Playoff preview: Southlake Carroll’s second chance, North Crowley’s next step and more
December begins this week. And you know what that means: the Texas High School football state championships are almost here.
Starting on Thursday, high school football teams will be looking to punch their tickets to the state championship semifinals. The competition at this point involves only the elite, and all schools involved have gained serious momentum.
Here’s a look at the games of the week, the schools involved and storylines to follow.
The game of the year: Southlake Carroll vs. Byron Nelson
Southlake Carroll will face Byron Nelson at Choctaw Stadium on Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. It’s arguably the most anticipated game of the year for a few reasons.
The two District 4-6A teams played in the regular season, and the Bobcats got the upper hand for the first time in program history. The two teams are familiar with one another, and Carroll has an opportunity for revenge; the Dragons didn’t play to their usual standard in the first game.
Carroll’s dynamic ground game was limited to 4.12 yards per attempt and quarterback Graham Knowles tossed three interceptions. Byron Nelson running back Tucker James helped give his team the upper hand with 177 yards and a touchdown.
Southlake Carroll has a storied tradition with eight state championships, and the school isn’t used to losing regular season games. The Dragons hadn’t lost a district game since before head coach Riley Dodge’s hiring.
Don’t be surprised if Southlake Carroll is bigger, badder and meaner in the rematch and plays with a chip on its shoulder. The Carroll offense will have to play more efficiently against a Byron Nelson defense filled with division 1 recruits.
Defeating Southlake Carroll was a program defining moment for the Dragons, and taking them down again would signal a transfer of power in Fort Worth-area football. Both teams will show up to Choctaw expecting a dogfight, and the Bobcats will have to bring their A-game.
The winner will face off with either DeSoto or Cedar Hill with a trip to the Class 6A D1 State Championship on the line.
Charles Baggarly’s Prediction
Southlake Carroll 34, Byron Nelson 31
North Crowley’s next step toward greatness
North Crowley and head coach Ray Gates are playing in a quarterfinal game for the first time since 2003, when the school was in Class 4A D1. The Panthers will face Allen Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dragon Stadium in Southlake.
The game is another step in North Crowley’s journey to establish the program as the best in Texas among schools such as Duncanville, DeSoto and Houston North Shore.
In the regional semifinal, North Crowley allowed only 9 rushing yards en route to trouncing Prosper 35-7. The 35 points on offense was the lowest total of the season. Quarterback Chris Jimerson Jr., a TCU commit, is leading the team to averaging a whopping 56 points per game.
The Panthers have had their fair share of blowouts this season, but even with starters pulled the team keeps putting up points. They’ve comfortably won their playoff games by 16 or more.
Allen, on the other hand, has won many hard fought dogfights. The Eagles beat Lewisville 18-17 in the bi-district round, took down Arlington Martin in overtime in the area round, and erased a 14-0 first quarter deficit to defeat Midland Legacy.
Charles Baggarly’s Prediction
North Crowley 42, Allen 21
Aledo-Abilene at Tarleton
The Aledo Bearcats, the 2022 Class 5A D1 state champions, are one step closer to punching their ticket to another Class 5A D1 State Semifinal. Aledo (13-0) will face Abilene (11-2) at Tarleton State University at 7 p.m. CT on Friday.
The team cruised to victory against Red Oak behind 190 yards and 4 touchdowns from sophomore running back Ray Guillory and 161 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns from sophomore wide receiver Kaydon Finley.
Guillory and Finley may be young, but the Bearcats can rely on championship experience from quarterback Hauss Hejny, a TCU commit, and linebacker Davhon Keys, an LSU commit. Hejny and Keys were the Star-Telegram’s Preseason Offensive and Defensive players of the year, respectively.
Will the Bearcats take another step toward their 12th state championship and 11th since 2009 in Robby Jones first year as head coach?
Charles Baggarly’s Prediction
Aledo 42, Abilene 24
Another regular season rematch: Brock vs. Paradise
Similar to Byron Nelson and Southlake Carroll, Brock and Paradise will have a rematch from the regular season. In the first game, Brock handled Paradise 26-14 and went on to win the District 4-3A D1 championship.
Will the rematch have the same outcome? Paradise may be a tougher test for Brock this time around. In the regular season matchup, Paradise was without its starting center and one of its top receivers.
Still, it’s worth noting that Brock has improved rapidly every week since losing three of four games to start the season. The Brock offense looked unstoppable in the regional round, scoring 61 unanswered points to pull away from Clyde.
Charles Baggarly’s Prediction
Brock 35, Paradise 28
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