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

Published

12 hours 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.

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GM offers free nighttime charging to Chevy EV owners in Texas

Published

4 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Press Room

GM offers free nighttime charging to Chevy EV owners in Texas

General Motors is teaming up with Reliant Energy to offer free nighttime charging to some Chevy electric vehicle owners in Texas.

Chevy owners who enroll in Reliant’s EV charging plan will receive free nighttime charging through monthly bill credits that offset charges incurred between 11PM. and 6AM, the companies said. Customers must also designate an EV to receive the charging credit through GM Energy’s Smart Charging Portal. (GM Energy is the automaker’s home energy subsidiary, and Reliant is a subsidiary of NRG Energy.)

The new plan is the latest promotion to discount charging costs for EV owners, as automakers pile on perks in the hopes of winning over skeptical consumers. Ford recently announced a similar deal in Texas, partnering with one of Texas’ largest electric providers to give some customers free EV charging at home. It also has a promotion in place to provide free home chargers to all new EV buyers through the end of the year.

Chevy owners who enroll in Reliant’s EV charging plan will receive free nighttime charging through monthly bill credits

GM and Reliant claim the energy for nighttime EV charging will be powered by renewable sources through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs), a popular method among private players to burnish their environmental bonafides. In the corporate world, a company purchases a REC when it wants to claim that something is being powered with 100 percent renewable energy — even when it is still being powered by fossil fuels.

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Men’s Basketball: TCU Edges Out Texas State 76-71

Published

20 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Press Room

Men’s Basketball: TCU Edges Out Texas State 76-71

TCU moved to 3-0 against Texas State, but it was not pretty.

Free throw shooting and foul trouble plagued the Frogs from what could have been a dominant performance.

Trazarien White and Noah Reynolds were two transfers with big expectations for the Frogs this season.

Both had their best statistical performances as a Horned Frog Tuesday.

Reynolds had 17 points on 6-7 from the field and five assists, while White finished with 16 points on 7-10 shooting.

Frog fans have now seen a lot of different players have big time games, showing just how many different TCU guys can beat the opponent on any given night.

The main downfall for the Frogs tonight was factors they could control.

TCU shot 15-32 (46.9%) from the free throw line and accounted for 20 fouls (two technical) on the night.

The two technical fouls came from Micah Robinson and Jamie Dixon, which could have been argued were unworthy of that status.

Free throws have been an issue for TCU the past few years, so seeing this problem come up again is not a good sign.

However, these are unforced errors that can be easily corrected as the Frogs go deeper in the season.

It was the story of two halves for starting point guard Frankie Collins.

After going scoreless in the first half, the Arizona State transfer poured in 13 second half points and added six assists on the night as well.

Collins is a catalyst for how this team performs, which was seen big time Tuesday.

If the Frogs can get more of the second half version of Collins, they could be in for a lot of success this year.

Noah Reynolds, Frankie Collins, and Trazarien White

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What Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said about Arkansas

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2024

Press Room

What Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said about Arkansas

Arkansas football continues its 2024 season against No. 3 Texas in just four days at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, and Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke to the media Monday to preview the matchup.

In their debut SEC season, the Longhorns have dominated most competition besides a 30-15 loss to Georgia and a 27-24 nail-biting win against Vanderbilt. Texas has defeated teams like Michigan, Mississippi State, Oklahoma and Florida handily.

Under Sarkisian’s leadership, Texas has accumulated a 33-15 (17-10 Big 12, 4-1 SEC) overall record with a 12-win, College Football Playoff season a year ago. This season, the Longhorns boast the No. 9 total offense (465.2 YPG) and No. 10 passing offense (301.1 YPG) in the country.

This will mark the 80th meeting between the two teams, as Texas leads the series 56-23. The Razorbacks have won the last two matchups, with the most recent coming in 2021, a 40-21 victory in Fayetteville.

Here’s everything Sarkisian had to say about Pittman, the Razorbacks and his team:

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On Arkansas’ 2021 win over Texas being an eye-opener:

Sarkisian: “In going back, I always try to revisit some of those games even from years past just to get a sense and a feel. The frustrating part of that game more than anything is, we didn’t play great. But then you look up and you watch the game, you forget it’s the middle of the third quarter and it’s 16-7 and we were playing hard, we just weren’t playing great.

“I think it’s two-fold, yeah we obviously wanted to upgrade as best we could the roster, especially from a depth perspective. And then as the game wore on, a couple explosive plays kind of kicked into play, unfortunately we didn’t make some of our own. But the competitiveness of our team, I thought we fought in the game. But naturally, okay, what do we need to do? I thought it was good, not only for myself but for the staff and for our players to say, ‘okay, that’s an SEC team.’

“At the time, they weren’t at the top of the SEC, there were some pretty good teams still there. So we had a hill to climb to get where we wanted to get to, so it feels pretty good knowing that we’re going in there this year with what we think is a little better roster. A little better understanding from a coaching staff perspective of what’s going to be needed in that environment. It’s a very tough environment. But what’s going to be needed from an emotional and mental standpoint, but also from a physical standpoint.”

On the Arkansas-Texas rivalry being underrated:

Sarkisian: “I think it might be underrated nationally. I don’t know if it’s going to get the same exposure that it would nationally. But I would tell you, internally it’s getting the same amount that’s needed, that it deserves. This rivalry has been going on for a long, long time. I was joking with the team this morning, I don’t know what Darrell Royal did to Arkansas back in the day, but they absolutely hate our guts and I think we learned that the first time around when we went there.

“You watch some of the clips of the end of that game and Joe Tessitore is talking about Arkansas hates Texas more than they like themselves, and he might be right. So, I think from our perspective, internally, we understand and value this rivalry. It’s great to have back, great for the state of Texas, great for the state of Arkansas.

“I wish nationally it probably got the exposure that this thing deserves. There’s been some great games historically that these two teams have butted heads on. Obviously we’re looking forward to the opportunity.”

On Sarkisian’s first time facing a Bobby Petrino offense in 1996:

Sarkisian: “Man, you know what I remember in that game? And this might take a minute. So in that game, at the end of the first half, we were kind of in one of those situations where, how much time is on the clock? There might have been 15 or 20 seconds, we were out of timeouts. We took a timeout, we’re on the sideline.

“Here’s myself, here’s Norm Chow, our offensive coordinator, Robbie Bosco, everyone’s trying to decide what to call. There can be no aggreance on what was happening. And LaVell Edwards, rarely would he step in on the play calls, he’s very CEO-like. He said, ‘Well Sark, what do you want to run?’ And I can’t remember what I said, then he goes, ‘Well that’s what we’re running.’ Then he walked off and so it was the first time I got to call a play in my life.

“But the value in that, what I do remember is like, when you can really start to trust your players and the players feel your trust as a coach, you start to get more out of them.”

On Arkansas QB Taylen Green:

Sarkisian: “First of all, he’s huge. A guy his size and can run the way that he runs, sometimes you don’t think he’s covering as much ground as he is, but the stride length is so long that he’s able to cover ground. The explosive plays that he uses with his legs, his ability to make all the throws down the field.

“Coach Petrino is an elite offensive play caller and offensive schemer, so they put him in really good positions when they’re in the zone-read game, the quarterback run game. They put him in really good positions for the shots down the field and the dropback pass game, so you have to defend a lot of offense. Then when you get a guy like him running it, it can be extremely challenging.”

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