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Hutchinson, Paul are players of year
BRYAN, Texas (AP) —Stamford’s Hagen Hutchinson and Munday’s Dee Paul who led their teams to state championships  head up the 62nd Annual Collin Street Bakery/Texas Sports Writers Association’s Class A All-State Football Team.
Quarterback Hutchinson was the offensive player of the year. The 184-pound senior passed for 3,038 yards with 45 touchdowns for the Division I state champs.
Defensive back Paul was the defensive player of the year. The 165-pound senior had eight interceptions with four defensive touchdowns for the Division II state champs. Paul, who also played quarterback, made the first team as an athlete after throwing for 1,579 yards and rushing for 1,960, accounting for 55 touchdowns.
Here’s the 62nd Annual Collin Street Bakery/Texas Sports Writers Association’s Class A All-State Football Team.
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Guards – Victor Acevedo, Stratford, 6-0, 200, sr. and Troy Holdman, Sundown, 5-11, 250, sr.
Tackles – Tanner Jones, Alto, 6-1, 290, sr. and Logan Groves, Munday, 5-9, 239, sr.
Center – B.J. Araujo, Munday, 5-7, 183, sr.
Tight end – Dustin Barton, Sabinal, 6-2, 206, sr.
Spit ends -  James Washington, Stamford, 6-0, 175, jr. and Brandon Green, Burton, 6-5, 201, sr.
Quarterback – Hagen Hutchinson, Stamford, 6-2, 184, sr.
Athlete  – Dee Paul, Munday, 6-0, 165, sr.
Running backs – Jacolby Whitaker, Alto, 6-0, 190, jr.;  Hunter Ammons, Mount Enterprise, 5-11, 185, sr. ; and Terry Gilbreath, Wellington, 5-10, 170, jr.
Place-kicker – Rodney Ortiz, San Saba, 5-6, 166, jr.
Offensive Player of the Year:  Hagen Hutchinson, Stamford, 6-2, 184, sr.
Co-Coaches of the year: Patrick Corcoran, Munday and Wayne Hutchinson, Stamford.

Defense
Linemen – Jake Myers, Munday, 6-0, 185, sr.; Trent Andrews, Bosqueville, 6-1, 275, jr.;  L.J. Collier, Munday, 6-3, 240, jr.; and  Shannon Cordell, Mart, 6-1, 190, jr.
Linebackers – Eric Wiatrek, Falls City, 5-5, 115, jr.; Harrison Hull, Bremond, 5-10, 185, jr.;  Collin Nail, Mart, 5-10, 200, soph.; and  R.J. Bell, Bosqueville, 5-10, 215, sr.
Backs  – Dee Paul, Munday, 6-0, 165, sr.; Joe Cruz, Alto, 5-10, 180, sr.;  Marvin Cox, Italy, 5-9, 165, sr.; and  Juwan Mathis, Burton, 5-10, 155, sr.
Punter -Rio Schmidt, Mason, 5-10, 185, sr.
Kick returner -Dee Paul, Munday, 6-0, 165, sr.
Defensive Player of the Year: Dee Paul, Munday, 6-0, 165, sr.

SECOND TEAM
Offense
Guards – Trent Andrews, Bosqueville, 6-1, 275,  jr.  and Kyle Zavala, Mason, 6-0, 245, soph.
Tackles – Rob Montgomery, Albany, 6-3 ,305, sr. and Ja’Braylin Thomas, Weimar, 6-6, 320, sr.
Center – Tyler Neatherlin, Stamford, 6-4, 260,  jr.
Tight end – Andy Flusche, Muenster, 6-3, 230, jr.
Spit ends – Travis Hammer, Panhandle, 5-10, 170, sr. and Jared Reagan, Booker, 5-10, 160, soph.
Quarterback – Hunter Lile, Booker, 5-9, 168, soph.
Athlete – De’Nerian Thomas, Mart, 5-9, 160, soph.
Running backs -  Roddrick Taylor, Munday, 5-11, 165, sr.; D’Marcus Cosby, Mart, 5-10, 160 , fr. ; and Demontrae Finney, Honey Grove, 6-1, 175, sr.
Place-kicker – Hunter Klement, Muenster, 6-3, 180, sr.
Defense
Linemen – Denzel Williams, Tenaha, jr. ;  Sam Gibson, Burton, 6-4, 275, sr.;  Draven Denison, Bremond, 6-2, 250, sr.;  Fabian Gomez,  Thorndale, 6-2, 260, sr.
Linebackers -Hunter Cabral, West Sabine, 5-10, 170, jr.; Ryheem Walker, Italy, 6-1, 210, sr.; Tyrone Dockins, Munday, 5-9, 240, sr.;  Jeremy Gover, Springlake-Earth, 6-5 ,210, sr.
Backs – Dalton Mathis, Stamford, 5-10, 146, sr.; Brandon Green, Burton, 6-5, 201, sr.;  Wyatt Hairgrove, Joaquin, 5-11, 163, sr. ; Quentin Bryant, Mart, 6-1, 180, sr.;  Isuro Rivas, Brackett, jr.
Punter – Dawson Halfmann, Miles, 6-0, 170, sr.
Kick returner – Ty’Aundra Taylor, San Augustine, 5-8, 165, sr.

THIRD TEAM
Offense
Guards – Derek Mankins, Windthorst, 6-5, 290, sr. and Edgar Tellez, Wellington, 6-0, 205, jr.
Tackles – Roy Alaniz, Stamford, 5-8, 275, sr. and Colby Wilganowski, Bremond, 6-2, 220,  jr.
Center -Jeffery Collins, Wellington, 165, soph.
Tight end – Caleb Herring, Maud 6-2, 255, sr.
Spit ends – Keontas Davis, Tenaha, jr. and River Hall, Hamlin; 5-8, 155, sr.
Quarterback – Klark Ashmore, Wellington, 6-0, 180, jr.
Athlete – Chance Barlow, D’Hanis, 6-1, 185, sr.
Running backs -  Rio Schmidt, Mason, 5-10, 185, sr.; Chavis Gregory, Tenaha, 5-10, 210, jr. ; (tie) Seth Shanklin, Rocksprings, 5-10, 165, sr.; and  Devonya Bell, Detroit, 5-11, 175, sr.
Place-kicker – Oscar Chavez, De Leon, soph.

Defense
Linemen – J.J. Casarez, McCamey, 5-9, 185, sr.; Dylan Cheatham, Falls City, 5-9, 150, sr.; Tyler Wilson, Bremond, sr. ; Keontae Smith, Stamford, sr.
Linebackers – Lorenzo Young, Timpson, 5-8, 175, sr.; De’Aaron Rowland, Tenaha,
6-1, 235, sr.; Daniel  Medina, Stamford, 5-8, 150, sr.; and Andy Flusche, Muenster, 6-3, 230, jr.
Backs -Elijah Ramon, Springlake-Earth, 5-8, 155, soph.; Abraham Villarreal, New Deal, 5-9, 175, sr.; Shadow Sanders, Carlisle, 5-9, 160, sr.; and Trevor Burchett, Santa Maria, Soph.
Punter -Nick Cheatwood, Joaquin, 5-11, 183, sr.
Kick returner -Austin Camber, Falls City, 5-5, 115, jr.

HONORABLE MENTION
Offense
GUARDS
Cagen Chaney, Iraan, 6-0, 290, sr.; Justin Curtis, Bovina, 6-1, 190, sr.; Zack Justice, Sabinal, 6-1, 200, sr.; Luis Limon, Gorman, 5-11, 275, sr.; Tyler Maxwell, Anson, 6-0, 250, soph.; Javier Rocha, Albany,  jr.; Ryan Raney, Wolfe City, 6-2, 280, sr.
TACKLES
Jacob Chapa, Bruni, 6-0, 252, sr.; Chris De La Rosa, Goldthwaite, 6-1, 210, sr.; Daniel Falcon, Brackett, 5-6, 195, sr. ; Sam Gibson, Burton, 6-4, 275, sr.; Christian Howard, New Deal, 6-2, 330, jr.; Will Malek, Ganado, 6-1, 275, jr.; Drigo Martinez, Mason, 5-10, 255,  jr.; Johnathon Mortashed, Iola, sr.; Jacob Price, Honey Grove, 6-4, 265, jr.; Shane Roberson, Springlake-Earth, 6-5, 280, jr.; Emmitt Salinas, Ben Bolt, 5-10, 230, sr.; Jeremy Williams, West Sabine, 6-0, 280, jr.
CENTERS
Aaron Foster, Honey Grove, 6-1, 210, sr.; Jacob Kyle, Mart, sr.
TIGHT ENDS
Michael Garcia, Ganado, 5-11, 260, sr.; Drake Jones, Leon, 6-2, 215, sr.; Smith McLelland, Tahoka, 6-5, 215, sr.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Damian DeSantiago, Booker, 5-8, 168, sr.; Brandon Heard, Quanah, 5-11, 155, sr. ; Dylan Hightower, Chico , 5-10, 195, sr. ; Dominique Messer, Milano, sr.; Brady Montgomery, Wellington, 5-10, 180, sr.
QUATERBACKS
Jake Bumguardner, Albany, 6-0, 175, sr. ; Jake Chester, Sudan, 5-10, 150, sr. ; CJ Collins, Bosqueville, 6-4, 185, jr. ; Tyler Hall, Panhandle, 6-3, 175, jr. ; Juwan Mathis, Burton, 5-10, 155, sr. ; Hayden Martinez, Iola, soph. ; Lane Rossi, Hale Center, 6-3, 170, jr. ; Cameron Soto, Falls City, 5-9, 150, sr.
RUNNING BACKS
DeBray Bonner, Woodsboro, 5-11, 180, sr. ; Alex Chavoya, Stratford, 5-10, 170, sr. ; Richard Conkleton, Maud, 6-0, 195, sr.; Brandon Garcia, San Angelo Texas Leadership, 5-9, 195, jr. ; Wesley Guzman, Three Rivers, 5-9, 185, sr. ; Wyatt Hairgrove, Joaquin, 5-10, 150, sr. ; Jakyle Harris, Weimar, jr. ; KeShawn Hood, Tahoka, 5-8, 190, sr. ; Tony Hubbard, San Augustine, 5-10, 180, sr. ; Blake Hutchins, Cross Plains, 6-0, 200, sr. ; Danial Steels, Frost, 6-2, 205, sr. ; Ryheem Walker, Italy, 6-1, 210, sr.
PLACE-KICKERS
Jake Bumguardner, Albany, sr. ; Rio Schmidt, Mason, 5-10, 185, sr.
   
DEFENSE
LINEMEN
Zain Byers, Italy, 5-10, 240,  jr. ; Daniel Falcon, Brackett, 5-6, 195, sr. ; Michael Garcia, Ganado, 5-11, 260, sr.; Mason Goodwin, Seymour, 5-9, 235, sr.; Eric Gonzalez, Bruni , 6-0, 175, sr. ; Dylan Havlak, Miles, 6-3, 220, sr. ; Roman Leal, Ganado, 5-11, 290, sr.; D.J. Lipstraw, Honey Grove, 5-10, 200, jr. ; Josh Molina, McCamey, 5-9, 175,  jr. ; Diego Montoya, San Saba, 6-0, 325, sr. ; Lance Norman, Anson, 6-2, 185, jr. ; Jaggar Parrish, Goldthwaite, 5-10, 200, jr. ; Emmitt Salinas, Ben Bolt, 5-10, 230, sr. ; Robert Samaniego, Sabinal, 6-0, 215, soph.; Michael Serna, Sundown, 5-10, 240, sr.; Ty Shaw, Sudan, 6-0, 175, jr. ; Seth Taplin, Albany, 5-11, 170,  sr. ; Edgar Tellez, Wellington, 6-0, 205, jr. ; Matthew Tittle, Hamlin, 6-2, 230,  jr. ; Cole Walterscheid, Muenster, 6-6, 220, jr.; Austin Williams, Quanah, 6-1, 183,, sr. ; Kyle Zavala, Mason, 6-0, 245, soph.

