Top 10 high school football fourth round games to watch among Dallas-Fort Worth teams
Which Dallas-Fort Worth area team is going to continue playing and which is going home?
There are a ton of heavyweight matchups to watch in the fourth round of the 2019 playoffs.
We dwindled down the candidates to these 10 best fourth round games for DFW teams:
1. Frisco Lone Star vs. Lancaster
7:30 p.m. Friday (Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium, Rockwall)
The top-ranked team in Class 5A Division 1, the Lone Star Rangers (13-0), played in the best game of the regional round and knocked off three-time defending state champ Highland Park in overtime.
Quarterback Garret Rangel and company look to continue their march toward championship week.
Next up is No. 7 Lancaster (11-2), which took HP to the brink before losing in overtime during the regular season.
Lone Star comes in averaging over 50 points per game while Lancaster has been stingy on defense.
The Tigers have allowed 15 points per game. Lancaster’s only other loss came against 6A No. 1 Duncanville.
Be on the lookout for Lone Star’s Oklahoma commit Marvin Mims at receiver while Trace Bruckler hauled in 14 catches for 182 yards vs. HP. Running back Jaden Nixon scored the game-winning touchdown.
Lancaster is led by QB Glenn Rice Jr., RB Tre Bradford, and cornerback and LSU commit Lorando Johnson.
2. Southlake Carroll vs. Duncanville
2:30 p.m. Saturday (McKinney ISD Stadium)
Last year in the state quarterfinals, Duncanville destroyed Carroll 51-7 in Frisco.
Carroll is more explosive this season as the No. 6 Dragons (13-0) are averaging 50 points per game, 57 throughout the playoffs. It starts with sophomore QB Quinn Ewers.
Ewers has thrown for 3,600 yards and 42 TDs. He only has three interceptions while completing 74 percent of his passes. Three of his receivers, Wills Meyer, Brady Boyd and John Manero have at least 800 yards receiving.
Perhaps the unsung hero has been freshman back Owen Allen (1,152 yards rushing, 21 TDs).
The Panthers (13-0) have been the best team the whole season. They’re coming off a 45-17 win over Martin.
Texas commit and one of the best players in the nation, Ja’Quinden Jackson is a grown man running. He rushed for three scores during the last round. RB Trysten Smith is a tough runner and WR Roderick Daniels Jr. is hard to stop.
3. Rockwall vs. Prosper
6 p.m. Saturday (Ford Center, Frisco)
Rockwall 5-star Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best WR in the state, but his QB, sophomore Braedyn Locke is due a lot of the credit. The dynamic duo has connected on 93 passes for 1,976 yards and 30 TDs.
Overall, Locke has over 3,800 yards passing and 45 TDs.
But don’t forget about RB Zach Henry, who changes things up with the run. He’s a 1,300-yard rusher with 17 scores.
Rockwall (11-2) is making its first trip to the state quarterfinals since 2015 while Prosper snaps a decade-long drought. The last time the Eagles made the quarters — 2009 when they were a 3A team.
Prosper (11-2) is coming off a win over The Woodlands, 38-14.
QB Jackson Berry has been on fire with 807 yards passing with 11 total TDs and zero picks in the playoffs.
4. Argyle vs. Waco La Vega
7 p.m. Friday (McLane Stadium, Waco)
Like Carroll and Duncanville, this is a rematch of last year’s state quarterfinals.
But it’s also a rematch from this season.
It was La Vega getting the better of Argyle, 31-14, last year, but Argyle beat La Vega, 49-35 in Week 2.
Argyle (13-0) has been the best team in 4A all year long and in 13 games, the Eagles have scored 707 points, good for an average of 54.4 points per game.
La Vega (12-1) has won 11 straight games since the loss and is allowing 14.3 points per game this season.
Argyle QB Bo Hogeboom has thrown 54 TDs, 27 to WR Cole Kirkpatrick. RB Luke Farris has rushed for 18 scores.
5. Denton Guyer vs. Amarillo Tascosa
11 a.m. Saturday (Ford Center, Frisco)
In the past two weeks, Tascosa has thrown for zero yards, yet the Rebels have amassed 91 points.
The flexbone offense continues Saturday against the Wildcats.
