China Spring (12-1) vs. Anna (13-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Fort Worth’s Crowley ISD Stadium: China Spring ended the regular season as the state’s number one team and the Cougars have done nothing to change that winning their first three playoff games by an average of over 44 points. Last week China Spring rolled past Lake Worth 41-7 as the duo of QB Cash McCollum and RB Kyle Barton were too much for the Bullfrogs to handle, McCollum threw for 187 yards and three touchdowns and Barton added 101 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns. China Spring did most of their damage in the first half leading 34-7 at the break before rotating in backups for most of the second half. Anna the last two weeks has shown their mettle as the Coyotes knocked off defending state champion Stephenville by a point and then last week took down Celina for the second time this year in a 27-24 win (proving me wrong both times). In last week’s win over Celina QB Evan Bullock only threw for 211 yards, but he had three touchdown passes, two going to Jonathan Brown. Boise State commit RB Jambres Dubar only ran the ball eight times for 40 yards in the win, if Anna is going to knock off the state’s top ranked team they are going to need Dubar and the running game to be a big part of the plan. Expect this one to be close, but China Spring and their balance is the difference. Stepp’s Pick: China Spring by 3

Boerne (13-0) vs. Corpus Christi Calallen (13-0), 7:30 p.m. Friday at San Antonio’s Alamo Stadium: Something has got to give at historic Alamo Stadium in San Antonio on Friday night as the Region IV title gets decided between undefeated Boerne and unbeaten Corpus Christi Calallen. Boerne ended Port Lavaca Calhoun’s Cinderella run in emphatic fashion last week as the Greyhounds rolled to a 51-0 victory. QB Jaxon Baize led the way with 249 yards passing and three touchdowns leading a Boerne attack that had 515 yards of offense. Boerne’s defense turned some heads as well as BHS held a potent Calhoun ground game to 143 yards of total offense. Calallen in a driving rain in Beeville took full advantage of Somerset mistakes in a 31-17 win. Skylar Rubio ran for two touchdowns to pace a balanced Calallen attack, while QB Bryce Burnett ran for a touchdown and threw for a touchdown helping stake CHS to a 21-3 halftime lead. Both teams have spent nearly the entire season ranked in the top five of the state rankings, this is a true pick’em game and I just have a feeling Boerne is the team peaking at the right time and that early season win over 5A Flour Bluff looks better and better each week. Stepp’s Pick: Boerne by 1

Silsbee (13-0) vs. Cuero (12-1), 1:30 p.m. Friday at Houston’s NRG Stadium: It’s a rare non-Black Friday afternoon game at one of the state’s premier venues as Silsbee and Cuero hook up in a rematch of their 2018 state semifinal where Cuero won a 29-24 thriller on their way to a state championship. Last week in the rain Silsbee blasted past Madisonville 60-21 as the Tigers got a balanced effort as QB Mason Brisbane tossed three touchdowns, two going to star WR Drelon Miller and speedy RB Kevin Martin ran for two touchdowns. Cuero rolled past Silsbee’s district rival Hamshire-Fannett last week 39-14 as the trio of RB’s Zyler Jones and Tycen Williams and QB Mason Notaro led the way for the Gobblers. QB Notaro had 196 yards of offense and two rushing touchdowns, while Jones chipped in 125 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Williams had 96 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns and 64 yards receiving. This is going to be an absolute classic, on paper these two teams are incredibly evenly matched the difference in this one is Silsbee has the absolute best player on the field in Drelon Miller, in that meeting in 2018 the difference was Cuero’s Jordan Whittington, I think Miller makes a similar impact in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Silsbee by 5

