.

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Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire pitches his solutions for college football’s calendar

Published

17 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire pitches his solutions for college football’s calendar

Joey McGuire has worn many hats over his career through the high school and college coaching ranks, but he’s looking to add a new one: Commissioner of fixing the college football calendar.

The fourth-year head coach jokingly offered his name up for the self-imposed fake title Wednesday during a media availability, but his frustration with the current format is real. He believes every team should play Week 0, that a champion should be crowned by Jan. 1 and bowl games should be invitationals set for Week 1.

McGuire’s team had a historic season, winning a Big 12 title and earning a bye in the College Football Playoff. Its reward is 26 days of non-compete before playing in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. McGuire loves it for player health. He hates it because it makes football a two-semester sport.

“Texas high school playoffs are playing 16 games, and they’re crowning a state champion this weekend. FCS has 24 teams in their playoff and they’re crowning a national champion on January 5,” McGuire said. “People are so stuck on traditions and all that. I get that, man. I’m a traditionalist 100%. But guess what? It’s changed.”

By finishing the season on Jan. 1, teams would be able to seamlessly transition into the transfer portal, which opens on Jan. 2, he said. This doesn’t eliminate the unpredictable coaching changes that can happen at programs competing in the playoff, but McGuire argues that unfavorable personnel changing is inevitable regardless of calendar shifts.

Many programs with general managers can handle the current overlap of playoffs and the portal window. Some programs’ philosophies, such as Texas Tech’s, separate the responsibilities while in season. McGuire’s job in recruiting extends only as far as daily texts at this stage in the season, while general manager James Blanchard is working 20-plus-hour days on recruiting trails.

However, only 12 teams are playing for a national championship in December. The rest of the country is either finished with its season or competing in bowl games with a withered staff and roster due to opt-outs and the rapid coaching carousel.

McGuire has his solution ready for that problem.

“How about moving the bowl games to an invitation? And that would be week one, Aug. 23, and we’re playing bowl games Thursday, Friday, Saturday,” McGuire said. “ … You’re going to lose a home game, but you still would have a huge attraction TV-wise. It would be a big watch because you know everybody’s dying for college football week one.”

As McGuire stated, the invitational bowl game would erase a home game for teams. But McGuire wouldn’t be a successful commissioner if he didn’t have a solution to ensure teams could fill out their schedules as they pleased.

“We’ve got these kids all summer long. Camp doesn’t need to be a month long,” McGuire said. “We can play zero week, and you know rock and roll.”

Unfortunately for the hopeful-minded “commissioner,” changes in the college football calendar start with the networks, which he does not work with. However, McGuire said he will speak on the subject whenever given the chance because the conversation starts with him and other college football coaches being outspoken in a time of change.

Find more Texas Tech coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Texas A&M teases uniform against Miami in the first-round of the CFP

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1 day ago

December 17, 2025

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Texas A&M teases uniform against Miami in the first-round of the CFP

Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is three days away from hosting Miami (10-2) in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday afternoon, as this will be the first appearance in the tournament for both programs, and by far the best game of the weekend outside of Alabama vs. Oklahoma on Friday night.

This week, Texas A&M’s media team teased the fan base and those of us in the media, changing the Texas A&M Football X page’s profile picture to a blacked-out Texas A&M emblem. Still, on Wednesday, the team released a video showing the CFP symbol printed on the standard Maroon jersey, which likely means the Aggies will go with their regular home look.

However, nothing is set in stone until the final uniform reveal, which will likely release on Thursday afternoon, so for those hoping for a blackout, which would be a first during an early afternoon kickoff, that scenario is still in play. Still, it won’t matter which uniform the Aggies play in, knowing that Miami will field a roster chock-full of NFL talent on both sides of the ball.

For Texas A&M to defend home field, starting quarterback Marcel Reed need to avoid turnovers and play with confidence in the pocket, knowing that Miami star defensive end Rueben Bain is looking to cause havoc in the backfield, meaning Reed will need to get the ball out of hands seconds after the snap, and rely on his elite wide receiver corps to make plays after the catch.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

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