Mansfield Summit (8-4) vs Denton Ryan (13-0)

7 p.m. Friday at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium

The Cinderella story of the playoffs has been without question the Mansfield Summit Jaguars, who have turned a fourth-place finish in 4-5A Division I into a Region I title under head coach Channon Hall.

The Jaguars knocked off a pair of district champions and avenged a regular season loss to Red Oak with a thrilling 41-38 win last week on the way to the regional title. DB Jalon Rock was the difference in the game as he returned a pair of kickoffs for a touchdown, picked off a pass and also deflected another pass that led to another interception.

QB David Hopkins chipped in two touchdown passes and a touchdown run, while Auburn signee WR Hal Presley continued his strong playoff run with 92 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Denton Ryan exercised another one of their playoff demons last week as the Raiders ended their playoff misery against Highland Park with a masterclass defensive effort in a 17-7 win.

The Raiders defense held Highland Park to just 229 yards of offense and only 89 yards in the second half. While the offense didn’t have their best game, they did just enough as Oklahoma signee Billy Bowman and Texas signee Ja’Tavion Sanders combined for 220 receiving yards and both of Ryan’s touchdowns in the win.

Denton Ryan’s defensive dominance, especially in the front seven, will be the key in this one. Summit’s offensive line is going to struggle to hold up and the Raiders offense will get rolling with Memphis signee QB Seth Henigan and company putting up big numbers.

Stepp’s Pick: Denton Ryan by 24