LINEBACKERS
Ray Parmer, Tahoka, 5-10, 215, jr. ; Ty McLemore, Stamford, 5-11, 195, jr. ; Dewayne Castorena, Munday, 5-5, 152, sr.; Ryder Cude, Munday, 5-8, 145, sr. ; Wheeler Allen, Iraan 5-11, 190,  sr. ; Clay Allphin, Carlisle, 5-10, 220, sr. ; Cody Adams, Simms Bowie, 5-10, 152, jr. ; Hunter Ammons, Mt. Enterprise, 5-11, 185, sr.; Joel Baltazar, Agua Dulce, soph.; Lucas Banker, Honey Grove, 6-1, 210, jr. ; Gabriel Blankenau, Valley View, 5-9, 190, sr.; Colton Benam, Falls City, 5-8, 160, sr.; X.A. Brown, San Augustine, sr.; Davis Carter, Seymour, jr. ; Miguel Castillo, Mason, 5-9, 145, soph.;  Luis Castillo, Mason, 5-11, 165, sSoph. ; Steven Chalambaga, Van Horn, 5-7, 195 ,sr. ; Draven Denison, Bremond, jr. ; Devin Ervin, Detroit, 5-11, 190, sr. ; Jarvis Giles, San Augustine,  sr. ; Ivan Gonzalez, Ben Bolt, 5-9, 195, sr. ; Brandon Heard, Quanah, 6-0, 165, sr.; Collin Heidenheimer, Anson, 5-10, 185, sr. ; Don Holly, Cayuga, 6-2, 220,  sr. ; Brayan Jacquez, Sundown, 5-10, 140, sr. ; Blaze Lynn, Electra. 5-8, 180, sr. ; Chase Lutes, Stratford, 5-10, 200, jr. ; Kade Fannin, Forsan, jr. ; Michael Kline, Kerens, 6-0, 210, Sr.; Kenny Kocian, Ganado, 5-10, 245, sr. ; Matt Medina, Sabinal, 5-9, 185, jr.; Dominique Messer, Milano, sr.; Sam Millsap, Iola, sr.; Cristan Pachicano, Stamford, 5-7, 140, sr.; Charlie Resindez, Brackett, sr. ; Maurice Sanchez, Sundown, 5-5, 160,  jr.
Jacob Stafford, Shiner, 6-1 215, jr. ; Brandon Stewart, Hico, 5-10, 155, soph. ; Brannon Stegemoeller, Hamlin, 5-9, 190. soph. ; Michael Taylor, Alto, 6-1, 230, sr. ; Quinton Thompson, Goldthwaite, 6-0, 170, sr. ; Alan Wheeler, Iraan, 5-10, 185, sr.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
James Bradford, Shelbyville, 5-10, 170, sr. ; Trevor Burchett, Forsan, 5-7, 151, sr. ; Alex Chavoya, Stratford, 5-10, 170, sr. ; Lane Cobbs, Mart, sr.; Austin Bird, Lindsay, jr. ; Isaih Garcia, Anson, jr. ; Tanner Gillispie, Seymour, sr. ; Bubba Greer, McCamey, 6-0, 155. sr.; River Hall, Hamlin, 5-8, 155, sr.; Hagen Hutchinson, Stamford, 6-2, 184, sr. ; Zack Johnson, Claude, jr.; John Kay, Iola, sr.; Lane Livingston, Seymour, sr. ; Cameron Montgomery, Seymour, sr.; Kaleb Reese, Ralls, 5-10, 175, jr.; Riley Richardson, Wink, sr.; Jacolby Simpson, Grapeland, 6-2, 180, jr. ; Will Vaughn, Joaquin, 6-4, 215, sr.; Clay Vesely, Ganado, 5-11, 165, jr.

PUNTERS
Hunter French, Valley View, sr.; Hunter Mraz, Shiner, jr.; Dylan Woods, Kerens, 6-0, 180, sr.

KICK RETURNERS
Demontrae Finney, Honey Grove, 6-1, 175, sr.; Bill Nolte, Sudan, 5-10, 150, sr.; Dearius Poindexter, Hale Center, 6-4, 175, sr. ; Patrick Walker, Grapeland, 6-2, 180, jr.

Texas APSE Class 2A all-state football team

By The Associated Press

The 2012 Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 2A all-state high school football team, released Monday. Voting based on regular-season performance. Players are listed in alphabetical order at each position.

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

Linemen:

— WESLEY HOLMES, New Boston, Jr. — Top lineman for 2,700-yard rusher

— RYAN JOHNSON, Muleshoe, Sr. — Graded at 95 percent, 66 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed

— NOAH PENNELL, Corsicana Mildred, Sr. — 98 percent grade, 0 sacks allowed in 186 pass attempts, team gained 4,800 yards

— JOHN WESLEY SHIPP, Refugio, Sr. — 96 percent grade, 40 pancakes; blocked for team that averaged 530 yards, 64 ppg

— TYLER VRAZEL, Cameron Yoe, Sr. — Blocked for team that averaged 27.6 points, 379.1 ypg; 31 pancakes, 13 knockdowns

Receivers/ends:

— DALLAS SEWELL, Pottsboro, Sr. — 49-1,336 receiving, 14 TDs

— MARCUS THOMPSON, Refugio, Sr. — 48-1,232 receiving, 20 TDs

Quarterback:

— TRAVIS QUINTANILLA, Refugio, Jr. — 145-202 passing, 3,058 yards,48 TDs, 6 INTs

Running backs:

— DARIUS FLOYD, Franklin, Sr. — 171-2,342 rushing, 29 TDs

— DAMIEN HASKINS, New Boston, Sr. — 197-2,700 rushing, 47 TDs

— LUIS LOPEZ, San Diego, Sr. — 2,451 yards, 37 TDs rushing

Kicker:

— CASEY CRENSHAW, Sunnyvale, Jr. — 8-11 FGs, long 46; 34 total PATs

Offensive Player of the Year: Damien Haskins, New Boston.

———

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

Linemen:

— DAMON EVANS, Sonora, Sr. — 101 tackles, 17 TFL, 9 sacks, 11 QB Hurries

— ANTHONY HADNOT, Newton, Jr. — 75 tackles, 8 sacks, 14 TFL, 3 FF, 2 fumbles recovered, 1 blocked FG

— DEVON LAFRANCE, Refugio, Jr. — 120 tackles, 26 TFL, 6 sacks, 30 QB pressures, 3 forced fumbles

— JUSTIN LAWER, Pottsboro, Sr. — 113 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 13 QB sacks

— JUSTIN SPURLIN, Waskom, Jr. — 108 tackles, 30 TFL, 11 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 recovery

Linebackers:

— BRADLEY DILLS, Leonard, Sr. — 166 total tackles, 56 solo, 3 FR, 12 PBU, 4 sacks, 26 TFL

— TY TOLLESON, Lone Oak, Sr. — 147 tackles, 22 TFL, 10 sacks, 2 INTs, 5 FR, 3 FF, 3 defensive TDs

— SOMARI WRIGHT, Cameron Yoe, Jr. — 174 total tackles, 5 TFL, 1.5 Sacks, 4 FF, 1 FR, 5 QB pressures

Defensive backs:

— JEREMY BALLARD, Corsicana Mildred, Sr. — 42 tackles, 38 solo, 7 INTs, 1 INT retur for TD, 12 PBU, 1 FF

— MARTIN CHAIRES, McGregor, Sr. — 104 tackles, 7 INTs, 3 FF, 2 FR, 4 tackles for loss

— JAVOLICK GARRETT, Tatum, Sr. — 37 tackles, 8 INTs (2 returned for TD), 1 fumble recovery

— DRAYLON STERLING, Corsicana Mildred, Jr. — 86 tackles, 66 solo, 2 INTs, 18 TFL, 2 sacks, 10 PBU, 5 FR, 4 FF

Punter:

— JACOB FELDEN, Big Sandy Harmony, Jr. — 19 punts, 43.8 average, 60 long, 7 punts inside 20

Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Lawer, Pottsboro.

———

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

Linemen:

— Jake Johnson, Colorado City, Sr.; Kyle Lester, Whitesboro, Sr.; Tony Molina, Muleshoe, Sr.; Anthony Norman, Edna, Jr.; Blake Washington, Godley, Sr.

Receivers/ends:

— Edwin Mims, Daingerfield, Sr.; Aaron Mitchell, Teague, Soph.

Quarterback:

— Austin Skinner, Teague, Soph.

Running backs:

— Tate Fenoglio, Nocona, Sr.; Collin Kilcrease, Whitesboro, Jr.; Jeffery Wilson, Elkhart, Jr.

Kicker:

— Carlos Macias, Daingerfield, Sr.

———

SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE

Linemen:

— Nathaniel Gill, Post, Sr.; Todd Glass, Lexington, Sr.; Edgar Luna, Cameron Yoe, Sr.; Aroldo Nandin, Gunter, Sr.; Teidrick Smith, Hallettsville, Sr.

Linebackers:

— Calvin Bryant, Daingerfield, Jr.; Alex Coronado, Refugio, Jr.; Corey Jenkins, Newton, Sr.; Tyler Loven, White Oak, Sr.

Defensive backs:

— Lorenzo Castilleja, Hearne, Sr.; B.J. Collins, Tolar, Sr.; Nick Forde, Red Oak Life School, Soph.; Kevin Johnson, Waskom, Soph.; Tim McCoy, Big Sandy Harmony, Jr.; Philip Vaughan, Karnes City, Sr.

Punter:

— Mikey Pippins, Tuscola Jim Ned, Sr.

———

HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE

LINEMEN: Shawn Atwood, Muleshoe; Corey Ayers, Arp; Dimitri Bowie, Arp; Trevor Davis, Crane; Tristan Duden, Tatum; Willie Evans, Daingerfield; Cody Francis, Wall; Tyler Heffington, Littlefield; Chase Hibbeler, Lexington; Jacob Hodnett, Littlefield; Heath Holt, Bogata Rivercrest; John Lawless, Rogers; Tom Lawless, Rogers; Alex Mayes, Van Alstyne; Derek Shaefer, Cisco; Charlie Thomas, Coleman; Michael Walling, Wall; Kipp Welch, Boling; Parker West, Henrietta; Darius Whiting, Tatum.

RECEIVERS/ENDS: Boston Hudson, Canadian; Marcus Irons, McGregor; Travis Jones, Howe; Colby Lee, Grandview; Jansen McCurdy, White Oak; Josh Quinn, Sunnyvale; Austin Ross, Muleshoe; Jacob Shmidt, San Angelo Grape Creek; Jason Washington, Lexington.

QUARTERBACKS: Ben Arbuckle, Canadian; Ryan Breton, Grandview; Kogan Garrett, Lexington; Jason Kopriva, Cameron Yoe; Evan Moore, Alpine; Nic Shimonek, Corsicana Mildred; Trevor Spear, Elysian Fields; Tyrone Swoopes, Whitewright; Caleb Wood, Muleshoe.

RUNNING BACKS: DJ Brown, Post; Jose Dominguez, Buffalo; Grant Eubank, Wall; Phillip Garza, Poth; Ragan Henderson, Rice; Koal Houchin, Idalou; Mason Reed, Cisco; Glenn Roberts, East Chambers; Kevin Shorter, Newton; Carson Skala, Rogers; Teidrick Smith, Hallettsville; Draylon Sterling, Corsicana Mildred.

KICKERS: Atticus Kilcrease, Whitesboro; Alex Lara, Schulenburg; Devin O’Sullivan, Corsicana Mildred.

———

HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE

LINEMEN: Everett Baker, Pottsboro; Brett Boles, McGregor; Cole Campbell, Bushland; Cortez Crosby, Commerce; Thomas Finigmow, Corsicana Mildred; Todd Glass, Lexington; David Gonzales, Muleshoe; Garrett Hounsel, New Diana; Garrett Johnson, Jacksboro; Brody Jones, Crawford; Randle Lane, Cameron Yoe; Edgar Luna, Cameron Yoe; Vontrea Mathis, Littlefield; Troy Murphy, Hallettsville; Ryan Rogers, Littlefield; Dra Ross, Palestine Westwood; Colton Schwartz, Lago Vista; Chris Thomas, Slaton; Jonathan Waddy, Boling; Darius Whiting, Tatum; Conrad Willett, Bowie; Riley Woodruff, Ballinger.

