4A Region I Bi-District Insider

TOC Playoff Insider Week 1 Class 4A Region I

DIVISION 1

El Paso Andress (9-1) vs. Canutillo (7-3) Friday 8:00pm Andress Stadium, El Paso: Junior RB Rashad Chisolm led Andress to an impressive 21-19 win over 1-4A favorite El Paso Chapin in Week 10. Chisolm ran for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Eagles clinched the district crown. They'll be tested by a Canutillo squad who is looking for some playoff momentum after a second place finish in 2-4A. Canutillo has been defeated in the first round the past two years and Coach Scott Brooks is hoping to erase those memories. It'll be a classic matchup of size vs. speed as Andress will have the advantage at the skill spots, while Canutillo has the edge up front. Matt's Pick: El Paso Andress by 10

Amarillo Caprock (8-2) vs. Wichita Falls Rider (6-4) Friday 7:00pm Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls: Excitement is at a fever pitch in the panhandle as Caprock is making their first trip to the playoff since 1975. The Longhorns got it done last week with an impressive 34-0 rout of arch rival Amarillo Palo Duro, QB Gerardo Ruiz led the way throwing four touchdowns and an aggressive defense shut down the speedy Dons ground attack. Rider is making their return to the playoffs after a slow start under first year HC James Garfield. ROHO likes to get behind their big physical offensive line and just maul you. They'll throw some unconventional looks at you including running out of the single wing with Deron Royster possessing big play ability. Rider's faced some tough competition including facing off with Amarillo High in non-district. That experience will come in handy and with home field advantage the smart pick is the Raiders. Matt's Pick: Wichita Falls Rider by 11

Birdville (7-3) vs. Fort Worth Western Hills (8-2) Friday 7:30pm Bearcat Stadium, Aledo: Birdville has been a playoff regular but the Hawks have struggled to make any sort of playoff noise of late as they've made losing close early round games a bad habit. The Hawks managed a 7-3 record this year despite graduating a large and talented senior class. Although Western Hills lacks the marquee wins they won't be an easy win for the Hawks, the Cougars under first year HC John Naylor have outstanding athletes and good size up front on both sides of the ball. DB Shaquille Powell is one player that you need to watch from the Western Hills defense. I think Cougars have the speed and talent to keep it close but Birdville executes at such a high level on offense they'll be tough to stop. Matt's Pick: Birdville by 17

Mansfield Summit (8-2) vs. Killeen (8-2) Friday 7:30pm Tiger Stadium, Glen Rose: It's been a tough end to the season for Killeen who has lost two of their last three games since losing Kansas verbal QB Michael Cummings to a knee injury. The Kangaroos have good size and speed on both sides of the ball, much like their opponent in Mansfield Summit. The difference in this matchup for the two teams is Summit's offensive balance. They've got an outstanding dual threat QB in Xavier Williams and a tough runner in Lewis Washington who at 205 pounds can pack a punch. That offensive balance gets Summit to the second round. Matt's Pick: Mansfield Summit by 12

El Paso Del Valle (9-1) vs. El Paso Chapin (7-3) Friday 8:00pm Conquest Stadium, El Paso: Del Valle has established themselves as the clear top team in Class 4A in El Paso. The Conquistadores advanced to the area round of the playoffs last year and gave Abilene Cooper all they wanted before falling in a high scoring affair. The one game that stands out to me when looking at Del Valle's resume is a 20-13 loss to Midland High in Week 1. That game shows me this is a team that can compete at a very high level. Chapin had hopes of a deep playoff run after getting to the third round just a year ago, but the Huskies dropped a close decision to Andress last week and now must fight tooth and nail to simply advance. Chapin does have offensive talent with versatile Caleb Moore and WR Milton Roberts. The key for this potentially high scoring affair will be which defense will step up and if I have to pick we'll go with with Del Valle. Matt's Pick: El Paso Del Valle by 14

