Games to Watch: Part I of our two-part Thursday preview is loaded
2009-11-12
Looking for a good game this Thursday night? Just depends on where you call home. In Part I of our Thursday preview, we've broken down the state for you, so look for your region (more or less) and plot a course to your local stadium. After all, you never know which matchup could become an instant classic. If you don't feel like leaving the house, join staffer Travis Stewart tonight for his live blog of the Argyle vs. Paris game in McKinney. Kickoff is at 7:30, but the blog will start up at 7:00 -- swing by for questions, comments, concerns or just to chat. Part II of this preview will run today at noon.
Notes: Tenaha is making its fourth straight appearance, Alto its sixth ... This year was Tenaha's first undefeated regular season since 1998, when it won a 1A state title (16-0, it's only championship) under long-time coach Raymond Jackson ... Alto won back-to-back 1A-DI titles in 2006 and 2007 ... For all the talk of Alto's defense (allowing just 12 points per game), it's actually Tenaha's that's been better. The Tigers have given up just 76 points all year long ... Alto is a one-point favorite, but I'm taking Tenaha.
Joaquin (8-2) vs. Carlisle (6-4), 7 p.m., Carthage (1A)
Notes: Joaquin made the postseason just twice in the 50s before missing it for 27 straight years (1983); it would only qualify twice more ('89, '90) before the turn of the century, where it's now been playoff-bound seven times ... Aside from a strong run in the 1960s, this decade is only the second in which Carlisle has qualified for the playoffs more than once ... With an offense averaging exactly 20 points per game, Carlisle is the sixth-lowest scoring 1A team in the playoffs ... Joaquin is the favorite and could advance all the way to a regional final with its draw.
White Oak (9-1) vs. Jefferson (5-5), 7:30 p.m., Hallsville (2A)
Notes: Jefferson has now qualified for the postseason five times in a row, but over the past two years, it's finished the regular season just a combined 7-13 (thanks to some forfeited games) ... Averaging just over 38 points per game, White Oak's strong offense has faltered just once, in a 24-14 loss to district rival Gilmer Harmony, which missed the playoffs with a 5-2 district record ... Jefferson started the season 0-3 (against two playoff 3A teams and another from 2A) before rallying for a 5-2 finish ... White Oak is a five-point favorite.
Buffalo (7-3) vs. Newton (9-1), 7:30 p.m., Groveton (2A)
Notes: Newton is tied for fourth all-time in 2A playoff appearances with 35 -- Refugio still leads with 41 -- and has now qualified 16 years straight ... Last season was the first time Buffalo had broken into the playoffs since 2008 ... Newton has won three state titles -- 2As in '74 and '05 and a 3A in 1998 ... How much has Buffalo turned its ship around? From 2002 through 2007, the aptly named Bison finished a season with more than two wins just once (four) ... Newton, with its talented offense, is a heavy favorite and once again a title contender. But it is coming off of its only loss of the season, a 29-26 defeat by longtime rival Kirbyville.
Winnsboro (6-4) vs. Malakoff (8-2), 7:30 p.m., Canton (2A)
Notes: Malakoff didn't qualify for the playoffs once in the 60s, 70s or 80s, but its been three times in both of the past two decades ... Winnsboro is in the postseason for the fourth year in a row and makes its sixth visit since the turn of the century, tying its mark in the 70s ... Malakoff, our 2A Team of the Week for Week 10, is in the midst of a stunning turnaround: 8-2 this year after finishing 0-10 in '08 and 1-9 the year before -- funny what a new coach can do sometimes ... Winnsboro is a 10-point favorite, but I think this one is a toss-up.
Notes: Atascocita, still a relatively young school, is enjoying its best season ever and its first district championship ... This decade has been good to Houston Chavez, and its now made the playoffs four years in a row and five times overall ... This game gives us the old unstoppable force vs. immovable object question, as Atascocita continues to build a reputation for defense and Chavez enters scoring almost 40 points per game ... It could be a short playoff stay for the winner, as it will likely see reigning DII champ Katy High in the second round.
Boling (4-6) vs. Refugio (10-0), 7:30 p.m., El Campo (2A)
Notes: As stated earlier, Refugio is class 2A's all-time leader in playoff appearances with 41 -- that mark trails just four other programs state-wide (Amarillo, Plano, Highland Park and Hondo) ... Only two playoff-bound 2A teams have allowed more points than Boling: Eastland and Hitchcock ... 2009 was Refugio's third-straight undefeated regular season, and its passing attack of QB Kyle Hendley and WR Jourdan Ortiz is one of the state's best ... Boling is a heavy underdog, but you have to applaud it just for being here -- with a new coach, it's already rebounded from a 1-8 finish last year.