LINEBACKERS: Drew Benge, Godley; Adrian Cooper, Red Oak Life School; Austin Dooley, Breckenridge; Colby Earley, Cooper; Garrett Gibson, Gladewater Union Grove; John Hawkins, Arp; Devon Hoelscher, Ballinger; Garrett Hounsel, New Diana; Tod Jackson, Bowie; David John Kallus, Edna; Trevor Long, East Bernard; Kiano Lucas, Tatum; Dru Lust, Abernathy; Tyler Meyer, Lexington; Tanner Norman, Elysian Fields; Godswill Nweke, Sunnyvale; Austin Rain, Clyde; Jose Regalado, Muleshoe; David Riley, Bushland; Brazos Sepert, Maypearl; Sam Shirley, Holliday; Abel Silvas, Alpine; Bryan Smith, Post; Gunner Tatum, Crane; Shelton Zarate, Coleman.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Grant Aschenbeck, East Bernard; Chance Campbell, Sonora; Brett Castillo, Sonora; Aaron Doddy, Hooks; Cort Harris, Centerville; Dalton Holley, Post; Devonte Mathis, Littlefield; Ray Martinez, Muleshoe; Logan Meuth, Lexington; Eriq Mitchell, Lexington; Zach Perez, Ballinger; Xavier Reyes, Muleshoe; Michael Roberson, Arp; Tyler Sapp, Cameron Yoe; Kelton Scales, Clarksville; Ty Slanina, East Bernard; Corey Smith, Daingerfield; Nathan Zapata, Jacksboro.

PUNTERS: Jason Kopriva, Cameron Yoe; Tyler Vornsand, Schulenburg.

DISTRICT 5-3A HONORS
District MVP – Brandon Urquizo, Sr., Vernon
Offensive MVP – Ben Davis, Jr., Graham
Defensive MVP – Jerrod Mahan, Sr., Graham
Special Teams MVP – AJ Naredo, Sr., Vernon
Newcomers of the Year – Landon Gonzales, So., Graham and Corrie Luster, So., Vernon
Coaching Staff of the Year – Vernon\
FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback – Terrance Cooper, Jr., Hirschi
Running back – Danny Valverde, Jr., Vernon; Dillon Gonzales, Jr., Graham
Receiver – Bryce Reeves, Jr., Graham; Dominique Bobo, Sr., Hirschi; Trace Cross, Sr. Iowa Park; Zack Perez, Jr., Vernon
Tight End – Janson Graham, Sr., Graham
Offensive Line – Ricky Clark, Sr., Burkburnett; Ben Hays, Sr., Graham; Devin Torres, Sr., Vernon; Daniel Navarro, Sr., Vernon; Seth Matheson, Sr., Vernon; Tyler Fore, Sr., Graham; Reggie Hickman, Jr., Hirschi
Utility Player – Jace Langen, Sr., Iowa Park
Kicker – Alfredo Gonzales, Sr., Vernon
FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive Line – Jonathan Parker, Sr., Vernon; Husky Melendez, Jr., Graham
Defensive End – Dustin McWhorter, So., Graham; Levi Watts, Sr., Iowa Park
Inside Linebacker – Hunter Hughes, Jr., Graham; Collin Joyce, Sr., Hirschi; Brady Brunson, Jr., Burkburnett
Outside Linebacker – Jacobi White, Sr., Vernon; Mike Freeze, So., Graham
Cornerback – Hunter Jones, Sr., Graham; Ben Owen, Jr., Vernon
Safety – Tyrone McFarland, Sr., Vernon; Josh Stelzer, Sr., Graham
Punter –Westyn Swenson, So. Iowa Park
SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback – Derrick Ponder, Fr., Iowa Park
Running back – Bobby Ingram, Jr., Burkburnett; Robert Thomas, Sr., Vernon
Receiver – Ben Owen, Jr., Vernon; Larry Werner, Jr. Burkburnett; Jared Price, Jr., Iowa Park; Westyn Swenson, So., Iowa Park
Tight End – Jacobi White, Sr., Vernon 
Offensive Line – Austin Gestes, Jr., Iowa Park; Jacobi Sidlauskas, Jr., Iowa Park; Josh Guggisberg, Sr., Vernon; Zach McMahan, So., Vernon; AJ Freeman, Sr., Burkburnett; Kenneth Dixon, So., Graham; Sammy Serrano, Jr., Graham
Utility Player – Rico Shumpert, Jr. Hirschi
Kicker – Bailey Grimes, Jr., Burkburnett
SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive Line – Ricky Clark, Sr., Burkburnett; Delonta Perry, Sr., Hirschi; Zack Stumbaugh, Jr., Iowa Park
Defensive End – Devin Daume, Sr., Graham; Melvin Phillips, Sr., Hirschi
Inside Linebacker – Spur Hearne, Jr., Graham; Luke Hartman, Sr., Iowa Park; Jonathan Booker, Sr., Hirschi
Outside Linebacker – Elijah Hull, So., Hirschi; Orlando Haymon, Jr., Vernon
Cornerback – Larry Werner, Jr., Burkburnett; Torrance Cooper, Jr., Hirschi
Safety – Queysean Sanders, Sr., Hirschi; Chandler Rosinbaum, Sr., Iowa Park
Punter – Zack Perez, Jr. Vernon

The 2012 Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 1A all-state high school football team, released Sunday. Voting based on regular-season performance. Players are listed in alphabetical order at each position.

FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE

Linemen:

— B.J. ARAUJO, Munday, Sr. — Graded 98 percent, 15 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed, team averaged 458 ypg

— CHRIS DE LA ROSA, Goldthwaite, Sr. — Graded 93 percent, 49 knockdowns, 24 downfield blocks

— CHRISTIAN HOWARD, New Deal, Jr. — Graded 96 percent, 47 pancakes, team avg. 304.6 rushing yards per game

— ROB MONTGOMERY, Albany, Sr. — Graded 94 percent, 52 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed in 2 seasons

— TYLER NEATHERLIN, Stamford, Jr. — Graded 91 percent, 0 sacks this year, 23 knockdowns, 0 bad snaps at C

Receivers/ends:

— DEARIUS POINDEXTER, Hale Center, Sr. — 52-936 receiving, 14 TDs

— JAMES WASHINGTON, Stamford, Jr. — 57-895 receiving, 17 TDs

Quarterback:

— HAGEN HUTCHINSON, Stamford, Sr. — 160-241 passing, 2,153 yds, 33 TDs; 103-994 rushing, 13 TDs

Running backs:

— DEVONYA BELL, Detroit, Sr. — 2,054 rushing yds, 23 TDs

— BLAKE HUTCHINS, Cross Plains, Sr. — 225-2,017 rushing, 26 TDs; 28 total TDs

— SETH SHANKLIN, Rocksprings, Sr. — 2,248 rushing yards, 26 TDs; 90 yards receiving, 1 TD

Kicker:

— RODNEY ORTIZ, San Saba, Jr. — 11 touchbacks, 28-28 PATs, 10-12 FGs, long 42

Offensive Player of the Year: Hagen Hutchinson, Stamford

———

FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE

Linemen:

— TRENT ANDREWS, Bosqueville, Jr. — 115 tackles, 27 solos, 21 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, 9 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries

— DANIEL FALCON, Brackettville, Sr. — 102 tackles, 15 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered, 4 blocked kicks

— ERIC GONZALEZ, Bruni, Sr. — 95 tackles , 17 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, 6 caused  fumbles, 1 fumble recovery

— COLE WALTERSCHEID, Muenster, Jr. — 52 tackles, 18 TFL, 7 sacks, 4 pass break-ups, 2 INTs, 4 blocked kicks

Linebackers:

— DOMINIQUE MESSER, Milano, Sr. — 132 tackles; 2 INTs 1 TD INT return, 1 blocked punt, 2 block PATs, 7 FR, 1 fumble for TD, 5 FF

— RAY PARMER, Tahoka, Jr. — 175 tackles, 8 TFL, PBU, forced fumble, sack

— RYHEEM WALKER, Italy, Sr. — 148 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovered

Defensive backs:

— BUBBA GREER, McCamey, Sr. — 6 INTs; 53 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 9 PBU, 1 fumble recovery

— JUWAN MATHIS, Burton, Sr. — 109 tackles, 67 assists, 4 INTs, 1 TD

— DEE PAUL, Munday, Sr. — 7 INTs, 4 defensive TDs, 46 tackles, 3 FR, 1 FF

— EZ RIVAS, Brackettville, Jr. — 78 tackles, .5 sacks, 9 INTs, 210 INT return yards, 2 defensive TDs

Punter:

— RIO SCHMIDT, Mason, Sr. — 16 punts, 47.3 average, long 67

Defensive Player of the Year: Dee Paul, Munday

———

SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE

Linemen:

— Trent Andrews, Bosqueville, Jr.; Daniel Falcon, Brackettville, Sr.; Logan Groves, Munday, Sr.; Will Malek, Ganado, Jr.; Drigo Martinez, Mason, Jr.

Receivers/ends:

— Brandon Green, Burton, Sr.; Dylan Hightower, Chico, Sr.

Quarterback:

— Hunter Lile, Booker, Soph.

Running backs:

— Hunter Ammons, Mount Enterprise, Sr.; Terry Gilbreath, Wellington, Jr.; Rio Schmidt, Mason, Sr.

Kicker:

— Hunter Klement, Muenster, Sr.

———

SECOND-TEAM DEFENSE

Linemen:

— JJ Casarez, McCamey, Sr.; Shannon Cordell, Mart, Jr.; Jaggar Parrish, Goldthwaite, Jr.; Michael Serna, Sundown.

Linebackers:

— RJ Bell, Bosqueville, Sr.; Ivan Gonzalez, Ben Bolt, Sr.; Jacob Stafford, Shiner, Jr.

Defensive backs:

— Quentin Bryant, Mart, Sr.; Felix Cantu, Santa Maria, Soph.; Marvin Cox, Italy, Sr.; Jacolby Simpson, Grapeland, Jr.

Punter:

— Hunter French, Valley View, Sr.

———

HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE

LINEMEN: Roy Alaniz, Stamford; Victor Avevedo, Stratford; Cagen Chaney, Iraan; Jeffery Collins, Wellington; Justin Curtis, Bovina; Aaron Foster, Honey Grove; Jeff King, Cross Plains; Luis Limon, Gorman; Derek Mankins, Windthorst; Johnathon Mortashed, Iola; Jacob Price, Honey Grove; Ryan Raney, Wolfe City; Javier Rocha, Albany; Emmitt Salinas, Ben Bolt; Edgar Tellez, Wellington; Ja’Braylin Thomas, Weimar; Kyle Zavala, Mason.

RECEIVERS/ENDS: River Hall, Hamlin; Brandon Heard, Quanah; Mitchell Lane, Christoval; Dominique Messer, Milano; Brady Montgomery, Wellington; Jared Reagan, Booker; Clint Rothe, D’Hanis.

QUARTERBACKS: Klark Ashmore, Wellington; Chance Barlow, D’Hanis; Hayden Martinez, Iola; Dee Paul, Munday; Clay Robertson, Quanah; DeNerian Thomas, Mart; Hunter York, Chico.

RUNNING BACKS: Landon Boaz, Valley View; DeBray Bonner, Woodsboro; D’Marcus Cosby, Mart; Demontrae Finney, Honey Grove; Brandon Garcia, San Angelo TLC Academy; KeShawn Hood, Tahoka; Tony Hubbard, San Augustine; A.J. Jiminian, Agua Dulce; Will Morath, Petrolia; David Ortega, Brackettville; Hayden Ray, Miles; Danial Steels, Frost; Roddrick Taylor, Munday; Marco Terrones, Bovina; Jonathan Van Gundy, Ralls.

KICKERS: Oscar Chavez, De Leon; Rio Schmidt, Mason.

———

HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE

LINEMEN: Julian Aguilar, Agua Dulce; Braydan Andel, Ganado; Mason Goodwin, Seymour; D.J. Lipstraw, Honey Grove; Derek Mankins, Windthorst; Josh Molina, McCamey; Diego Montoya, San Saba; Jake Myers, Munday; Lance Norman, Anson; Cristan Pachicano, Stamford; Keontae Smith, Stamford; Seth Taplin, Albany; Edgar Tellez, Wellington; Austin Williams, Quanah; Kyle Zavala, Mason.