Amarillo Palo Duro (4-6) vs. Denton Ryan (10-0) Saturday 7:00pm Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls: Palo Duro's struggled through a 4-6 season despite having a ton of speed and one of the better backs in the area that you may not have heard of in Ty Hicks. The Dons however will need to show some balance against one of the top defensive units in the state. Denton Ryan is led by their outstanding defensive line with Mario Edwards and Ty Hook. The key for a Raiders playoff run will be their offense, if RB Kaylon Alexander can get untracked Ryan will be a state championship contending team. They should cruise this week against an outmanned Palo Duro bunch. Matt's Pick: Denton Ryan by 27

Saginaw Boswell (6-4) vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (10-0) Thursday 7:00pm Brewer Bear Stadium, Fort Worth: Boswell is looking to get over the first round playoff hump, in their last three trips to the postseason the Pioneers have lost. This year they get undefeated Arlington Heights who blew through District 6-4A with ease. AHHS got to the second round last year and they bring back every key player from that bunch including versatile Marquis Jackson. Last week Boswell needed a stellar effort from QB Jacob Stone to win a shootout with Trophy Club Nelson 63-55. Stone accounted for seven touchdowns and 414 total yards to lead Boswell. The Pioneers must find a way to generate defensive stops against Arlington Heights and their physical style of play. What people don't talk much about is the Arlington Heights defense, there's not any superstars on this group but they will make the difference in this game. Matt's Pick: Fort Worth Arlington Heights by 16

Granbury (6-4) vs. Waco Midway (10-0) Friday 7:30pm Tiger Stadium, Corsicana: Midway rolled through the regular season with a 10-0 record and really only being challenged by Stephenville in Week 9. The offense has tremendous balance but the key cog is sophomore RB B.J. Kelly. While on defense the Panthers are led by Baylor commit DL Beau Blackshear and junior DB Shakiel Randolph. Granbury is making their first trip to the postseason in over 30 years, the Pirates have a balanced offense paced by junior RB Brandon Davis and senior WR Tyler Wright who has one of the top yards per catch average in DFW. The Pirates match up fairly well with Midway along the offensive and defensive fronts, the difference for Midway is their playmaking ability at the skill positions. Matt's Pick: Waco Midway by 21

DIVISION 2

El Paso Irvin (5-5) vs. El Paso Riverside (5-5) Friday 8:00pm Rocket Memorial Stadium, El Paso: Irvin was able to advance to the playoffs last week after a dramatic Saturday coin flip. The Rockets are in their second consecutive postseason and last year they managed a trip to the area round before being eliminated by Big Spring. RB Antonio Marquez was the difference last week for Irvin with 193 yards and two touchdowns in the Rockets 27-14 win over El Paso Jefferson. Riverside goes limping into the playoffs after suffering a 36-14 loss to Canutillo, the Rangers will need to get their legs under them this week or Irvin will bounce RHS. Matt's Pick: El Paso Irvin by 9

Hereford (7-3) vs. Denton (4-6) Saturday 3:00pm Mustang Bowl, Sweetwater: Denton High stunned the majority of the DFW area with a surprising playoff run. Last week facing a win or go home scenario the Broncos stepped up big and knocked off The Colony 28-25. The appropriately named Dentton Hudspeth scored on a five yard run with 1:40 left in the game to propel the Broncos to the postseason. Hudspeth threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns and topped the 100 yard mark on the ground. Hereford has become a playoff regular from the panhandle, the Whitefaces have gone to the third round in three straight years. Hereford features a wide open passing attack led by QB Ryan Martinez and their level of execution will give the Broncos secondary which lacks quality depth problems. Matt's Pick: Hereford by 27

Aledo (10-0) vs. Fort Worth Wyatt (6-4) Thursday 7:00pm Clark Stadium, Fort Worth: Wyatt won the coin flip to get this game at their home field but it may be all the Chaparrals win as they are staring a matchup with the defending State Champions in the face. The Chaparrals must play perfect just to keep this game close. Aledo has a bevy of offensive talent and the scary thing is that they are all juniors. The lynchpin behind the Bearcats success is RB Johnathan Gray who will likely challenge for several state records before his time at AHS is done. WR Michael Mann and QB Matthew Bishop don't the pub Gray gets but they are plenty responsible for their long winning streak. If Wyatt plays perfect and Aledo makes some mistakes this game has a chance to be competitive, but I don't see any scenario where Aledo could lose this game. Matt's Pick: Aledo by 47

