McKinney (6-3, 4-2) at Prosper (8-1, 5-1): After playing Denton Guyer tough last Thursday, McKinney will look to close the regular season on a strong note against Prosper. The Lions last week fell to Guyer 42-21, but there were some positives for Coach Shavers to take a way as McKinney rolled up 427 yards of offense led by SMU commit QB Keldric Luster who had 238 yards of offense and accounted for all three Lions scores in the losing effort. Prosper handed Allen their second straight loss as the Eagles took out Allen 29-24, behind three second quarter rushing touchdowns and two second quarter forced turnovers. Prosper’s defense did the job as well as after trailing 17-2, they held Allen to just a single touchdown in the final three quarters. In essence this game has no bearing on the playoff positioning for either team, so it’ll be interesting to see how each staff handles this game, while trying to keep their team healthy going into the playoffs. In the end, its Prosper’s defense which has impressed time and time again gets the edge. Stepp’s Pick: Prosper by 8

Willis (5-4, 4-3) at Conroe Oak Ridge (6-3, 5-2): Willis saw any chance they had for a district title disappear last week in their 42-28 loss to The Woodlands, now the Wildkats are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive as a loss this week and a Conroe High win would send WHS home. QB DJ Lagway looked solid in the loss tossing a pair of touchdowns, while talented ATH Daylion Robinson hauled in both of the touchdown catches and added a touchdown run for the Wildkats. Oak Ridge has secured their playoff spot, but they can go into the playoffs on a high note with a win over a dangerous Willis squad. ORHS had problems demolishing an overmatched Conroe Caney Creek bunch in a dominant 49-0 victory. These two on paper look to be evenly matched, but Willis having basically everything to play for and Oak Ridge really not having much on the line, the edge has to go to Willis. Stepp’s Pick: Willis by 3

Klein Cain (8-1, 5-1) at Tomball (6-3, 5-1): Klein Cain can lock up the top seed in Division I this week and earn the district title with a win over a Tomball squad that dropped their first district game a week ago. The Hurricanes made quick work of Waller last Saturday in an easy 52-7 victory. Tomball on the other hand, saw their dreams of an unbeaten district title run dashed in a lopsided 35-0 defeat to Klein Collins. Klein Cain’s been pretty consistent all year, while Tomball’s been a bit more of a mixed bag, when good Tomball shows up they are clearly capable of another deep playoff run, but bad Tomball shows up, they will struggle. Good Tomball shows up at home this week and keeps this one very competitive, but the Hurricanes have quietly put together a great year and they’ll go into the playoffs on a hot streak. Stepp’s Pick: Klein Cain by 7

Round Rock (8-1, 5-1) at Cedar Park Vista Ridge (5-4, 4-2): The wild and wacky 25-6A race comes to an end this week and for Round Rock, there’s not much that can be gained or loss on their end. The Dragons seem to be destined for the second seed in the division one bracket, but there’s a chance that they could move to the top seed in Division I, but it’ll involve a lot of scenarios playing out that they don’t control. Last week RRHS rolled past Round Rock Cedar Ridge 48-21 as WR Aidan Sterling stole the show hauling in four touchdown passes to tie a school record. Vista Ridge has dropped their last two games to Manor and Austin Vandegrift and a big reason for the losing skid is the disappearance of the offense which has just seven points scored in the last eight quarters. If Vista Ridge wants to have any chance of pulling the upset they’ll need to find their offense, a loss in this one likely puts Vista Ridge on the bad end of a potential three-way tie with Manor and Round Rock Cedar Ridge, so although not technically a “must win” game, for all intents and purposes it is. Stepp’s Pick: Round Rock by 16

Red Oak (8-1, 6-1) at Midlothian (9-0, 7-0): It’s a huge showdown in the southern part of the DFW area as old rivals Red Oak and Midlothian, who have long been in the shadow of Ellis County rivals Ennis and Waxahachie have their chance to get the spotlight as they compete for the 4-5A Division I title. Red Oak has dealt with turmoil off the field related to their coaching staff, but it hasn’t impacted the Hawks in the least on the field, last week they blasted past Granbury 55-0 as they outgained the Pirates 513-89 and seven different Hawks found the end zone. Midlothian went on the road to Central Texas last week and walked away with a hard-fought 27-13 win over a tough Killeen Ellison squad. Midlothian has made a living out of finding ways to win close games, even when they are playing teams on paper who appear to be much more talented, Doug Wendel’s squad finds ways to win time and time again and they’ve got the look of a team I want no parts of come playoff time. Stepp’s Pick: Midlothian by 4