LINEBACKERS: Wheeler Allen, Iraan; Joel Baltazar, Agua Dulce; Gabriel Blankenau, Valley View; Zach Carlton, Gorman; Davis Carter, Seymour; Miguel Castillo, Mason; Dewayne Castorena, Munday; Steven Chalambaga, Van Horn; Tyrone Dockins, Munday; Devin Ervin, Detroit; Andy Flusche, Muenster; Jeremy Gover, Springlake-Earth; Brandon Heard, Quanah; Don Holly, Cayuga; Harrison Hull, Bremond; Bryan Jacquez, Sundown; Micheal Kline, Kerens; Kenny Kocian, Ganado; Chase Lutes, Stratford; Blaze Lynn, Electra; Trey Mann, Agua Dulce; Ty McLemore, Stamford; Mason Miller, Sabinal; Sam Millsap, Iola; Collin Nail, Mart; Jackson O’Harrow, Eldorado; Charlie Resindez, Brackettville; Robert Smith, De Leon; Brandon Stewart, Hico; Quinton Thompson, Goldthwaite; Eric Wiatrek, Falls City; Justin Wilkinson, Wolfe City.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: James Bradford, Shelbyville; Trevor Burchett, Forsan; Noe Castillo, La Villa; Lane Cobbs, Mart; Tanner Gillispie, Seymour; Brandon Green, Burton; Bubba Greer, McCamey; John Kay, Iola; Lane Livingston, Seymour; Dalton Mathis, Stamford; B.J. Ramirez, Gorman; Riley Richardson, Wink; Abraham Villarreal, New Deal.

PUNTERS: Hunter Mraz, Shiner; Lorenzo Ramirez, Roby; Dylan Woods, Kerens.

A week before the season began while covering the Hotter’N Hell Hundred cycling race, I was having a conversation with someone who is pretty familiar with the area sports scene.

They said they didn’t think this high school football season would be much of a special one.

While I took more of a “we’ll see” approach, I quietly disagreed with this person. I thought Munday was a state title contender, as was Throckmorton. And I thought Rider could be too.

There were some surprises of 2012, including Nocona’s 12-1 run (I thought they’d be good but couldn’t envision that) and Graham making the semifinals.

Just the fact we have three teams in the state semifinals this week – that may not be unprecedented, but I can’t remember it happening in the past 10 years. So regardless of how many teams we have playing next week at Cowboys Stadium, it has been a heck of a season.

Not onto the predictions:

* Rider vs. Lancaster – You just get the feeling this is Rider’s year. Think about this movie script:

Highly touted team loses first game of season for a small dose of reality. Then it answers with a couple exciting comeback victories. Then the stud QB goes down with knee injury. Next thing you know, more injuries are making it seem like the year might not end the way everyone thought. But wait, guys step up and game plans may be changed, but the execution is still the same. And then in its biggest game of the season, the team, playing at home, has a resounding breakthrough win.

I’m not going to act like I know a whole ton about Lancaster. They’ve got lots of athletic skill players, a couple D-I guys (ATH/DB Nick Harvey-Texas A&M and DE Daeshon Hall-Texas) and if it hasn’t changed in a decade when my little brother played against them, they’re school song is “O Christmas Tree,” which is a little weird because the Tigers’ school colors are orange and black.

Rider’s passing game will likely have to be more on point (it had big plays but not as consistent last week) and having three turnovers again won’t help. But I expect the Rider defense to bring it for the second straight week and am picking the Raiders to scratch out a low-scoring win. Maybe something like 24-21.

After all, while movies don’t always guarantee a win in the title game, they never let the team of destiny lose in the semifinals, right?

* Graham vs. Gilmer – It’s been impressive the resiliency Graham has shown in recent games against Midland Greenwood and Gatesville. A lot of teams in the Steers’ situation would be working on their jump shots right now.

Having said that, I think Graham’s margin of error is a lot less in this one. Ben Davis (who has been really good in these playoffs: 80 percent complete rate, 270 yards per game) can’t throw a pair of interceptions like he did the past two weeks. The Graham defense can’t give up more than one or two big plays against Gilmer.

I think Gilmer, which has more athleticism and tradition, will find a way to score 4-5 times. The battle I’m really interested in is strength on strength: Gilmer defense against a red-hot Graham offense.

Dillon Gonzales’ speed will cause some problems and I expect Graham to move the ball some. But I think the Buckeyes will make just a couple more plays when they need to. And with all the young talent on the field, I wouldn’t be surprised if these teams are in the same situation next year: Gilmer by 10-14. 

* Munday vs. Wellington – It’s a rematch of last year, when the Moguls scored 62 straight points for a 62-22 semifinal victory.

Now I know not to put too much emphasis on what happened a year ago. Last year, I thought Munday didn’t have a chance to get past Windthorst based on 2010 routs.

But then I watched Munday hold its own in the 2011 district loss. The biggest difference was the Moguls had the bodies up front to not get smashed by the Trojans’ line.

One important thing to mention about Wellington: The Skyrockets have an x-factor after inheriting a pretty dang good RB in Terry Gilbreath, who has scored 33 TDs. He adds another dimension to their offense. I think Wellington will be able to score more than the 8 points it had through three quarters a year ago.

But unless the Skyrockets inherited a relay team worth of speed that I don’t know about, I still expect the Moguls to break off some big plays and cause lots of problems with their defensive line. Dee Paul will get more than 10 carries in this game. That has happened three times this year — in two of those he has gone over 300 yards.

Munday has been preparing all season for a game of this magnitude and I just don’t see them laying an egg.

Maybe I’m neck-deep in all the Munday hype. Maybe I’ve seen them dominate too many times this year. Maybe I’m not giving Wellington enough credit (and for the record I think this game may be harder than next week). But I think Munday will win this game by more than three touchdowns. Give me the Moguls in the 25-30 range.

* Throckmorton vs. Abbott – I covered Throckmorton’s 78-52 semifinal win over Abbott last year and was impressed with the Panthers’ scrappiness, especially when their running back got hurt and couldn’t play much.

The Greyhounds were tied 30-30 at the half last year before pulling away, and I can see Abbott hanging around early and maybe for a while.

While Throckmorton’s run through the west was probably more mentally draining, I just can’t see a letdown by the defending state champs. Plus Mike Reed is one of the best six-man coaches around, especially when it comes to in-game adjustments.

I believe the Greyhounds will win their third state six-man title Saturday night. Let’s go with the same margin of victory from last year: 26 points.

There was a pretty impressive crowd on the home side Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. And Rider definitely gave the fans something to cheer about.

Since my main responsibility is covering the area teams, I don’t get to see the Raiders play very often. But I came away impressed.

And I came away wondering how the Raiders could actually give up 520 yards rushing the week before to EP Burges. That boggles my mind even more after watching their dominance a couple days ago.

Because the Rider defense against Frenship was superb. Real strong pass rush, too.

This may not be the most talented Rider team in the past few years (maybe so if J.T. Barrett was healthy), but I really feel like it’s the best. The Raiders have a lot of ways to beat you and can cause a lot of problems.

* I think Carlos Fleeks’ hurdling of a Frenship defender was pretty smooth. But I’d argue his 54-yard run late in the game in which he pulled off a spin move while someone tried dragging him to the ground and broke loose from a couple more tackles was the better run.

* Fleeks is in line for a huge senior year in 2013. Mark my words.

* Love House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” Have no problems with more teams taking a chapter from the University of Wisconsin and blaring it out loud during a football game.

But I sure hope the Rider players give Garfield a hard time about his vertical jump. Because I have phonebooks that wouldn’t have been able to fit under his shoes.

* Love growing out facial hair. Have no problems growing out a beard; In fact, I haven’t been clean shaven in years. And I know for a fact Munday players have been giving coach Patrick Corcoran a hard time about his beard.

* I’m sure there isn’t much Dee Paul could do that would cause his teammates to be amazed. They’ve seen just about everything.

But Corcoran told me he wowed the team Saturday morning when they were watching the film of Paul’s 96-yard touchdown run against Albany. The video shows Paul is pretty smooth, but it doesn’t encapsulate just how many Lion defenders were swarming him.

* Am I surprised Graham won Region I-3A Division II? Not really. Once the Steers got past Glen Rose, I kinda thought they’d be the favorite.

They’re riding a hot quarterback right now in Ben Davis and they’re forcing enough turnovers to make the difference in tight games.

* The 2009 Graham state finalist team was really senior-heavy. Only one sophomore (Brian Sides) started.

One of the neat things about this year’s bunch is that it’s pretty evenly spread. The Steers have lots of strong seniors, but the leading rusher, passer, receiver and tackler will all be back next year. How many teams still playing can say that?

* I know it doesn’t change the fact that Nocona lost, but I know there were a lot of people in the Aledo pressbox (and presumably in the visitors stands) who came away from Mildred’s 45-35 win very impressed with the Indians and their moxie.

* I got the impression after talking to Tate Fenoglio Friday night that he wants to play college football. And while his size won’t catch the eyes of most colleges, a guy like Fenoglio deserves to have a shot.

* Too many big offensive plays by Mildred, which I believe will take down Sonora this week. But I think the Indians gave teams a blueprint on how to beat them – run the ball down their throats over and over again.

* I really think Throckmorton coach Mike Reed is a great coach (his record speaks for itself). But one of the area’s I think he is best at is mid-game adjustments.

It seems like often the Greyhounds will be tied after one quarter and then reel off 30 straight points in every big game. Down 24-14 versus Valley on Saturday, they scored 40 in a row. That’s hard to do against a good football team.

* Speaking of Throckmorton, it really has only two main seniors playing this season. Yes, the Hounds will miss Gary Farquhar and Levi Taylor a lot next year, but remember last year’s team lost key guys C.J. Hantz and Tucker Brown.

So basically if Throckmorton wins Saturday night, don’t write off the three-peat in 2013.

* It happens so rarely, so please excuse me while I brag a little about my picks last week, which all had the correct team winning. I had Rider coming out on top by 8 (they won by 26); Graham winning by 10 (it was 5); Nocona losing by 10 (unfortunately that was dead on); Munday by at least 28 (it was 43) and Throckmorton beating Valley by 16 (it was 12).

So what does this mean? That I’m a genius? Nope, not really. That I’m due to be off on every game this week? Yep, that’s right.

Nothing is guaranteed this time of season.

Just ask Notre Dame, which a week ago was No. 1 in TAPPS and looked to have a pretty good chance of winning in the semifinals.

I was already figuring out how we were going to cover the Knights in the TAPPS state title game this weekend in Zephyr, which I’ve recently learned is near Brownwood.

But you know what happened? The Knights lost. The other team hung in there down 18 points at half. I heard a couple Notre Dame players started getting cramps in the unseasonably hot weather. It probably didn’t help that the Knights hadn’t played past halftime much this year.

So the Knights saw a really good season end, 54-52. We have five teams left, and while I am picking most of them to win, it wouldn’t be out of the question to have only Munday remaining next week (not worried about the Moguls so much).

Here are this week’s picks as we head into the state quarterfinals, where there are no mediocre teams remaining:

Rider vs. Frenship – It’s hard to pick against Rider for a few reasons: First, the Raiders are looking pretty impressive on offense, having scored 31 or more points since the Guyer game.

The Raiders are at home and beat Frenship 42-14 last year. This one will be much closer, I think. Rider is going to throw it a little more than Frenship, but expect a lot of running in what should be a power game like Nocona-Gunter was last week.

Tigers RB D’Maujeric Tucker has about 2,600 yards and will present some problems for the Raiders, who no doubt must play better on defense than they did in giving up 520 rushing yards last week.

But something tells me Rider, so often denied in this round the past few years, will find a way and come out on top, 28-20.

Graham vs. Gatesville – I know Gatesville is undefeated and certainly capable of winning this game. But the Hornets are also very lucky to still be playing after being down two touchdowns to Monahans last week.

