Rematches and indoor games highlight Week 2 of the playoffs

Football teams that regularly appear in the Associated Press state poll are headed for a showdown this week in the UIL playoffs.

Converse Judson (10-1), which ended the regular season No. 9 in the Class 6A poll, meets Austin Lake Travis (9-2) in a Class 6A Division I second-round showdown at 2 p.m. Saturday at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin.

These two met in a Sept. 1 season-opener that was televised live across Texas on Fox Southwest. The Judson Rockets won, 65-45. Still, the Cavaliers remained in the poll for six weeks, until a loss to No. 3 Austin Westlake.

Lake Travis is also the defending 6A Division I champion, but fellow 2016 finalist The Woodlands — No. 7 in the last AP poll — was eliminated by the 5-5 Rockwall Yellowjackets last week.

Even Steven success

In fact, Metroplex teams that entered the playoffs with a .500 winning percentage went 8-6 in the first round. Area 10-0 teams went 7-2.

Beating even greater odds, 4-6 teams Trophy Club Nelson and Birdville are still around. Now they each get 11-0 opponents.

Nelson gets Waco Midway, No. 5 in last AP poll, in a 6A Division II game at 8 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium.

Birdville meets No. 3 Denton Ryan in a 5A Division I contest at 3 p.m. Friday at Saginaw’s Roughrider Stadium.

Meanwhile, local 6A teams that earned a home-field advantage in the first round went 11-3. The UIL is expanding home-field advantage to 5A teams next year.

What weather?

Indoors is the place to be this week for 20 teams, and their fans.

Arlington’s AT&T Stadium is hosting three games daily, Friday and Saturday. The Ford Center in Frisco has three Friday games, then Saturday it’s Southlake Carroll (8-3) versus DeSoto (10-1) at 7:30 p.m.

You again

Schools 545 miles apart meet Saturday when Fort Worth All Saints (10-0) plays Brownsville St. Joseph Academy (7-4) in the TAPPS Division I state quarterfinals. The Rio Grande Valley team made the trip to Fort Worth just three weeks ago but the host Saints trounced the Bloodhounds, 42-8.

This week’s game is at 6 p.m. Friday at San Antonio Central Catholic.

Other rematch games: Frisco Lone Star (10-1) versus Lucas Lovejoy (6-5) — Lone Star won the first time 35-3; Midlothian Heritage (11-0) versus Crandall (7-4), which Heritage won 40-21.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Rematches and indoor games highlight Week 2 of the playoffs."