Grandview (11-2) vs. Malakoff (12-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Waxahachie’s Lumpkins Stadium: What more needs to be said about this budding rivalry that’s among the state’s best, despite the two schools never being in the same district there’s plenty of recent history between these two. The rivalry started in 2018 with Grandview winning both meetings over Malakoff, including a 35-21 win in the state title game. In 2019, Grandview won a one-point thriller in non-district 14-13. The two teams met twice in 2020 with Grandview taking the regular season meeting, but Malakoff finally breaking through in the third round of the playoffs with a 24-21 victory. Grandview took the season opener in 2021 over Malakoff and then earlier this season the Zebras knocked off MHS 21-17 in another thriller. So past history tells you this one will be an absolute thriller. Grandview took care of a good Pottsboro squad 29-7 last week as Kason English accounted for 97 yards of offense and a rushing and receiving touchdown to lead GHS. Malakoff knocked off Grandview’s district rival West 35-14 last week in impressive fashion, it’s notable that West knocked off Grandview in district play. MHS was led by RB Jason Tennyson who ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns while QB Mike Jones had a touchdown pass and a 74-yard touchdown run.  Malakoff is playing their best football of the season and even though Grandview has had Malakoff’s number for the most part, this appears to be Malakoff’s time to possibly challenge for that elusive state title. Stepp’s Pick: Malakoff by 6

Columbus (12-1) vs. Franklin (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Tomball’s Tomball ISD Stadium: Franklin through thirteen games has looked like an unstoppable force, the Lions last week simply overwhelmed a really good Hitchcock squad 53-18 to win their 29th straight game. Baylor commit RB Bryson Washington dominated from the outset rushing for 163 yards and three touchdowns, while Jayden Jackson added 92 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The story was Franklin’s underrated defense which held an explosive Hitchcock offense to just 18 points, by far their lowest output of the season. Columbus after beating defending state champion Lorena by just three in the first round of the playoffs, has dominated the last two weeks beating Diboll by 21 in the area round and last week blasting past Cameron Yoe 48-14. Ty’Vone Whitehead and JJ Hurd combined for 347 yards and four touchdowns, while sophomore QB Adam Schobel threw for three touchdowns in a balanced and dominant effort from the Cardinals. Franklin is the state title favorite and their running game hasn’t been slowed down all season long, but this Columbus team has balance and a defense that’s very underrated, I’m taking Columbus in a bit of an upset. Stepp’s Pick: Columbus by 2

Holliday (13-0) vs. Gunter (12-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Frisco’s Ford Center: Gunter’s dominance in Region II will be put to the test once again as they tangle with old playoff foe Holliday in a battle of unbeaten teams. Gunter has eliminated Holliday from the playoffs in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 and although Holliday’s been competitive, none of those games ever felt in danger for Gunter. Holliday last week took down Gunter’s district rivals Bells 17-14, the Eagles got touchdown runs from Tyrese Polite and QB Peyton Marchand as they ran out to a 17-0 third quarter lead before hanging on down the stretch. Gunter rolled past unbeaten Palmer last week 40-6 as the Tigers raced out to a 37-0 halftime lead and rotated in backups for the entire second half. It was a balanced effort from Gunter as Ethan Sloan ran for 80 yards and a touchdown and he also returned an interception for a touchdown, while QB Walker Overmann threw for 101 yards and a touchdown and he ran for a score as well. Gunter hasn’t been tested much this year, but the one team who did test them was Bells in district play, a team Holliday just beat. Holliday is an elite defensive team that is capable of slowing Gunter down some, but in the end Gunter’s too balanced and too dynamic and they overwhelm Holliday in the second half. Stepp’s Pick: Gunter by 9

Tolar (13-0) vs. Crawford (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Burleson’s Burleson Stadium: 2A-Division I is filled with several big-time matchups and this one no doubt fits the bill as two unbeaten former district rivals square off. Both teams have been absolutely dominant in the playoffs with Tolar winning their three playoff games by an average of nearly 57 points per game, while Crawford has won their three playoff games by an average of just under 40 points per game. Not much can be taken from any of these blowout wins except that these are CLEARLY the two best teams in Region II. There’s a couple of common opponents in Marlin and Coleman to look at, Tolar absolutely obliterated Marlin, while Marlin gave Crawford one of their toughest tests of the season. On the other hand, Crawford handled Coleman with relative ease (a 21-point win) while Tolar only beat Coleman by ten points. All that being said, the numbers indicate these two teams being just about as evenly matched as you can get. A year ago in a district game, I watched Crawford take out Tolar at home and a big reason for that win was Crawford’s ability to stop the run and hit some timely pass plays when needed, that in my view will be the difference in this one. Crawford wins an absolute classic in Johnson County Friday night. Stepp’s Pick: Crawford by 3