The Steers trailed Greenwood 14-0 at one point too, but there’s a big difference between an early deficit and down 14 at the start of the fourth and not taking your first lead until overtime, which happened to Gatesville last week.

The biggest reason why I’m picking the Steers is their passing game. Gatesville’s playoff opponents (Alvarado, Vernon, Monahans) are all running teams, the last two being Wing-T. Against Vernon, Brandon Urquizo’s seven completions went for 160 yards.

The Steers will be able to hit big pass plays I think. Gatesville has given up a lot of points in some of its wins and as long Graham doesn’t turn it over five times again, the defense will keep Gatesville out of the end zone enough to win by 10.

Nocona vs. Corsicana Mildred – Nocona’s last few games have followed a trend. The Indians played one of their best games of the season against Jacksboro, then struggled some vs. Henrietta.

But they responded with one of their best games of season against Edgewood, only to make a lot of mistakes against Gunter and get a little lucky to advance.

Nocona will need that trend to continue because Corsicana Mildred is a very impressive bunch with a Div. I quarterback (Nik Shimonek) and a RB that Nocona coach Brad Keck thinks is even more important to stop in Draylon Sterling.

I think the Indians will be able to run the ball better than it did against Gunter, who was real physical up front. They’ll have to play some keepaway and finish off those extended drives with points.

I don’t think this game will be a blowout like some think. Nocona’s defense is too good for that. But I do think Mildred has too much firepower and wins by a score like 31-21.

Munday vs. Albany – I’m not sure which game will be tougher for Munday, this one or Wellington next week. Both teams will present challenges for the Moguls and probably make the offensive starters play into the fourth quarter.

But as I’ve said before, I just don’t see Munday losing, not this year. I hadn’t watched them play in a few weeks, but what I saw last Saturday – seven touchdowns on 17 plays from starters – didn’t change my approach.

Albany is one of those traditional powers which could keep this close if it won the turnover battle and ground out some 6-minute scoring drives. But I’m going to pick the Moguls by 28 (and it wouldn’t surprise me if I’m being conservative).

Throckmorton vs. Valley – It’s pretty amazing how efficient Throckmorton has been offensively. The Greyhounds haven’t committed a turnover since loss to Dallas Covenant in Week 2 (not including INT in 11-man portion versus Windthorst).

Throw in the fact that Throckmorton made all 11 PATs last week (I know a lot of area 11-man teams who can’t do that), and the opposition is pretty much working with zero room for error when it has the ball.

A lot of people believe this game will decide the Six-Man Division I state championship, and I’m not going to argue with that. Throckmorton has proven itself several times in high-stakes affairs and I can’t pick against them with how well the Hounds are playing right now. Throckmorton by 16.

I was able to cover three games in three places during three different days over the weekend, which is always nice to do.

The final results went pretty much played out how I thought they would. Quanah put up a fight, but Stamford was just too much.

Nocona held off a tough Gunter side in a contest that went down to the wire. And Munday had little problems with Hamlin.

But just because it played out how I thought doesn’t mean there was a lot to write about. I didn’t see Nocona and Graham’s sloppiness coming, nor did I see Rider getting in a shootout with a talented EP Burges squad.

Here are some thoughts on the weekend, including a couple notes on stat milestones:

* Munday scored seven times on 17 plays, which is ridiculous. And two of those were takeaways by the Hamlin defense. Just once I’d like the Moguls to play a full game against a decent team just to see what final score is.

* You’ve got to give Quanah some credit for hanging in there against Stamford. The Indians actually led 8-6 after the first quarter, but they gave the Bulldogs way too many short fields. 

And the Indians fought to the bitter end, which I know coach Jason Sims was proud of. Would have been easy to call it quits at 35-8, but Quanah strung together a nice drive at the end of the first half. The future is bright for the Indians.

* Hadn’t really seen Stamford QB Hagen Hutchinson play since against Archer City two years ago. And I know at the end of last year and start of this year, Hutchinson had shoulder problems.

But he looks healthy now. What a strong arm and he can run so well, too. A couple times Quanah had Stamford in third/fourth-and-long situations when the game was still close in the second quarter.

Most high school QBs wouldn’t be able to elude the rush and throw a bullet in the end zone. But Hutchinson did, and that’s why Stamford is a state title contender.

* Graham is a scary team to face right now. Sure, the Steers had five turnovers the other night, but their defense is going to get about three a game. And their offense with its hurry-up tempo can catch up quick.

* Nocona and Graham combined for eight turnovers and more than 200 yards of penalties last week. Those things will have to change this week or both won’t be playing much longer.

* I didn’t mention it in the game story, but after going back through the stats, I didn’t realize how many times Gunter threatened in the second half before getting stymied. 

The Tigers got to the Nocona 17-yard line right before Hayden Hill’s first INT. After the Tigers cut it to 15-13, Gunter drives ended on Nocona’s 29, 23, and 29-yard line. Nocona’s defense has been terrific all year and it came to play again the other night.

* For what it’s worth, Dee Paul spent a few minutes (presumably with his family) talking to a guy wearing a Texas Tech shirt after Saturday’s game.

Paul is choosing between the Red Raiders and Oklahoma State for college. With OSU having a key game against Baylor and Tech being off, I’m guessing that had something to do with one Big 12 team being represented in Abilene and the other not.

* Speaking of Paul, I had a mistake the other day regarding his rushing touchdowns. Paul did not get his 100th against Hamlin – it was in fact his 89th.

I was going off a Texas Sports Writers Association all-state ballot from last year that had his total stats, which gave him 78 rushing touchdowns. Probably somewhere along the line there was a typo since he really had 67.

I should have checked with Munday coach Patrick Corcoran before assuming the 78 was correct. That’s all on me. Corcoran did say Dee has 115 total touchdowns – counting receiving, defensive and special teams. And he can feasibly get 11 more rushing in the next three games.

* Another stat difference I’m taking an apathetic approach to because I’m not quite sure who’s correct.

According to stats Nocona turned in, Tate Fenoglio did pass 100 yards for a 19th straight game. They gave him credit for 18 carries and 112 yards (I had him 17-96).

I checked with Nocona newspaper’s Tracy Mesler and with Sherman’s sportswriter, and both had him at either 96 or 97 yards. And I went back through my play-by-play just to doublecheck.

Nocona doesn’t pad its stats like some teams have been known to do. And ours have been pretty dang close the other times I cover them (yes, I look at those things). I think the discrepancy came in the receiving stats, where Nocona had Fenoglio with one less catch for 13 less yards than I did. Maybe there was a flair pass that was interpreted differently by the coaches.

I’m not saying I’m 100 percent right. I’ve jacked up plenty of stat boxes, too. I’m just not going to mention Fenoglio’s 100-yard streak anymore because I’m not sure if it has ended or not.

* Don’t you know Frenship is really wishing it lost the coin flip last year when it was facing Rider in the first round.

The Tigers lost 42-14 a year ago on their home turf, so now they have to come to Memorial Stadium for a 2 p.m. Saturday game. That place should be rocking.

* You know Frenship, which had RB D’Maujeric Tucker go off for 386 rushing yards against Waco, is probably licking its chops after seeing Rider allow 520 rushing yards, a crazy amount.

But I have a feeling the Raiders are ready to respond with one of their best defensive games feeding off the home crowd. Anxious to see if Rider can end the state quarterfinal wall.

* What a heartbreaking way for Notre Dame’s season to end. Down by 2 and at the 10-yard line, the Knights spike the ball on fourth down because the down marker was screwed up (I’m assuming they thought it was third down). It’ll take a long time before that sting goes away.

* I drove 600 relatively drama-free miles covering football over the weekend before almost taking out a guy on a bike a few feet from my house pulling in Saturday night. Apparently the guy couldn’t be patient enough to let me turn into my driveway and swerved out of my way while passing.

We’re two weeks into the playoffs and we’ve had a lot of good performances and a couple upsets.

What we haven’t had is one of those memorable classics.

Like a Munday-Windthorst from last season. Or Graham-Snyder in OT two years ago.

The 2009 playoffs might have been the most exciting in recent memory as far as amazing games go.

Just off the top of my head, there were Holliday-Cisco (Eagles come back, lose in OT), Henrietta-Comanche (Comanche wouldn’t die), Munday-Bronte (Kenyin Thompson scored from 45 yards out on game’s last play) and Graham-Carthage in the 3A title game (missed 2-point conversion at end).

Some of these matchups this week on paper at least don’t look as competitive as you’d think a third-round playoff game would be. Wake me up when an El Paso team plays Rider close. Quanah-Stamford and Munday-Hamlin probably won’t go down to the wire.

If we’re going to have a classic this week, I think it’ll come from Denton’s Collins Stadium. Nocona-Gunter has the makings of being a real slugfest.

These teams are a lot alike. They’re both going to line up and overpower you. Nocona had lots of success pushing Edgewood around, but Gunter will be different. Indians coach Brad Keck said Gunter’s offensive line is at least as good as Nocona’s if not better.

But Nocona’s defense is stout and has fared well against power teams like Holliday. Expect a lot of running and whoever runs the ball most effectively will win.

Obviously, turnovers could come into play and make this game not as competitive as I think it should be.

I just can’t pick against Nocona after seeing how impressive the Indians were last week. They make enough plays to come out ahead, 21-20. In a classic.

Here are the area’s other playoff games going on this week:

Rider vs. El Paso Burges: Rider is coming off a pretty good win over FW Southwest in which it didn’t probably play its best game but powered through.

I don’t expect the Raiders to face as much opposition this week. Rider’s defense is playing really well for the most part and Chase London being healthy has helped the passing game.

Rider has too much speed with guys like Domanic Thrasher and Davon Allison. Raiders win by 20.

Graham vs. Midland Greenwood: Obviously Graham will have to play well this week to win. But I expect the Steers to do just that.

Greenwood has a quarterback named Kam Williams who does about everything – he has passed for 2,554 yards and 1,271 yards. Combine his rushing and passing TDs and you get 46.

But I think to beat Graham, you’ve got to have a lot of weapons like Graham does. Make the defense worry about many guys.

And as far as the offense goes, the Steers are executing about as well as they have at any point this year. To its credit, Greenwood is one of those rare third-place teams still alive right now. Graham wins by at least 10.

Quanah vs. Stamford: This game will get a lot of attention because it’s the only Thursday game in the state this week.

I think if Quanah plays its best game of the year, it has the potential to make this one competitive going into the fourth quarter. That hasn’t been done much against the Bulldogs this year.

The Indians run the same offense and have some playmakers like Stamford does. But I give the edge on defense to the Bulldogs and they have the best player in the game in QB Hagen Hutchinson.

I think when it’s all said and done, Stamford wins by at least 20-25. Just too much experience on a veteran bunch that I feel will win the Class A Division I state title. But Quanah can do some things to hang in the game for a long while if it plays well.

Munday vs. Hamlin: Can’t see the Pied Pipers keeping this close. I saw Hamlin beat Electra in the playoffs a couple weeks ago, and they do some good things. Munday hasn’t seen a team that throws it 20 times a game since Holliday.

But to me, all that means is the Moguls have a chance to unleash a dominant defensive line on the QB. I think we’ll see a couple INTs and a few sacks. And also a lot of big plays from an offense that should score a lot of points again. My pick is Munday by 35 (and probably more unless Hamlin scores some late on backups like Wink did last week).

While there were a couple causalities, several area teams made it through the second round of the playoffs unscathed this weekend.

There were a lot of impressive wins. It’s hard to figure out who had the most impressive.

Was it Graham, which scored touchdowns on its first six possessions (often with long drives) against a Glen Rose team that was among the region’s favorites?

Or Nocona, which put on a rushing clinic against a dangerous Edgewood team? The Indians rushed for about 400 yards and gained 510 total, completed all but one pass and didn’t commit a turnover. 

I figured Throckmorton would beat undefeated Water Valley by a touchdown or two in one of those down-to-the-wire six-man games. Instead, the Greyhounds mercy-ruled them in the third quarter.

And don’t forget Newcastle, which started off rather poorly this season before coming on strong. The Bobcats, like Throckmorton, knocked off an unbeaten team in Aspermont.

Whichever team you choose as most impressive, you can’t go wrong. And this doesn’t include Rider, Quanah, Munday and Notre Dame – all of which advanced to the next round.