Everman (8-2) vs. Waco (4-6) Friday 7:30pm Waco ISD Stadium, Waco: A banged up Everman team heads to Waco for a true road game to open the postseason. RB Cory Franklin who is Everman's leading rusher has missed the last two games but is expected back this week. However, freshman sensation RB Terrence Cook and one of Everman's top defensive players Lincoln Richard are not expected to play against Waco High. The key for Everman is who they do have and that would be TCU commit James Bailey who has topped 200 total yards the past two weeks and scored eight touchdowns. Waco High has made major strides under second year HC Danny Ramsey, but the Lions still have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball. Waco's defense will do an outstanding job containing the Everman ground game, but in the end Everman will wear the Lions down in the second half. Matt's Pick: Everman by 8

Clint Horizon (6-4) vs. El Paso Bowie (7-3) Friday 8:00pm Scorpion Stadium, El Paso: Despite their 7-3 record the Bowie Bears needed to win a Saturday coin flip to advance to the 2010 playoffs. The ironic twist for Bowie is that just a year ago they were eliminated from the playoffs by a coin flip the day after the season ended. Clint Horizon is making their first ever trip to the playoffs after finishing fourth in 2-4A. On paper both teams look to be fairly evenly matched, but Bowie has the edge on athletes. Matt's Pick: El Paso Bowie by 7

Lake Dallas (5-5) vs. Canyon Randall (8-2) Friday 7:00pm Mustang Bowl, Sweetwater: After starting the season 1-5 Lake Dallas went on a four game winning streak to finish third place in 4-4A. The improved play of junior QB Dalyn Williams has spearheaded the Falcons resurgence. The weird scheduling quirk also has given LDHS two weeks to prepare as they had a Week 10 bye. After a 1-9 2009 season, Canyon Randall has responded with an outstanding season and share of the 3-4A crown. The Raiders are a solid team across the board but lack the big time playmaking ability to put a scare into the elite teams in the region. However, with Lake Dallas taking a long road trip whatever talent advantage they had is eliminated. Randall is from West Texas so travel is not a big deal. Matt's Pick: Canyon Randall by 5

Fort Worth Southwest (7-3) vs. Springtown (7-3) Thursday 7:00pm Pennington Field, Bedford: This should be one of the more entertaining first round games in the area as both teams field very explosive offensive attacks. Southwest is led by their sensational sophomore QB Wesley Harris and sophomore WR Robbie Rhodes. If Southwest can generate a ground game with senior RB Chris Hall they will be able to move the football on Springtown. Springtown's been known for strong offensive play since Brad Turner took over the program after a stint at Sulphur Springs. QB Caden Cowan is the trigger man for the POJO offensive attack, they should throw up forty points plus on the Southwest defense which has struggled against the better teams they've gone against. Matt's Pick: Springtown by 14

Stephenville (5-5) vs. Crowley (5-5) Friday 7:30pm Kangaroo Stadium, Weatherford: This is a playoff game where the two opponents are quite familiar with each other being former district rivals. Stephenville after a slow start got it going in 8-4A play led by a powerful ground game with Aiavion Edwards. The key for Stephenville will be limiting turnovers, if they play mistake free football they'll be a tough out. It's been quite the first season for Crowley HC Chris James as after starting district play 0-2, the Eagles rattled off four straight wins to clinch just their second trip to the playoffs in forty years. The Eagles have an explosive offense with senior WR LaBradford Harold and sophomore RB Larry Cheeks. I think Crowley will get a couple of big plays, but their smallish defense will not be able to generate stops against the Stephenville offense. The only way Crowley wins this game is if Stephenville gets a case of the turnoveritis. Matt's Pick: Stephenville by 20

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