Port Arthur Memorial (8-1, 6-1) at Humble Kingwood Park (7-2, 6-1): 8-5A Division I’s title will be decided this week and this game has a lot to do with how things shake out. Currently, Port Arthur Memorial, Humble Kingwood Park and Barbers Hill are all tied with identical 6-1 records. A Port Arthur Memorial win gives the Titans a share of the district title and the top seed, a Kingwood Park win gives KPHS a share of the district title and if Barbers Hill loses, they’ll get the one seed. Both teams could end up third place with a loss and that would mean an incredibly difficult road trip to the DFW area to take on Lancaster. Port Arthur Memorial bounced back from their mystifying loss to Baytown Lee with an impressive defensive showing in a 21-7 win over Barbers Hill. Kingwood Park has had two weeks to prepare for this one as the Panthers have had to think about their 42-21 defeat to Barbers Hill for two weeks. The key for KPHS will be containing Port Arthur Memorial’s athleticism, if they can do that they have a shot to pull the upset, but that’s easier said than done against the Titans. Stepp’s Pick: Port Arthur Memorial by 13

Abilene Cooper (5-4, 3-1) at Abilene Wylie (6-3, 4-0): The southern section of Abilene will be buzzing on Friday night as for the first time in this young rivalry, Abilene Wylie comes in as the favorite over Abilene Cooper.  Cooper last week made quick work of Lubbock High in a 54-7 win as they scored on their first six drives of the game, racing out to a 44-0 halftime lead. D’Andre Ralson ran for three touchdowns, while Chris Warren tossed two touchdowns ro lead the Cougars attack. Abilene Wylie has already earned a share of their first district title as a 5A program, but the Bulldogs are after an outright title and they’d love nothing more than to earn that crown against Cooper. The Bulldogs took the long road trip up to Amarillo last week and got a much tougher than expected test against Amarillo Palo Duro, but WHS was able to escape with a 27-24 win. KJ Long’s third touchdown pass of the night was the biggest as with 0:33 left in the game he found Ryan Price for a five-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs the winning margin. Wylie was a little sluggish and sloppy with the long road trip last week, I don’t expect that same kind of sluggish performance in front of what should be a full house as Hugh Sandifer Stadium. Stepp’s Pick: Abilene Wylie by 8

Midlothian Heritage (8-1, 6-0) at Everman (8-1, 6-0): The 5-5A Division II title is on the line at Marr Stadium as Midlothian Heritage looks to take down a hot Everman squad. Both teams have one loss on the year at the hands of Stephenville and despite Heritage moving up to Class 5A this year, these two are familiar with each other having opened the season against each other a year ago. Midlothian Heritage raced past Arlington Seguin 52-20 a week ago as the Jaguars got 205 yards passing and five touchdowns from QB Kaden Brown who added 55 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground for good measure. Everman went on the road last week and annihilated Corsicana last week 53-3, the Bulldogs were balanced as QB Jarion Baspeed threw for 149 yards and three touchdowns, while the Thunder & Lightning duo of 240lb RB Errick Mills and speedy Kayden Brooks combined for 211 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Everman’s defense for the second straight week played very well, limiting Corsicana to just 131 yards of offense, Kevin Allen, Everman’s highly recruited defensive lineman had four tackles for loss in the win. Everman’s secondary has struggled against efficient passing attacks like Heritage, the Bulldogs will score points, but Midlothian Heritage executes too well and their defense will get stops at key moments. Stepp’s Pick: Midlothian Heritage by 6

Quick Picks

El Paso Eastlake (6-3, 5-2) at El Paso Eastwood (7-2, 6-1) Stepp’s Pick: El Paso Eastlake by 4

Royse City (6-3, 4-1) at Mesquite Horn (7-2, 4-1) Stepp’s Pick: Mesquite Horn by 10

Mansfield (7-2, 4-2) at DeSoto (7-2, 5-1) Stepp’s Pick: DeSoto by 21

San Antonio Harlan (7-2, 5-2) vs San Antonio Taft (7-2, 5-2) Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Taft by 5

Harlingen (9-0, 4-0) at Los Fresnos (6-3, 2-2) Stepp’s Pick: Harlingen by 16

Fulshear (8-1, 6-1) vs Richmond Foster (7-2, 5-2) Stepp’s Pick: Richmond Foster by 2

New Braunfels Canyon (8-1, 5-1) at San Antonio Wagner (6-3, 5-1) Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Wagner by 4

Edinburg Vela (8-1, 5-1) at McAllen Rowe (6-3, 4-2) Stepp’s Pick: Edinburg Vela by 18

Frisco Emerson (8-1, 4-1) vs Frisco Independence (8-1, 4-1) Stepp’s Pick: Frisco Emerson by 3

Belton (7-2, 5-0) at Waco University (5-4, 4-1) Stepp’s Pick: Belton by 20