Some more quick thoughts from this weekend:

* Vernon and Jacksboro had great turnarounds, going from 2-8 to 9-3. That much improvement takes a lot of hard work and perseverance.

So it was no surprise to me that neither quit once they trailed in the second half of their playoff games Friday. Vernon was down 17-0 at half but scored 28 in the second half and lost by 12.

And Jacksboro, which was tied at 7-7 versus Clarksville, gave up 29 straight points to start the third quarter. But the Tigers played hard to the final buzzer and lost 43-31 after winning the fourth quarter 24-7.

* I haven’t talked to Seymour coach Keith Ivy yet, but by looking at stats and turnover ratio, it looked like the Panthers didn’t play very well and were out of sync against Panhandle.

And I bet not playing for basically three weeks is partially to blame. While you go into it healthy, it’s tough to simulate the intensity and emotions of a game in practice. Tough way for the Panthers’ season to end.

* Speaking of Seymour, Friday afternoon’s loss also ended an era in the radio booth. For the past 10 years, Jeff Gregg and Curtis Priddy have called almost every Seymour radio game together (I think Gregg has missed the occasional one for out-of-town work).  

But with Gregg’s youngest daughter graduating this year, he decided it was time to step down. He had been calling Seymour games for 22 years total. It sounds like Priddy may also step aside. These guys were really entertaining, and if you never listened to their broadcasts, you missed out.

* Oh, the numbers Dee Paul and Roddrick Taylor would put up if only they got 10-12 carries per game. That doesn’t happen now since those guys score so quickly and get up by so much. Both are averaging seven carries per game.

Those guys have a combined 153 carries for 2,357 yards and 45 touchdowns. And Taylor has scored touchdowns on all four catches this season.

* Memorial Stadium will be a busy spot this weekend with Stamford-Quanah (Thursday), Abilene Wylie-Stephenville (Friday) and Birdville-Lubbock Monterey (Saturday).

The Friday game is the best of the bunch. It’s one of the most talked about games in the state regardless of any classification and should draw a huge crowd. If I didn’t have a dog in the hunt, I’d try to get out there if I were you.

* I know it’s purely coincidental and not because I lobbied coaches all week about it, but it’s nice not to have all of our area teams playing on one day like we had last week.

Because of it, I’ll get to cover Quanah, Nocona and Munday all in the same week. And Andy will be heading out west for the Rider-Graham roadswing.

I’m sure teams will go back to Fridays next week. Munday, especially, doesn’t want to get stuck on Saturdays since the Class A Div. II title game is at 12 p.m. Thursday.

* Haven’t talked to many coaches yet, but I think Nocona-Gunter will be best game of the weekend. Rider shouldn’t have much problem with EP Burges, and Munday will have its way against Hamlin.

Quanah could put a scare into Stamford, but I like the Bulldogs to come out ahead by double digits. Graham-Greenwood also could be a pretty decent game, but I think the Indians have the most competitive matchup on paper.

We’ve still got a couple six-man teams playing Saturday and Munday’s next game needs a time.

Plus, there’s a heck of a matchup involving No. 2 Abilene Wylie and No. 3 Stephenville next Friday night in Wichita Falls. Wish I could see that myself.

This WEEK
CLASS 4A DIVISION II AREA
Rider 31, Fort Worth Southwest 21
CLASS 3A DIVISION II AREA
Gatesville 40, Vernon 28
Graham 42, Glen Rose 28
CLASS 2A DIVISION II AREA
Nocona 40, Edgewood 23
Clarksville 43, Jacksboro 31
CLASS A DIVISION I
Panhandle 33, Seymour 16
Quanah 34, Sundown 21
CLASS A DIVISION II AREA
Munday 63, Wink 34
SIX-MAN DIVISION I REGIONALS
Throckmorton (9-1) vs. Water Valley (11-0), 6 p.m. today, Early
SIX-MAN DIVISION II REGIONALS
Newcastle 50, Aspermont 38
TAPPS REGIONALS
Notre Dame (9-0) vs. Heath Fulton (9-2), 2 p.m. today, Mineral Wells’ Miller Stadium
OKLAHOMA
Class 2A Quarterfinals
Frederick 42, Commerce 40
Class C Semifinals
Tipton 28, Sharon-Mutual 20

NEXT WEEK
Texas
CLASS 4A DIVISION II REGIONALS
Rider (10-2) vs. El Paso Burges (10-2), 7 p.m. Saturday, Midland’s Grande Communications Stadium
CLASS 3A DIVISION II REGIONALS
Graham (11-1) vs. Midland Greenwood (9-3), 7 p.m. Friday, Sweetwater
CLASS 2A DIVISION II REGIONALS
Nocona (11-0) vs. Gunter (10-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Denton’s Collins Stadium
CLASS A DIVISION I REGIONALS
Quanah (9-3) vs. Stamford (10-1), 7 p.m. Thursday, Memorial Stadium
CLASS A DIVISION II REGIONALS
Munday (11-0) vs. Hamlin (9-3), TBD Saturday, Abilene Wylie
SIX-MAN DIV. II QUARTERFINALS
Newcastle (8-4) vs. Strawn (11-1), TBD

In working on playoff preview capsules for the newspaper, I get to spend 10-15 minutes with every area coach discussing the opposition and keys to the game.

While this is mostly good, it can also be a little bad. The good: I get sound insight and find out some strategies and opponent weaknesses.

The only downside is that every coach thinks they are going to win, which they absolutely should. No problem with that. Only sometimes I can get persuaded about how “good” an area team’s chances can be when in reality they aren’t as strong.

So when I make these predictions, I have to balance all the insight and maybe exclude some of the optimism, no matter how well-intended it is.

Having said that, I think of our four 3A/2A schools left – Graham, Vernon, Nocona and Jacksboro – all could win or lose. Nothing there would surprise me either way.

However it plays out, we should have more competitive games this week. Have a good Thanksgiving, and I hope these predictions can get you through the turkey until the football playoffs return on Friday:

FW Southwest at Rider – Southwest has a WR in Robbie Rhodes who is a Baylor commit and could cause the Raiders a little trouble.

And while this is a game Rider can lose if it doesn’t play well, I just don’t see the Raiders falling at home. I think Rider will be able to run the ball on Southwest, which like Rider has had some injuries at quarterback.

This Rider team has done a terrific job of overcoming adversity all year and I don’t think its season will end on Friday at Memorial. Rider by 10-14.

Graham vs. Glen Rose – If you look at a bunch of regional/state publications, a lot of people have Glen Rose winning Region I-3A. And the Tigers just might. These teams are a combined 20-2 (with losses to Abilene Wylie and Brownwood) and one really good team is going home Friday.

Graham should get to know QB Colton Bretton, RB Cody Burtscher and WR Justin Weatherly, because those guys sound like studs. But Graham’s defense is really strong and at least it knows who it has to stop.

If you’re Glen Rose, who do you key on? Obviously Bryce Reeves and Dillon Gonzales come to mind, but the Steers have so many weapons. Hunter Jones had five catches for 84 yards and a TD last week. Hagen Hughes offers another dimension in the backfield. Ben Davis has a ton of options.

I’m not putting a lot of stock in Graham beating Brownwood more than Glen Rose did last week. But I am putting a lot of stock in the Steers, who can definitely win this game. In a little bit of an upset, Graham by 3.

Vernon vs. Gatesville – These teams have a couple things in common. First, they’re playing really well and had solid bi-district wins. Second, it’s a little bit of a surprise they are here.

Last year, they went a combined 6-14. Now they are 20-2. Both play a lot of seniors. Neither team has one of those D-I studs, but both have lots of weapons.

This is a game Vernon can win – and I was dead wrong picking against them last week. But I think Gatesville will make it tougher for the Lions to run the ball and squeeze out a victory.

Nocona vs. Edgewood – Edgewood scored 75 points last week, and all of those were on offensive touchdowns. The Nocona coaches were scouting the game and know what they are up against – a fast East Texas team that can make plays.

But I think the Indians’ defense will be up to the task. They are one of the most physical defenses I’ve seen this year. Nocona isn’t slow by any means, and I think it’ll be able to disrupt some of Edgewood’s timing.

I think Nocona will be able to move the ball well enough with Tate Fenoglio and Hayden Hill to score some points. If the Indians hit a couple big pass plays, then all the better.

Edgewood is capable of some big plays. If it gets only 2-3 40+ yard gains, Nocona will win. More than that, and I think Edgewood comes out on top. But I’ll pick the Indians in a potential high-scoring game.

Jacksboro vs. Clarksville – While any playoff win is a good win, it sounded like Jacksboro didn’t play its best game last week versus Blooming Grove.

That will have to change this week. Clarksville, which won the Class A hoops title last year and beat Munday in the 4×100 relay at state, has an abundance of speed and a 6-6 receiver who can cause some problems.

After a 1-3 start, Clarksville has won six in a row and has been in a lot of close games. Jacksboro is going to try to be real physical with them, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more running than usual from the Tigers.

Again, I think Jacksboro will have chances to win this one. But I’ll trust my gut and choose Clarksville.

Quanah vs. Sundown – Now we’re down to the Class A games, which I don’t believe will be as competitive. Although if there’s one that could be, it’s this one.

The Indians lost by 43 points to Sundown a year ago, but they are a lot different now with a tougher run defense and Craig Miles in the backfield. And Sundown’s stud power RB is gone, too.

I can see Quanah striking early and putting Sundown, a team that only throws the ball six times a game, in a spot it doesn’t like being in. If the Indians don’t play well, they could lose, but I think they’ll get the job done.

Seymour vs. Panhandle – Seymour may be a little rusty in this one, but I don’t think that will matter. Panhandle is allowing 28 points per game on defense and Seymour should have some success moving the ball, whether it’s John Mitchelle running or Zach Barton hitting Cody Adams for big plays.

And Seymour’s defense is pretty good. Panhandle throws a bunch, but the Panthers are strong in the secondary. A couple picks wouldn’t surprise me at all. Seymour by 14.

Munday vs. Wink – Not too much to write here. Munday will win this one by as many as they want. Anything less than 40 will be real surprising. Wake me up in two weeks when the Moguls face Albany or Muenster – and even then, those games shouldn’t be close. Just more competitive.

I’m pretty glad the first week of the playoffs is done with.

With everybody and their dog qualifying for the postseason – and it’s only getting worse next year in 3A and 2A – there are some bad teams who advance.

Really, our area usually represents itself well. We lost all four of our area No. 3 district seeds, but there’s no shame in how Windthorst and Holliday went out. And Electra would have had more of a chance if not for a couple suspensions.

Burkburnett did what it needed to get in, but honestly the Bulldogs weren’t a playoff-caliber squad. 5-3A was pretty weak after Graham and Vernon. Still, getting an extra week of practice and losing by 68 is better than calling it a season after 10 games.

The blowouts should mostly end this week (unless you’re facing Munday). A lot – not all – but most of the bad teams didn’t last the first week.

It seems like there are more really exciting matchups this round than usual. In fact, if some of our teams get by Friday, the third round offers what looks like an easier matchup. 

Look at Rider, for example. The Raiders should be tested some against FW Southwest, but the next opponent would be an El Paso team (yawn) or Hereford, which was 4-6 before shocking 9-1 Canyon Randall.

If Graham gets by Glen Rose, the third-round games looks easier on paper. Then again, you know how far paper goes. Ask Highland Park, which was upset in the 4A playoffs by Frisco. 

Some other thoughts from the first postseason weekend:

* This was a pretty weird year for Holliday. The Eagles finished 6-5, but that’s about as bad a record as they could have had.

Two OT losses, another by 1 point and a 3-point loss against Vernon. The only game they got torched was against Munday.

So realistically the Eagles could have been 8-2 into the playoffs. And if Jacob Cole doesn’t get hurt early against Tolar, the Eagles would have had a better chance of winning.

Ultimately, Holliday’s defense played pretty well but not well enough to make up for an offense that struggled at times finding a rhythm.

* I knew Lake Worth had been affected by injuries pretty good, but I didn’t know the extent until I saw the Fort Worth paper’s story online. Their QB was the third-stringer (and was really a RB) and they had another RB out.
That makes me feel a bit better. Still, the Steers are playing well enough right now that a healthy Lake Worth wouldn’t have mattered.