Cooper (13-0) vs. Timpson (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Lindale’s Eagle Stadium: It’s another battle of unbeaten teams in 2A-Division I as Cooper will look to end Timpson’s run of dominance in Region III. Cooper rolled past Timpson’s district rival Joaquin last week in an impressive 33-11 win, the Bulldogs running game controlled the clock and the defense was outstanding in slowing down Joaquin’s power running game. The challenge this week will be can Cooper contain one of the state’s most dynamic playmakers in Timpson QB Terry Bussey. Bussey has terrorized defenses the past three seasons and in last week’s dominant 41-14 Bussey had a hand in all six Timpson touchdowns rushing for four scores and throwing for two touchdowns. If Cooper can keep Bussey contained they’ve got a shot to pull the upset, but that’s been the game plan for everyone against Timpson this year and no one has been able to get it done quite yet. Stepp’s Pick: Timpson by 13

Shiner (11-2) vs. Refugio (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at San Marcos’ Rattler Stadium: Once again Shiner and Refugio hookup for the Region IV title and this is the second meeting of the year after a young Refugio team pulled off what some think was a mild upset over Shiner. Shiner last week took care of their end of the bargain rolling past a very good Flatonia squad 45-7. Texas A&M commit RB Dalton Brooks as always led the way for the Comanches putting up 298 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Refugio blasted past Ganado 53-7 as the Bobcats were led by Jordan King who ran for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Refugio’s second half was absolutely dominant as they outscored Ganado 41-0. They say it’s hard to beat a good team twice, but this Refugio team seems to be still improving and even though Shiner has that guy in Brooks and as long as he’s enrolled at Shiner High School, the Comanches have a chance in every game they are playing in, I still like Refugio in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Refugio by 7

Mart (13-0) vs. Lovelady (12-0), 7 p.m. Friday at College Station’s Tiger Stadium: Unbeaten Mart appears to be a freight train headed to another appearance in the state championship game as the Panthers have won their three playoff games by an average of sixty points per game including last week’s 58-0 win over Simms Bowie. QB Jonah Ross led the way for the Panthers with 243 yards through the air and three touchdowns as Mart rolled up 574 yards of offense and pitched their sixth shutout of the season. Lovelady has quietly put together an unbeaten season of their own, including last week’s 32-21 win over a very good Price Carlisle squad. Before that Lovelady had not allowed a point in their first two playoff games. After trailing 21-12 at the half, Lovelady outscored Carlisle 20-0 in the second half. Mart’s level of dominance in 2A-Division II has been on another level this year, Lovelady pushes Mart more than anyone else has to this point in 2A-Division II, but that just means Mart has to keep their foot on the gas up until the third quarter. Stepp’s Pick: Mart by 28

Quick Picks

Wichita Falls (9-4) vs. Decatur (10-3), 7 p.m. Friday at Denton’s Collins Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Decatur by 9

Tyler Chapel Hill (11-2) vs. Kilgore (10-3), 7 p.m. Friday at Tyler’s Rose Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Tyler Chapel Hill by 3

Monahans (10-3) vs. Glen Rose (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Sweetwater’s Mustang Bowl Stepp’s Pick: Glen Rose by 28

Texarkana Pleasant Grove (11-2) vs. Carthage (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Marshall’s Maverick Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Carthage by 17

Wimberley (13-0) vs. Lago Vista (10-3), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hutto’s Memorial Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Wimberley by 14

Whitesboro (11-1) vs. Brock (9-4), 7 p.m. Thursday at Denton’s Collins Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Whitesboro by 7

Llano (13-0) vs. Edna (12-1), 7 p.m. Thursday at San Marcos’ Rattler Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Edna by 5

Wall (12-1) vs. Canadian (11-2), 6 p.m. Friday at Woodrow’s Pirate Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Canadian by 10

Gilmer Harmony (8-5) vs. Newton (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Nacogdoches’ Bryce Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Newton by 10

Tidehaven (11-2) vs. Poth (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at San Marcos’ Bobcat Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Tidehaven by 4

Cisco (11-2) vs. Hawley (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Abilene’s Wildcat Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Hawley by 2

Wellington (12-1) vs. New Home (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Canyon’s Happy State Bank Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Wellington by 11

Albany (11-2) vs. Collinsville (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Mineral Wells’ Ram Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Albany by 13

Burton (12-0) vs. Granger (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Bastrop’s Memorial Stadium Stepp’s Pick: Burton by 10