Tascosa (10-3) is averaging 415 yards rushing per game. Joseph Plunk has 2,510 yards and 33 TDs.
Can Guyer (12-1) stop the run or will the Wildcats rely on their high-scoring offense?
Guyer, which only lost to Carroll in district, is averaging 46.7 points per game. The Wildcats defeated Arlington 42-21 in the regional round to clinch their first spot in the quarters since 2015.
Let’s see Tascosa stop their three-headed monster in QB Eli Stowers, RB Kaedric Cobbs and WR Seth Meador.
6. Aledo vs. Ennis
7:30 p.m. Friday (Ford Center, Frisco)
Ennis (12-1) is enjoying its best playoff run in five years after the Lions knocked out Frisco in the regional round.
Meanwhile, Aledo (12-1) is in the state quarterfinals for the seventh straight season.
The Bearcats eliminated Red Oak, 34-14. They’ve won 12 straight since dropping a 60-57 decision in Week 1 vs. Guyer.
Aledo is averaging 53.8 points and 485.5 yards per game. QB Jake Bishop has thrown for 3,300 yards and 38 TDs while committing just three INTs.
Oklahoma commit Jase McClellan has rushed for 21 TDs while WR JoJo Earle has accounted for 25 scores. Utah commit Money Parks has caught 16 TDs.
The Lions are allowing 13.5 points per game and have won 11 straight games.
7. Brock vs. Pilot Point
7 p.m. Friday (Pennington Field, Bedford)
District opponents face off in the Class 3A Division 1 state quarterfinals between Brock (11-2) and Pilot Point (12-1).
Pilot Point won the first meeting, 20-14 in Week 5. Pilot Point is in the quarterfinals for the first time in 10 years.
Brock has been to the state quarterfinals every year of its existence (since 2014).
Pilot Point’s scoring differential this season: 500-148; Brock: 402-139.
8. Plano John Paul II vs. Dallas Parish
Noon Friday (Waco Midway HS)
Perhaps the best story of the season is the Plano John Paul Cardinals, appearing in its first state championship.
The Cards (10-3) came into the season without a district win in 10 years, riding a 58-game losing streak before snapping that with an 11-overtime classic over reigning state champ Bishop Dunne.
Now they’re a win away from the ultimate goal.
QB Grayson James has thrown for 3,878 yards and 42 TDs. The Cardinals have two 1,000-yard receivers in Jerand Bradley (1,537 yards, 21 TDs) and Myles Parker (1,098 yards, 10 TDs).
Parish (11-1) was in for a good year, starting with a overtime win over Cedar Hill Trinity to open the season on ESPN. Now the Panthers are a win away from their first title since 2014.
They’re led by elite QB Preston Stone, a 4-star recruit with 46 offers.
9. Dallas Jesuit vs. Spring Westfield
6 p.m. Saturday (NRG Stadium, Houston)
The Jesuit Rangers (9-4) just keep on winning. They’re into the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history. The private school is looking to become one of two to win a state title in the UIL.
Jesuit has knocked out defending 6A D2 champ Longview then followed it up by taking down 11-1 Klein Collins.
RB EJ Smith, the son of Hall-of-Fame Dallas Cowboy Emmitt, scored four times in the regional round.
Westfield (12-1) is no stranger to the quarterfinals. The Mustangs are in for the second straight year and sixth in the past nine seasons. They’re only loss this year, reigning D1 champ North Shore by three points.
The Mustangs are allowing 8.4 points per game while riding a 10-game winning streak.
10. Colleyville Heritage vs. Denton Ryan
2:30 p.m. Saturday (Ford Center, Frisco)
It took a comeback effort and a last-second INT to send the Heritage Panthers (9-4) to their second state quarterfinal in the past four years.
In their way of the semifinals is No. 3 Ryan (13-0), which has been one of the top teams in the state during that span.
The Raiders will be looking for the semifinal round for the fourth straight season. Ryan defeated Heritage in district, 35-9, and come in with a 677-136 scoring differential.
They’ve put up 56 points in each playoff game this season.
Heritage’s defense has registered 39.5 sacks and 16 INTs, led by Luke Mabe’s seven.