* There weren’t a lot of exciting first-round matchups. And Vernon jumped on Springtown early to seize that game quickly. I picked against the Lions, but they proved me wrong, especially by forcing so many turnovers.

I think that will change this week. We have four 3A/2A teams this week – Graham, Vernon, Jacksboro and Nocona. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they combined to go 4-0 or 0-4. It’s just that type of week.

Vernon may have the toughest matchup, but Graham is going against someone who many believe is the regional favorite (Glen Rose). And I expect down-to-the-wire showdowns with Nocona-Edgewood and Jacksboro-Clarksville, too.

* I know Valley and Ira are still out there too, but I’m getting a feeling the Throckmorton-Water Valley winner will be the Six-Man Division I state champ.

* Tough break for Windthorst, which played Anson well even though it lost QB Chandler King. Trojans were bitten a little too much by injury bug this year.

* I’m begging coaches to play on Saturdays. I know why the small schools aren’t doing it — because our area 2A/A title games are on Thursday, Dec. 20. But I’d love to catch more than one game this weekend and unfortunately won’t be able to. Looks like I’ll be at Nocona-Edgewood.

And if your team is already done but you want to see some football, we’ve got Rider at Memorial on Friday. Or you could see both Vernon and Graham play. Lions are at 2 p.m. and Steers are at 5 p.m., and it’s a real short drive from Weatherford to Springtown.

Here are this week’s playoff results and almost all of next week’s second-round pairings:

THIS WEEK
CLASS 4A DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT
Rider 44, FW Dunbar 26
CLASS 3A DIVISION I BI-DISTRICT
Kennedale 68, Burkburnett 0
CLASS 3A DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT
Vernon 55, Springtown 28
Graham 44, Lake Worth 7
CLASS 2A DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT
Tolar 23, Holliday 20 (OT)
Jacksboro 28, Blooming Grove 13
CLASS A DIVISION I BI-DISTRICT
Quanah 41, Forsan 6
Anson 35, Windthorst 28
CLASS A DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT
Hamlin 40, Electra 13
SIX-MAN DIVISION I BI-DISTRICT
Throckmorton 64, Rotan 16
Ira 52, Crowell 43
SIX-MAN DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT
Jayton 77, Chillicothe 58
Aspermont 51, Northside 6
Newcastle 94, Sidney 48
TAPPS BI-DISTRICT
Notre Dame 1, Plainview Christian 0 (forfeit)
OKLAHOMA
Class 2A SECOND ROUND
Frederick 49, Alva 13
Class C SECOND ROUND
Tipton 46, Wesleyan Christian 0
NEXT WEEK
CLASS 4A DIVISION II AREA
Rider (9-2) at Fort Worth Southwest (9-2), 7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium
CLASS 3A DIVISION II AREA
Vernon (9-2) vs. Gatesville (11-0), 2 p.m. Friday, Weatherford
Graham (10-1) vs. Glen Rose (10-1), 5 p.m. Friday, Springtown
CLASS 2A DIVISION II AREA
Nocona (10-0) vs. Edgewood (10-1), 6 p.m. Friday, Lewisville’s Max Goldsmith Stadium
Jacksboro (9-2) vs. Clarksville (7-3), 6 p.m. Friday, McKinney ISD Stadium
CLASS A DIVISION I
Seymour (8-2) vs. Panhandle (7-4), 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sundown
Quanah (8-3) vs. Sundown (8-2), 3 p.m. Friday, Amarillo’s Dick Bivins Stadium
CLASS A DIVISION II AREA
Munday (10-0) vs. Wink-Miles winner
SIX-MAN DIVISION I REGIONALS
Throckmorton (9-1) vs. Water Valley (11-0), 6 p.m. Saturday, Early
SIX-MAN DIVISION II REGIONALS
Newcastle (7-4) vs. Aspermont (11-0), TBD
TAPPS REGIONALS
Notre Dame (8-0) vs. Heath Fulton, TBD

I’ve spent the better part of the past couple days talking to 15 area coaches about their playoff matchups. I could be very wrong about this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a whole lot of blowouts this week.

Of course, it’s always hard to tell when examining a team that hasn’t played anyone within a 100-mile radius of here. And a team may look fast on paper, but maybe the video lies if it’s against a really poor opponent.

You’ll always have one of those unbelievable upsets across the state that makes the playoffs so much fun (and makes every favored coach repeatedly preach to their kids about the importance of focusing on the task at hand).

But for every one of those huge upsets, there are about 25 games that go as planned, especially in the early rounds.

Here are my short playoff predictions with this week’s 11-man matchups:

4A DIVISION II

Rider-Dunbar – Dunbar has been able to run the ball against lesser opponents, but it hasn’t faced a defense like Rider’s. The Raiders are really starting to come into their own on the defensive end, and that should continue against a team competing with 3A numbers. Without J.T. Barrett, Rider’s offense isn’t as explosive but it can still score a lot of points against the Dunbars of the world.

3A DIVISION I

Burkburnett-Kennedale – If the Bulldogs can make this one look respectable, I think that’s a win in itself. Kennedale averages more than 400 rushing yards per game and they will be able to move the ball against the Bulldogs enough to score a lot of points. Kennedale would have been tough for any 5-3A team to beat. If Burkburnett can string together some long drives and not turn the ball over, maybe it’s not too bad. But these teams are in whole other leagues.

3A DIVISION II

Graham-Lake Worth – This game should get out of hand quickly in favor of our area team. The Bullfrogs allowed 112 points to Springtown and Kennedale, teams comparable to Graham. And Lake Worth, which has rotated quarterbacks because of injuries, doesn’t have the firepower to turn this one into a shootout. Graham has taken care of business in these types of games this year, and I think QB Ben Davis and company will have a field day.

Vernon-Springtown – Finally, a competitive matchup. This is the best area game we’ve got, and it will be played out at Memorial Stadium. It’s a contrast of styles as Vernon will run the ball with the Wing-T and Springtown will be fast-paced and throwing it a ton. I bet the Lions move the ball well enough to score a bunch of points. I’m just not sure if they can outscore Springtown. Vernon’s defense allowed more points to Hirschi and Burkburnett than they probably should have. Suffice it to say, Springtown is more dangerous compared to those two. Either the Lions will win a close one or lose a tight one. But I’m siding with the Porcupines, knowing I could very well be wrong.

2A DIVISION II

Jacksboro-Blooming Grove – I feel real good about Rider and Graham rolling to blowouts. Add Jacksboro to that list. Why? Because Blooming Grove has size but won’t be able to handle Jacksboro’s speed up front. And because while it has a pretty good QB, Blooming Grove’s defense doesn’t make me think it can slow down QB Kirk Weldon and company at all. The Lions gave up 40 points to 1-9 Dallas Life Oak. Another 30 to 4-6 Rio Vista. In all, Blooming Grove averaged 36 points allowed in district. Expect the Tigers to put up a big number.

Holliday-Tolar – This is a game the Eagles can lose. Holliday coach Cody Patton said so himself. But I think they’d have to not play very well. The Eagles are more battle-tested not only in recent playoffs, but also this year. Plus, although it lost, Holliday has been in a playoff-type atmosphere, and I’m sure the Eagles have been stewing over the OT loss to Jacksboro all week. This is also a good matchup up front for Holliday, which I think will be able to bottle up Cory Solomon (1,473 yards, 22 TDs). Holliday by 10-14.

A DIVISION I

Anson-Windthorst – Maybe if I had seen last week’s narrow loss to Quanah and not blowouts at the hands of Munday and Seymour, I’d pick the Trojans. And Windthorst has proven to be a tough postseason out during these type of seasons (beating Gorman/Goldthwaite in 2007, almost upsetting Albany in 2008). But I think Anson has too many offensive weapons for Windthorst to stop. If the Trojans can shorten the game and finish off drives without turning the ball over, then they very well could see another week.

Quanah-Forsan – Hard for me to think this one won’t be a Quanah rout. Forsan is only averaging 16 points per game and lost to Sundown (comparable to Quanah) 43-0. In fact, the Buffaloes weren’t competitive in any of their four losses. The Indians are starting to run the ball well, and if they can limit turnovers, I think they can go a couple rounds.

A DIVISION II

Electra-Hamlin – I’m going with Hamlin (Electra won 61-41 in last year’s playoffs) because when things have gone wrong for the Tigers, games get away quickly. They have been outscored 192-7 in their three losses. This game should stay close with Hamlin RB Darius Lee and Electra’s Michael Bishop/Tyler Nelson swapping big plays on the ground. But the Pied Pipers have been more consistent this year.

CLASS 4A DIVISION II

Rider (8-2) at Fort Worth Dunbar (5-5), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Clark Stadium

CLASS 3A DIVISION I

Burkburnett (2-8) vs. Kennedale (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Denton’s Collins Stadium

CLASS 3A DIVISION II

Vernon (8-2) vs. Springtown (6-4), 7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium

Graham (9-1) vs. Lake Worth (5-5), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Mineral Wells

CLASS 2A DIVISION II

Nocona (10-0), bye

Holliday (6-4) vs. Tolar (8-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Springtown

Jacksboro (8-2) vs. Blooming Grove (7-3), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Burleson

CLASS A DIVISION I

Seymour (8-2), bye

Quanah (7-3) vs. Forsan (6-4), 7 p.m. Friday, Clyde

Windthorst (5-4) vs. Anson (9-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Seymour

CLASS A DIVISION II

Munday (10-0), bye

Electra (7-3) vs. Hamlin (7-3), 7 p.m. Thursday, Graham

SIX-MAN DIVISION I

Throckmorton (8-1) at Rotan (2-8), 7 p.m. Friday

Crowell (7-3) vs. Ira (10-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Haskell

SIX-MAN DIVISION II

Chillicothe (5-5) vs. Jayton (9-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Rule

Northside (7-2) vs. Aspermont (10-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Knox City

Newcastle (6-4) vs. Sidney (9-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday, Strawn

My calculator has been tucked away in my drawer. I haven’t had to scribble out in-depth playoff scenarios or call district chairs to get official tiebreaker rules.

Heading into Week 10, every single 11-man school we cover at the newspaper is either in the playoffs or out. It’s pretty crazy. Don’t remember having a tamer final weekend before.

Everyone pretty much took care of business. And a couple teams like Bowie or Iowa Park – who needed to win last Friday to have hope – were defeated.

That’s not to say there isn’t anything at stake this weekend. Quanah-Windthorst and Holliday-Jacksboro will determine the Nos. 2/3 seeds in their district.

And it’s not going to happen, but Burkburnett (which would have to beat Graham) and Electra (which would have to beat Munday) still have theoretical shots at split district titles.

Don’t forget it’s WFHS-Rider weekend as well. That game always draws a big crowd and has a fun atmosphere.

But I’m looking forward more to the first couple rounds of the playoffs than I am Week 10. Hopefully, teams that have clinched can carry momentum into the playoffs and stay healthy.

Here are more thoughts after Week 9:

* They probably won’t last long, but you’ve got to give Burkburnett credit for making the playoffs. Nothing the Bulldogs did during non-district made you think they could do it.

Coach Boswell and staff did an excellent job making those kids believe and pulling the right strings. Going to the Wing-T to surprise Hirschi… Brilliant. Going to the spread against Iowa Park facing a 14-point deficit, hoping your QB who has been injured has a rally in him… Brilliant.

* Iowa Park is headed for its second straight 1-9 season. Hard to imagine. I know Coach Ponder has some young talent coming up. The final record will be misleading, too. This was one of those years the Hawks could have gone 5-5 and made the playoffs. They just couldn’t win a close game at all. And to not score a TD from the 2-yard line when your season depends on it has to be really tough to stomach.

* Rider is locked in as the 4A Division II top seed and will play FW Dunbar first round. Have heard they’ll flip home-and-home. Makes sense because there is nothing neutral that’s very accommodating. Still waiting on Decatur to build a really nice stadium – then it might get some of these games.