Notes: If you don't feel like making the trip up north to McKinney, sit back on your recliner and follow this marquee 3A matchup via our live blog on TexasFootball.com ... How rare is an undefeated regular season up in Argyle? It's the team's first since 1936, when it ended up finishing 10-1 under coach W.T. Henry ... Paris is a school that gets hot and cold, considering 10 of its 15 playoff trips came in either the 40s or 80s ... Argyle topped both Prosper ('08 DI champ) and Celina ('08 DII finalist) en route to its district championship ... Paris is a 15-point underdog, but a stiff performance on defense could get it the win.
West Rusk (7-2) vs. Rosebud-Lott (5-5), 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Cedar Hill (2A)
Notes: Last season was West Rusk's first in the playoffs since 2000 ... But Rosebud-Lott is just starting a new streak of its own, since it hasn't been in since 2004 ... West Rusk almost staged a massive upset last week against Arp, losing 21-14 to a team that had yet to really play in a close game ... Rosebud-Lott is a heavy underdog, but the defense is what needs to shore up -- it's allowing just shy of 30 points per game, and that's something West Rusk will look to take advantage of.
Van (7-3) vs. Quinlan Ford (3-6), 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Royse City (3A)
Notes: Quinlan Ford is one of six 3A teams that qualified for the playoffs with a sub-.500 record, but its earned a little leeway with six appearances this decade ... Since 1980, Van has qualified for the playoffs exactly the same number of times that its missed it: 15 ... Quinlan Ford is more than 100 students larger than Van, but Van's offense closed out the season on a high note, scoring 40+ against both Eustace and Canton ... Quinlan Ford is a 14-point underdog, and at least one expert has Van contending in a regional final.
Dallas Adamson (4-6) vs. Dallas Lincoln (9-1), 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dallas' Kincaide Stadium (4A)
Notes: Adamson's playoff berth gave us the longest snapped drought of the year -- it hadn't been in since 1981, and only 13 schools can claim a longer period of suffering than that ... Just like last season, Lincoln was dominant on both sides of the ball against its DISD brethren -- 40 ppg on offense and 10 ppg on defense ... Adamson has the fifth-lowest scoring offense of all 128 4A playoff qualifiers ... Were Lincoln to lose, it would be one of the biggest possible upsets in the first round. Nothing's impossible!
Richardson (6-4) vs. South Garland (6-4), 7 p.m. Thursday, Richardson's Eagle-Mustang Stadium (5A)
Notes: Speaking of broken streaks, Richardson hadn't qualified for the playoffs since 1992 ... After a bad beating by Rowlett in Week 8, South Garland won its final two games by less than a touchdown each to squeak into the playoffs at the buzzer ... Richardson was in an odd situation last week -- with its needed margin of loss settled against Carrollton Creekview, it assumed the victory formation despite playing from behind ... Current Baylor QB Nick Florence is a South Garland grad -- but that's not as interesting as the fact that its scored and allowed exactly the same number of points this year (194) ... Richardson is a narrow favorite, but I'm siding with Richardson.
Notes: Haltom City is riding a wave of momentum after it bounced Richland in the regular season finale, 34-30 -- that victory clinched a playoff spot for the on-the-bubble Buffalos ... Arlington Martin's defense has been its Achilles' Heel, and despite the fact that its offense is in the 5A top 30, it gave up 40 points, 47, 23 and 35 in its four losses ... Haltom City sports one of the best DEs in the country in UT-pledged Reggie Wilson, a former soccer player ... Martin, a heavy favorite, has fared well against strong competition, topping Arlington and playing both Bowie and No. 1 Cedar Hill to a one-possession game.
N. Richland Hills (6-4) vs. Arlington Bowie (8-2), 6 p.m., Cowboys Stadium (5A)
Notes: Speaking of Arlington Bowie, it faces Richland Hills in the first game of Thursday's nighttime double-header ... Richland is known for offense, and its passing attack was sensational in winning the 2008 7-on-7 title ... Bowie has been one of the region's top teams for several years, but it did lose to Arlington to keep an undisputed district title out of reach ... Outside of Abilene, Richland scored more points than any other team in its district ... Like Martin, Bowie is a 17-point favorite this weekend.
Part II of our Thursday preview will run at noon.
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