Fort Worth-area football playoff preview: Predictions, dark horses, favorites and more
The Texas high school football playoffs are here.
Teams are starting their postseason journeys, but only the strongest will make it out of the gauntlet. The opening week of the playoffs separate the players from the pretenders.
Here’s a few Fort Worth-area things to keep an eye on.
Powerhouses to count on: Aledo, Southlake Carroll, North Crowley
With the highest seeds taking on the lower seeds, there will be a lot of blowout wins this week. It’s a necessary process, and it thins the herd of teams that don’t have realistic shots of making deep runs.
Aledo has an abundance of playoff experience and have outscored opponents by 367 points this season, so the Bearcats a pretty safe bet to win their opening game. TCU commit Hauss Hejny and company will face Killeen Shoemaker, a team they crushed 37-0 in 2022, on Thursday at Aledo with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
North Crowley and Southlake Carroll should also handle business in the first round, but shouldn’t overlook their opponents. The Dragons will face Saginaw Boswell, a team that has been competitive with every team they’ve faced with the exception of North Crowley.
Southlake Carroll will be without star wide receiver and Oklahoma commit Jacob Jordan, who has been out of action since week seven. Head coach Riley Dodge said Jordan is week-to-week.
Still, the Dragons are expected to take care of business on Friday at Dragon Stadium. The game will commence at 7 p.m. CT.
Look out for running backs Davis Penn and Riley Wormley to be effective in a dynamic ground game that averaged 10 yards per rush and scored seven touchdowns in a bounce back win over Keller Fossil Ridge to close the regular season.
The North Crowley Panthers are facing Keller, a team that used to be ranked No. 4 in the Fort Worth-area. The Indians have lost momentum after losing three of five to end the regular season.
TCU quarterback commit Chris Jimerson Jr. and North Crowley’s electric offense are looking to start a deep playoff run 7 p.m. Friday at Crowley ISD Stadium. The Panthers are averaging a whopping 58.9 points per game.
Predictions
Charles Baggarly: Southlake Carroll 45, Boswell 0 | Aledo 42, Killeen Shoemaker 0 | North Crowley 49, Keller 14
Darren Lauber: Southlake Carroll 35, Boswell 7 | Aledo 42, Killeen Shoemaker 7 | North Crowley 42, Keller 21
A potential dark horse winner: Crowley
Crowley has lost three consecutive games to end the season. The Eagles had a challenging schedule to end the year, facing three playoff teams: Euless Trinity, Boswell and North Crowley.
That doesn’t mean, however, that they’ll be an easy opponent for Trophy Club Byron Nelson. The Bobcats took down Southlake Carroll in week 10 but narrowly defeated Haslet Eaton in week 11.
Sure, Crowley may have lost by 35 to North Crowley. However, the lopsided score isn’t a great indicator of how competitive Carlos Lynn’s Eagles can be; avoiding the turnover and executing on special teams would’ve made the game much closer.
Of course, the Eagles will be a heavy underdog against the undefeated Trophy Club Nelson Bobcats, but don’t be surprised if they make it a close one. Crowley junior quarterback Caleb Williams has been electric all season, racking up 33 total passing touchdowns.
Crowley will clash with Trohy Club Byron Nelson 7 p.m. Friday at Nortwest ISD Stadium.
Predictions
Charles Baggarly: Trophy Club Nelson 31, Crowley 21
Darren Lauber: Trophy Club Nelson 40, Crowley 28
Another underdog to watch: Fort Worth Wyatt
Fort Worth Wyatt has a tough opponent in round one. The Chaparrals will be taking on the undefeated Argyle Eagles, a team that finished with an undefeated district play record in District 3-5A D2.
Wyatt, in week 11, was a few adjustments away from shocking the Texas high school football community with an upset win over Colleyville Heritage; the Panthers are ranked No. 3 in the Fort Worth-area class 5A rankings.
The two will face off at Eagle Stadium in Argyle, Texas on Thursday with a kickoff time of 7 p.m. CT.
Predictions
Charles Baggarly: Argyle 28, Fort Worth Wyatt 14
Darren Lauber: Argyle 35, Fort Worth Wyatt 21
A competitive first round matchup
One of the most intriguing pairings of the first round is Euless Trinity vs. Keller Timber creek. It’s hard to tell which team has the edge, especially since they’ve played such different competition in district play.
The Trojans lost their final game of the regular season to Hurst L.D. Bell, a team that won’t appear in the playoffs. The Falcons, on the other hand, have won five consecutive contests after falling to both Southlake Carroll and Trophy Club Nelson.
There’s no shame in losing to two powerhouses. Now, they Falcons have all the momentum. What’s Timber Creeks’ full potential? We’ll find out on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Pennington field.
Predictions
Charles Baggarly: Keller Timber Creek 28, Euless Trinity 24
Darren Lauber: Euless Trinity 35, Keller Timber Creek 31
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 12:03 PM.
.jpg)