* Your 99-percent probable first-round matchups in 3A: Kennedale-Burkburnett (big edge to Kennedale), Graham-Lake Worth (big edge to Steers) and Vernon-Springtown (toss-up). Almost guaranteed we’ll have at least one 3A team make it out of bi-district, which hasn’t happened the past two seasons.

* Even though Jacksboro couldn’t slow Nocona down in the second half, I like the Tigers, especially on offense. They do a lot of different things and are pretty versatile. Kirk Weldon is a player, and he has a great supporting cast. I think Nocona coach Brad Keck was right when he said 5-2A Div. II will fare well during the playoffs.

* Speaking of Nocona, impressed again with the Indians on defense. Besides a long run by Reid Spiller and a long catch-and-run by David Stretcher, the Indians did a fine job not letting Jacksboro WRs get loose after catches. They picked Weldon off once (for only second time all year) and could have had 2-3 more.

* They play in a very hard 2A district, but Bowie will have to go down as one of the area’s disappointments. After making the 3A playoffs, a lot of people (me included) thought the Jackrabbits would be a shoo-in for a 2A playoff spot. But Bowie couldn’t get over the hump against good 5-2A Div. I teams. That opening loss to Boyd was a killer. Now all Bowie can do is play spoiler at Callisburg.

* Munday might have scored 82, but I can almost guarantee the Moguls weren’t trying to run it up like that. When you have three non-offensive TDs (punt, fumble and INT returns), it’s hard. For the record, Roddrick Taylor and Dee Paul combined for only six carries. Six!

* Combine Paul/Taylor’s yearlong stats into one person – with 138 carries, that’s not a ton (15.3 per game) – and you have these numbers: 1,858 rushing yards and 37 TDs. That’s insane.

* It’s kind of odd, but I’ve covered every area 11-man team that has qualified for the playoffs. That never happens. The list (with times seen in parenthesis): Burkburnett (1), Graham (1), Vernon (1), Nocona (2), Holliday (4), Jacksboro (1), Quanah (1), Windthorst (3), Seymour (2), Electra (1) and Munday (2).

* Potential games I’m looking forward to these playoffs: Graham-Glen Rose; Nocona-Gunter; Holliday-Corsicana Mildred; Seymour-Stratford; Quanah-Stamford; Munday-Anybody who can play them within 40.

* Look for my column in Tuesday’s paper breaking down the regions for all of our playoff teams.

For the last few weeks, I’ve held a slim lead in the overall chase for the “Sack Zach” title. Although I’m not eligible to win the $100 Parkway Grill prize that goes to the grand champion, I still would rather finish atop my own challenge. I’ve got to preserve my dignity somehow.

But Ryan Cannedy is just too hot. Like he should be heading to Vegas right now. For the third straight week, he’s been the weekly winner of “Sack Zach.” For those who don’t know, that’s $30 worth of Parkway gift cards each week.

And after finishing with the most points this week, Ryan has overtaken me in the overall category. He’s at 160 points, while I’m at 156. The margin of error is small these days – I almost hit on my Iowa Park and Perrin-Whitt picks, which would have been huge.

We’ve got this week’s picks still to go, plus the playoffs. I will be setting up the playoff games next weekend after all of them get set – so don’t worry, they will get up in a timely manner.

If you haven’t played “Sack Zach” yet, go to this link – http://www.1standtrn.com/sack-zach/ — and sign up. You obviously won’t be in the hunt for the overall title, but you could easily win a week – and a bunch of good food from Parkway.

And common guys, let’s have someone knock off Ryan next week.

It’s not the best schedule this week for the three WFISD teams in regards to competitive matchups.

Rider should whip Denton pretty good. Denton Guyer should do the same to WFHS. And while Hirschi is playing better of late, I think the Huskies will be in over their heads against Graham.

It’s not just me, either. Pigskinprep.com is predicting the three favorites will each win by at least 40 points.

But fear not, fans of games that have intrigue heading into the fourth quarter. There are four area matchups that not only should be close, but they each have serious playoff implications.

Here are my predictions on how each of the four will turn out:

* Burkburnett at Iowa Park – The fact of the matter is Burkburnett is playing better right now than Iowa Park. The Bulldogs’ offense change to the Wing-T has helped multiple ways: It’s been more effective at ball control, which keeps the defense (which is allowing 46 ppg) off the field. Negative plays like sacks are also limited.

The Bulldogs enter this with more momentum, but I’m picking Iowa Park, which has lost its last seven games. I haven’t seen IP play in person this year, but my gut says the Hawks are due for a win. And due to have a game where turnovers are limited. They had a couple chances in non-district and were in the Hirschi game until the end.

One thing worth mentioning here. This win does IP absolutely no good if it loses to Vernon next week. But did you know Burkburnett has only two INTS this year? Not exactly ball-hawking. I think this one is close late, but I like the Hawks in a fairly high-scoring game. 

* Jacksboro at Nocona – Nocona played a great game last week to beat Holliday. One of those emotionally sapping games. And Indians coach Brad Keck has told me it seems like his team plays a little better on the road.

Having said that, I think the Indians win another close game. Jacksboro is playing at a high level and took care of business against the lesser district teams the past three weeks. But the Tigers haven’t been in a fourth-quarter fight since Sept. 28 vs. Lindsay.

I expect this to go down to the wire. I think Nocona will have success running the ball, but I think the Tigers will score some points, too. Nocona by 7 as it takes a district title.

* Pilot Point at Bowie – The Jackrabbits have a couple advantages here. First, they are at home. Second, they are coming off a bye while Pilot Point is playing its 10th straight game. And third, the Jackrabbits are getting practically everybody back that they had out in a loss two weeks ago against Whitesboro.

When it comes down to a toss-up game, I like to side with the better defense. And Bowie’s is better. Whitesboro was the only team to score more than 22 on Bowie this year, and that was a game where the Jackrabbits had their entire DL out. Pilot Point just gave up 46 to Whitesboro. Bowie could lose, but I the Jackrabbits’ postseason chances to stay alive in one of those 21-14 games Bowie has been good at winning this year.

* Electra at Perrin-Whitt – I really didn’t think Electra’s spot as the third-best team in 8-A Division II was in danger until the last couple weeks.

Sure, the Tigers lost badly to Seymour (61-7). And sure they opened district with a real clunker against Muenster (58-0). But then two weeks ago, Era was beating Electra at halftime and Perrin-Whitt had a more respectable score against Muenster. Then last week, Electra was losing late in the second quarter to Petrolia. I also noticed Michael Bishop had 0 yards rushing in that game on 21 attempts.

To Electra’s credit, the Tigers have played solid second halves to pull away from both Era and Petrolia. And I’m going to pick them because I’ve been saying all year Electra is a playoff team. Might as well stand behind it now. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Perrin-Whitt, which is pretty physical up front, comes out with a win.

5-4A
Rider d. Denton
Guyer d. WFHS

5-3A
Graham d. Hirschi

5-2A Div. II
Holliday d. City View
Alvord d. Henrietta

3-A Div. I
Seymour d. Archer City
Quanah d. Olney

8-A Div. II
Munday d. Era
Muenster d. Petrolia

I’m a stickler for giving playoff berths at this time of year. To get the little “x” by your school’s name in the paper, you have to be 100 percent guaranteed to make the playoffs.

Not 99.999 percent. I know Munday or Graham won’t lose out. I know Archer City or Olney won’t win out. But if I can find a feasible way – however ridiculous – to make a team even have to have a coin flip to break a three-way tie for two playoff spots, I will.

So call me stingy. Most of these so-so-close issues will be resolved by Friday night at 10 p.m. anyway. And while I’ve spent a few hours crunching the numbers, I can’t 100-percent guarantee I have all the scenarios.

But it’s as comprehensive as I can come up with:

DISTRICT 5-4A

IN: Denton Guyer, Rider

OUT: WFHS

IN WITH A WIN: The Azle-Nelson victor

PRACTICALLY OUT: Denton (There’s a scenario where Denton wins out and gets in a three-way tie with Lake Dallas and Nelson for the final playoff spot. The Broncos first would need to beat Rider (not happening) and then max out on points against Nelson to have a chance. But they do have a chance).

HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT: Rider locks up the top seed in Division II with a win. This week’s Azle-Nelson winner locks up a playoff berth as well. If Nelson wins (my pick) and so does Lake Dallas over Brewer, then Azle-Lake Dallas plays a de-facto playoff game for fourth in Week 10.

DISTRICT 5-3A

IN: Vernon (Of the 16 possible scenarios, Vernon will advance in 15, some of them based on points. The other is if a five-way tie at 2-2 happens, which would mean Iowa Park wins out and Graham loses out. I’ll bet a paycheck that won’t happen. Furthermore, if it does, Vernon should have one of the top three +/- points. They’re a +18 right now. That’s good enough for me to put them in).

OUT: Nobody

IN WITH A WIN: Graham and Burkburnett

HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT: Graham knocks off Hirschi and gets in, then beats Burkburnett next week for district title. If Bulldogs beat IP, they are in. If the Hawks win, I really don’t see Graham or Vernon losing next week. Which means a three-way tie for third at 1-3 between Hirschi, Burkburnett and IP. Under this scenario, Hirschi is the third playoff team. No matter how much the Hawks beat the Bulldogs, they can’t win that points tiebreaker. Which means Iowa Park must win out to make playoffs.

DISTRICT 5-2A DIVISION I

IN: No one.

PRACTICALLY IN: Whitesboro (I’ve seen some people giving Whitesboro the nod. They’re about as close as you can get. But there is a scenario where Boyd wins out at 5-1 and Whitesboro, Callisburg and Pilot Point end in a three-way tie at 4-2. If that happens, PP ends as a +1. Currently Callisburg is a -13 and Whitesboro is a +12, but a 13 or 14-point Callisburg win over Whitesboro this week could put Whitesboro in danger. So as long as they lose by 12 or fewer Friday, they’re good. Or if Bowie beats Pilot Point.

OUT: Ponder and Paradise

WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN: A lot of things are up for grabs. Any of the five teams can make it. Realistically, it’ll be hard for anyone to get in with three district losses but a 4-2 mark should be enough. That means this week Bowie-Pilot Point is an elimination game. And assuming Callisburg loses to Whitesboro, then Bowie-Callisburg the next week is another elimination game.

DISTRICT 5-2A DIVISION II

IN: Nocona, Jacksboro

OUT: Henrietta

PRACTICALLY OUT: Alvord (Henrietta can’t get into a three-way tie at 2-3 with Holliday and City View because it lost to both. But if Holliday lost badly to City View and Alvord maxed out against City View, then there would be a three-way tie at 2-3 with the points tied at 0. Again, this is pretty much 99.99 not going to happen).

WIN AND THEY’RE IN: Holliday.

WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN: Holliday beats City View to make playoffs. Playoff seeding will be determined by Nocona-Jacksboro (this week) and Jacksboro-Holliday (next week).

DISTRICT 3-A DIVISION I

IN: Seymour

PRACTICALLY IN: Windthorst (Olney would have to not only beat Quanah this week but max out. Then Quanah maxes out against Windthorst. That puts three teams tied at 2-2 with 0 as point tiebreaker. This won’t be an issue).

OUT: Surprisingly no one. Archer City and Olney – both 0-8, 0-2 – can conceivably win out to go 2-2 and take third place. But Quanah would have to lose out, which won’t happen. The Wildcats and Cubs are dangling by a thread.

WIN AND THEY’RE IN: Quanah. That would also bump Windthorst (on a bye) into the guaranteed range.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Quanah breezes by Olney and locks up last two playoff spots. Then Quanah-Windthorst decides second-third next week. 

DISTRICT 8-A DIVISON II

IN: None.

PRACTICALLY IN: We all know Munday probably won’t win these last two games by fewer than 45 points. But it’s mathematically possible for the Moguls to lose out, get into a three-way tie with Electra and Perrin-Whitt. If PW maxes out Electra and Electra maxes out Munday, then we’d have three teams tied for 2nd/3rd.

WIN AND THEY’RE IN: Muenster and Electra.

OUT: Petrolia. Maybe there is a way Petrolia can get in a crazy tie at 2-3 but I’m just not seeing it.

WHAT I THINK WILL HAPPEN: Muenster wins and gets in; the Electra-Perrin winner will take third place.